By Rob Fundter, The Amateur Capper
In every
division, there will be many compelling vignettes on both days of the Breeders'
Cup World Thoroughbred Championships.
The cream is rising to the top as we are a little more than eight weeks out
from a weekend of thrilling competition.
Eliminate all negative thoughts of what could have been if certain
horses would travel to Santa Anita in early November. There are too many good horses and stories to
waste time on what could have been.
CLASSIC
RACHEL is
obviously the compelling story in this race division and deserves mention as
the leading candidate for the Eclipse Award honoring the Horse of the
Year. However, if you encounter a fringe
racing fan who asks you why she's not running, don't go into a diatribe
extolling her virtues and how she's "done enough".
Instead, pump
up the horses that have performed in top races in this division. Start off with the essence of a racehorse, recent
Pacific Classic runner-up and Santa Anita Handicap winner EINSTEIN who was
recently purchased by Santa Anita Park's owner FRANK STRONACH. He wants a house horse with a great shot at
winning the big prize at his famous racetrack.
RAIL TRIP validated his Hollywood Gold Cup win with another solid race
in a 1 ΒΌ mile G.1 event, finishing 3rd in the Pacific Classic. Mention also that MACHO AGAIN, the Woodward
Stakes runner-up who also won the G.1 Stephen Foster H., has earned nearly $1
million this year alone but stands to win over three times that amount with a
Classic win.
Inform them
that last year's Eclipse-winning Older Female ZENYATTA could take on the boys,
instead of defending her Ladies Classic title, while trying to stamp her would-be
perfect 14 race career with a BC Classic exclamation point.
Then warn
them that the United States contingent should be prepared for a foreign
invasion considering that European based runners finished 1-2 in the Classic
last year at this same track. From
Ireland comes a beast named SEA THE STARS, considered internationally as the
best horse in the world. All he's done
is win five G.1 races in five tries this year, all on the grass. It's considered common knowledge that if SEA
THE STARS comes to the Breeders' Cup, he will contest the Classic for which
English bookmaker William Hill has already made him the 2-1 favorite.
JUVENILE
D. WAYNE
LUKAS is back in the national spotlight with Hopeful S. winner DUBLIN, the Hall
of Fame trainer's first G.1 win since FOLKLORE took the BC Juvenile Fillies in
2005. It was also his first Hopeful S.
win since 2000, a race he's now posed for pictures six times.
Then tell
them that LUKAS' successor in Triple Crown race success in the 1990's to early
2000's, BOB BAFFERT, has now won the Del Mar Futurity a record nine
times!!! LOOKIN AT LUCKY will try to
emulate BAFFERT's champion juvenile of last year, MIDSHIPMAN, who scored in the
Juvenile after using the Del Mar Futurity as a stepping stone.
From the
Midwest comes Arlington-Washington Futurity winner DIXIE BAND, a runner that
Southern California-based jockey DAVID FLORES auditioned for WAYNE CATALANO as
a potential Juvenile mount.
Then remind
them there is one more major prep race in every circuit which will further
narrow the field of juveniles.
Juveniles, like human children, seemingly mature overnight. What's the hot stock today, may bottom out 2
months from now while a relatively inexperienced competitor takes the market by
storm.
Remind them
also that the Juvenile could produce a Kentucky Derby winner, even in
defeat. MINE THAT BIRD finished dead
last in the Juvenile in '08 but scored a 50-1 shocker on Derby day. In 2007 STREET SENSE became the first
Juvenile winner to capture the Derby since the Breeders' Cup started back in
1984.
JUVENILE
FILLIES
This could
turn into the most exciting race of all.
From New York comes Spinaway winner HOT DIXIE CHICK; from the Midwest,
emphatic Arlington-Washington Lassie winner SHE BE WILD gave trainer WAYNE
CATALANO two terrific hands to play at Santa Anita...oh, by the way, she ran the
equivalent of four lengths faster than her male stable mate on the same
card! MI SUENO still hasn't figured out
how to stay focused through the whole race, but the SOUTHERN EQUINE STABLE
runner recovered in enough time to capture the Darley Debutante for her second
consecutive graded stakes win.
These are
but three interesting races that will be part of an exciting weekend. Enjoy the final prep races throughout the
world. It's a great time to be a
thoroughbred racing fan!
P.S. Mr. JESS JACKSON: If you and Mr. STEVE ASMUSSEN want to bring
RACHEL to join in the fun, you're more than welcome. I'm sure that CHIP WOOLLEY would understand
if CALVIN dumped MINE THAT BIRD again to partner with RACHEL in the Classic.
