Let’s hope that he’s okay, and it has to be positive that he walked onto the ambulance.
There’s unlikely to be any further news tonight, however, so this is probably the moment to sign off, after an afternoon and evening in Kentucky that will live very long in the memory.
There’s an update on Epicenter – he sustained an injury to his right foreleg in the Classic. He walked onto the ambulance and is on his way to the Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for further evaluation.
If Flightline has indeed run his final race, we’ll always have Keeneland, and his unforgettable performance has set the seal on an outstanding Breeders’ Cup for fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
Flightline delivered in spades, the Europeans return home with a record-breaking six wins in the turf events and the three-way go in the Distaff would have been the race of the meeting on its own in many other years. We should always be wary of recency bias, but Breeders’ Cup XXXIX feels right up there with 1990, when Lester Piggott won the Mile and Dayjur jumped the shadow, as a meeting that will never be forgotten.
I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have, and I can’t wait to do it all again at Santa Anita next year.
The big question now, of course, is whether Flightline will race on at five. Injury robbed him of the chance to run in the Triple Crown races as a three-year-old, and he is still just six races into his career.
Every trip to the track is a risk, however, and there is 2.5pc of Flightline up for auction at the Keeneland sales on Monday. That will put a value on Sadler’s colt, and it is likely to be so extraordinarily inflated that there will be no insurer on the planet willing to underwrite a five-year-old career. It’s not yet been confirmed, but Flightline’s sixth race was probably his last, for inescapable financial reasons.
If you weren’t watching it live, here’s the replay of the Classic.
REPLAY: Flightline wins the $6 Million @LonginesEq #BreedersCup Classic! Congrats to all connections! #BC22 pic.twitter.com/KdPeEA0Efe
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 5, 2022
Even from several thousand miles away, it was possible to feel the potency of that performance by Flightline. An unfortunate postscipt, though, is that Epicenter was taken off the track in an ambulance, so we’ll have to wait for a vet’s update on his condition.
That was the performance that we all hoped to see. The fractions were red-hot but Flightline cruised and floated behind Life Is Good, then put the race to bed without really needing to be asked as Flavien Prat let out an inch or two of rein in the straight. A sensational performance from a truly extraordinary colt.
BREEDERS' CUP CLASSIC RESULT:
1. FLIGHTLINE, 2. Olympiad, 3. Taiba.
The winning time was a fraction over 2 minutes.
Flightline is piling it on, he won by eight or nine lengths, that, as the commentator yells, was AWESOME!
Here he comes, easing towards the lead, they’re neck and neck but then Flightline explodes clear!
It’s a duel, but Flavien Prat on Flightline must be thinking about making a move …
The pair of them are miles clear already, 45.47 for the half mile as Life Is Good continues to lead
They’re going in …
And they’re off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Classic!
A level break, Life Is Good is an early leader with Flightline close behind, 22.55 sec for the opening quarter
Won’t be long now, and I’m struggling to remember a horse carrying so much expectation in front of him on the way to the stalls.
Jason Weaver adds to it on ITV Racing:
He has to destroy this field to be considered anything like Secretariat.
And another: five of the previous seven odds-on favourites for the Classic have been beaten.
None of them, though, came into the race on the back of a run like Flightline’s Pacific Classic.
Nice stat from ITV Racing – Life Is Good is an 8-1 shot for the Classic. It’s the first time in his career that he’s something other than an odds-on favourite.
It’s “riders up” for the Classic at Keeneland, they are heading out onto the track.
Flightline looks relaxed and ready on the feed from the track as he walks down towards the paddock.
Just under 20 minutes to post time for the Classic and the tension is building at Keeneland as the horses begin to file towards the parade ring.
Life Is Good is an 8-1 chance to upset the favourite and add the Classic to his win in the Dirt Mile at Del Mar in 2021.
Can Flightline do it? Who can stop him?
He’s 2-5 in the early betting, with Epicenter, the season’s best three-year-old in the States, at 7-1 to follow up his win in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga.
Quotes and reaction from the Turf to follow, but attention now turns to the Classic in 45 minutes’ time, and the possibility that Flightline will produce a performance that none of us will ever forget.
Ahead of that, here’s a handy appetiser with all of his starts to date in one handy package.
James Doyle is soaking up the applause as he returns towards the winner’s enclosure, and why not?
That’s a first win at the Breeders’ Cup for James Doyle, whose sister Sophie has been a familiar face on American tracks for the last eight years. It’s also a sixth win for the Europeans at this year’s meeting, equalling their record at the meeting, and a sixth win for Charlie Appleby from the last eight Breeders’ Cup races in which he’s had a runner.
BREEDERS' CUP TURF RESULT:
1. REBEL’S ROMANCE, 2. Stone Age, 3. War Like Goddess.
into the stretch, here comes Stone Age and Rebel’s Romance, James Doyle hits the lead, and goes on to record a comfortable win
Highland Chief up into third going down the back, Nation’s Pride going well in sixth
They are moving towards the stalls … won’t be long …
And they’re off in the Breeders’ Cup Turf!
