Breeders’ Cup Racing Roundup
November 7th, 2011By ROBERT KIECKHEFER
UPI Racing Writer
A weekend of upsets at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships left a scramble for Horse of the Year honors but also some promise for the future.
Favorites fell like the autumn leaves in the Breeders’ Cup, including several who could have earned year-end awards.
And several of the major winners on Friday and Saturday at Churchill Downs are off to the breeding shed – notable among them Drosselmeyer, winner of the $5 million Classic, and Goldikova, the gallant French-bred mare who came up short in her effort to win a fourth straight $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile.
But the finish of the $2 million Juvenile, with Hansen holding off a late run by the favorite, Union Rags, and the $2 million Juvenile Fillies, with My Miss Aurelia posting a rare win by a favorite, both could presage some exciting battles next spring.
Hansen, Union Rags, the three top finishers in the Juvenile Fillies and the winner of the inaugural running of the $500,000 Juvenile Sprint all were undefeated coming into the Breeders’ Cup.
Beyond the upsets, the disappointments and the promise, the two days of racing also produced some heartwarming family stories, perhaps the final chapter of a soap opera between two West Coast jockeys and deliverance for one of them from last year’s loss aboard Zenyatta.
Saturday
Drosselmeyer raced near the back of the pack through much of the $5 million Classic. But when jockey Mike Smith swung the 4-year-old Distorted Humor colt out for running room, he mowed them all down. In the final sixteenth, he ran right by the game pacesetter, Game On Dude, with Smith’s old girlfriend, Chantal Sutherland, in the irons. Drosselmeyer, at 14-1 odds, won by 1 1/2 lengths. Ruler On Ice rallied to finish third. Among the favorites, Havre de Grace took fourth, Flat Out was fifth and former Australian champ So You Think got home sixth. Uncle Mo faded badly late and finished 10th.
Drosselmeyer, last year’s Belmont Stakes winner, picked up just his second win of 2011 but for Smith, it was redemption after his hearbreaking loss in last year’s Classic, when he fell just a head short of getting Zenyatta home first over Blame.
“Last year, I sat here just devastated,” Smith said Saturday. “I thought my life was over. Just to come back and have a day like I did today and to win the race that I got beat by a nose in last year, it’s just amazing.”
Asked how it felt to snatch the victory from his old flame, Sutherland, he replied kindly, I didn’t know who it was in front of me at that point. All I knew was I had to keep moving forward and I wasn’t going to stop pedaling until I hit the wire. It just happened to be her … She did a great job and ran second in the Classic first time ever riding in it. I think she’s pretty proud.”
For Goldikova, a fourth straight Mile was one too many. After getting a perfect trip, jockey Olivier Peslier swung her out sharply at the top of the stretch and she delivered her patented late kick to assume the lead. But she couldn’t sustain the momentum and finished third, behind 64-1 longshot Court Vision and Turallure. Court Vision got home fifth in the Mile last year had not finished in the money in more than a year.
“She looked like she was going to win for a moment,” said 6-year-old Goldikova’s trainer, Freddy Head. “But now I don’t think she can sustain the same speed as she did in previous years. That’s life. Maybe the mileage and the years have taken their toll.” He said he hopes her offspring will continue her legacy at the Breeders’ Cup.
St Nicholas Abbey won the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf with 18-year-old jockey Joseph O’Brien riding for his father, trainer Aidan O’Brien. O’Brien, the youngest jockey ever to win a Breeders’ Cup race, kept the Irish-bred 4-year-old close to the lead throughout the 1 1/2-mile race. At the top of the stretch, he swung the Montjeu colt to the outside and he quickly went by the leaders, winning off by 2 1/4 lengths. Sea Moon, a British-bred colt, finished second and Brilliant Speed, a 3-year-old Dynaformer colt, finished third, best of the U.S. starters. The favorite, French-trained Sarafina, finished fourth. St Nicholas Abbey got the 1 1/2 miles on the firm Churchill Downs turf course in 2:28.85. The younger O’Brien is expected to grow out of his jockey silks soon and follow in his famous father’s training footsteps. Already listed as 5-foot-11 and 122 pounds, he said he loves his current role.
“I’ll keep riding on the flat for as long as possible and take it from there,” he said. “I’ve been coming to the Breeders’ Cup since I was very small … It’s something that’s been a dream.”
Hansen led from gate to wire in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and outlasted previously undefeated Union Rags to win by a head – a triumph of blue collar over blue blood. Hansen’s two previous starts resulted in runaway victories at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky. Union Rags won his last two against graded stakes competition on the New York circuit and he was the even-money favorite Saturday. Hansen’s owner, Dr. Kendall Hansen, says he paid his way through medical school betting on the races. Hansen ran the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.44. Creative Cause, winner of the Norfolk Stakes at Santa Anita, got home third and Dullahan, who won the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, finished fourth.
Afleet Again was fleetest of all in the stretch run, rallying to an upset win in Saturday’s $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Marathon. The 1 3/4-mile race, among the longest stakes events in North America, went at a good clip early with Afleet Again well back of the leaders. Jockey Cornelio Velazquez finally revved up Afleet Again as the field came around the third turn and he wore down the other stretch runners on the outside, winning by 2 1/4 lengths at 41-1 odds.
Wrote got clear in the final yards to win the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, leading a sweep for foreigners in the event. With Ryan Moore riding, the Irish-bred and Irish-trained Wrote saved ground along the hedge in mid-pack until the field turned for home. Moore then found a seam between horses, got the High Chaparral colt into the clear and he quickly sprinted out to win by 2 1/4 lengths. Canadian-trained Excaper, with Emma-Jayne Wilson up, finished second and English-trained Farraj was third. Lucky Chappy, an Irish-bred who had raced in Italy, finished fourth.
Amazombie caught Force Freeze in the late going to win the $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint by a neck. Force Freeze held on for second after leading in the stretch and Jackson Bend came from far back after quick early furlongs to finish third. Amazombie, a 5-year-old Northern Afleet gelding based in California, got the 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.17.
Regally Ready found running room on the hedge turning for home in Saturday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and went on to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Country Day finished second at long odds and Perfect Officer was up for third. Regally Ready, a 4-year-old, Kentucky-bred More Than Ready gelding, finished the 5 furlongs on “good” turf in 56.48 seconds under Corey Nakatani.
Caleb’s Posse rallied like a shot down the stretch to catch pacesetting Shackleford and win the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Shackleford, winner of the Preakness Stakes this spring, held on for second. Tres Borrachos was third. Shackleford took over the lead from pacesetting The Factor at the end of the run down the backstretch and appeared to have the advantage. But when jockey Rajiv Maragh booted Caleb’s Posse into gear well out in the middle of the track, he quickly closed to the lead and drew off to win by 4 lengths. Caleb’s Posse, a 3-year-old, Kentucky-bred colt by Posse who once was on the Kentucky Derby trail, finished in 1:34.59 over a fast track.
Friday
Royal Delta surged to the lead in the stretch run of the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic and drew off to win by 2 1/2 lengths. The final race on the first day of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs turned into a battle of 3-year-olds. It’s Tricky ran second while Plum Pretty, who led much of the way, faded from contention to finish out of the money. The best of the older fillies and mares, Pachattack, rallied late to finish third. Royal Delta, a daughter of Empire Maker, ran the 1 1/8 miles on a “good” main track in 1:50.78. The Ladies’ Classic emphasis shifted to the 3-year-old fillies when the two older competitors – Havre de Grace and Blind Luck – dropped from contention. Havre de Grace, pursuing Horse of the Year honors, is running in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday. Blind Luck ran poorly in her last race and is being sold.
Perfect Shirl rallied wide around the leaders and won a multinational sprint to the wire in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. The Canadian-based, 4-year-old daughter of Perfect Soul got home 3/4 length better than the previously undefeated and British-based Nahrain. Another foreigner, Irish-trained Misty For Me, finished third, a nose farther back, and Distorted Legacy was a head back in fourth. Perfect Shirl with John Velazquez in the irons, ran the 1 3/8 miles on “good” turf in 2:18.62. Perfect Shirl had not won a race in more than a year before Friday’s triumph.
Secret Circle survived a late rally by Shumoos to win the inaugural running of the $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint by 1 length. Secret Circle, the odds-on favorite, remained undefeated in three career starts despite tiring and drifting out in deep stretch while Shumoss, an English invader, put in a good run down the rail. Holdin Bullets finished third. With Rafael Bejarano up for trainer Bob Baffert, Secret Circle, a Kentucky-bred son of Eddington, ran the 6 furlongs over a drying track rated “good” in 1:10.52.
Stephanie’s Kitten overtook pacesetting Stopshoppingmaria in the stretch run to win the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf by 3/4 length. Sweet Cat finished third in the 1-mile event, run over turf rated “good” after Thursday’s rains. With John Velazquez riding, Stephanie’s Kitten ran just off the early pace, got through along the inside midway down the Churchill Down stretch and came outside the leader to surge to the lead. She finished in 1:38.80.
Musical Romance rallied late to post a big upset win in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. With Juan Leyva riding his first Breeders Cup race, the 4-year-old filly raced behind the pace, came through along the rail to take a good lead in the lane and held on to win by 1 1/4 lengths over Switch. Her Smile, a longshot owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, also ran well late to take third. Musical Romance, despite finishing in the top three in each of her eight previous races, paid $42.40 to win. The favorite, Turbulent Descent, had traffic problems, led early in the stretch run but faded to finish fifth.
My Miss Aurelia surged to the lead early in the stretch run and jetted off to win Friday’s $2 million Juvenile Fillies by 3 lengths. The Louisiana-bred filly, with Corey Nakatani riding, remained undefeated in four starts, now including three graded stakes, and becomes an early favorite for next year’s Kentucky Oaks. Grace Hall finished second and Weemissfrankie was third. Each of them also had been undefeated in three previous starts. My Miss Aurelia, a daughter of Smart Strike, finished the 1 1/16 miles on a track rated “good” in 1:46.00.