Bye Bye Melvin straight to the lead from stall one, Stone Age is third
Broome is another who deserves a mention, he’s not been in the best of form recently but ran a blinder to finish second in this race 12 months ago.
Here’s the promised update on Domestic Spending, who was pulled up in the Mile.
Domestic Spending was radiographed and does not appear to have a lower limb fracture. At this time, he is being stabilized for transfer to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for further evaluation.
Rebel’s Romance is slightly under the radar but has won Group Ones in Germany on his last two starts including this one at Cologne.
The home defence, meanwhile, is very much led by War Like Goddess, who bids to give Bill Mott a treble on the day. She bolted up in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Aqueduct in October.
Mishriff is getting very warm in the paddock, which is a concern, but the 6-1 shot will be a live contender for Frankie Dettori if he can return to something close to his best form.
It feels like I started blogging half an hour ago, but we have now got through seven races on the Saturday card and there are just two more – the $4m Turf and the $6m Classic – to look forward to.
It’s already a record-breaking Cup for the Europeans on the grass, with five wins from six so far beating the previous highest total of four, and obvious chances in the next with Mishriff, Nations Pride, Rebel’s Romance, Stone Age and Broome.
Nations Pride and Rebel’s Romance are both from the Charlie Appleby yard, and the former is currently favourite on track at 5-2 having won the Grade One Saratoga Derby on a previous visit to the States this year.
Here’s the closing stages of that epic renewal of the Distaff, that was about as close as it could get without being a three-way dead-heat.
Take a bow @ljlmvel! Malathaat JUST beats Blue Stripe in the $2m @LonginesEq @BreedersCup Distaff for @PletcherRacing and @ShadwellStud! #BC22 pic.twitter.com/crYt3WyOnK
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 5, 2022
Malathaat won despite going wide, an on-screen graphic on the track feed shows that the runner-up travelled 20 yards less than the winner over the course of the race.
Malathaat was a 5-2 shot and won by a nose under John Velasquez.
Photo Finish #BC22 pic.twitter.com/bD6nhlBmox
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 5, 2022
BREEDERS' CUP DISTAFF RESULT:
1. MALATHAAT, 2. Blue Stripe, 3. Clairiere.
Incredible race, looking at the slo-mo it might just be Malathaat but we’ll leave it to the judge
Malathaat charging, three in a line, what a finish, wow, it’s so close between Malathaat, Blue Stripe and Clairiere
Malathaat coming into it, Secret Oath leads them into the stretch, Secret Oath still leads
Down the back, Society still leads, bunching up behind her slow fractions
Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff!
Society straight to the lead, Nest is three lengths off the pace and Malathaat is last early on.
If anything is going to upset the Pletcher duopoly, it could well be Society, the winner of the Cotillion Stakes last time out.
Nest is the 7-5 favourite at the track for the Distaff, while her stable companion, Malathaat, is a 5-2 shot for a race that will off in the next couple of minutes.
I’m keeping an eye out for the Mile replay and will post it as soon as possible, but in the meantime, here’s a look at Nest and Malathaat, stable companions at the Todd Pletcher barn and two of the big challengers for the Distaff, which is the next race on the card.
Malathaat won the Spinster Stakes at Keeneland last month:
While Nest finished second against the colts in the Belmont Stakes in June and comes in on the back of three straight wins, including a dominant 10-length win in the Grade Two Beldame Stakes at Aqueduct.
This is turning into one of the best ever Breeders’s Cups for the Europeans, with five wins on the board already and the Turf still to come. The record is six at Santa Anita in 2009, when the now-replaced artificial surface very much levelled the playing field in the non-turf event.
Frankie Dettori talks through his race aboard Kinross with Oli Bell on ITV.
He ran a super race, [stall] 13 is impossible really. William kicked and put the race to bed and I wasn’t lucky enough to get second.
Domestic Spending was pulled up during the race and has been taken back to his barn in the horse ambulance. Updates as they arrive.
William Buick had seven or eight rivals in front of him turning into the short home straight but once he got Modern Games balanced and pointed him at the lead, it was soon a case of how far.
Charlie Appleby, his trainer, is talking to ITV Racing …
He’s the ultimate professional, he does what it says on the tin, basically. He’s a typical Dubawi, he won’t lie down. He’s not the biggest but he seems to grow an extra inch when he’s over here.
BREEDERS' CUP MILE RESULT:
1. MODERN GAMES, 2. Shirl’s Speight, 3. Kinross.
Updated
into the straight: Pogo still there with James Doyle but under pressure and Modern Games is hitting his stride, he’s finishing really well, gaining ground all the time, and he gets there, a second Breeders’ Cup win.
Pogo on the rail in second, Modern Games mid-division, Beyond Brilliant also prominent
Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Mile!
Pogo got a good break on the inside alongside Smooth Like Strait, Dreamloper fifth.
The US punters will get paid at around 9-1 if Frankie can pull it off from 13, while Chad Brown’s Domestic Spending, unraced since August 2021, is also picking up some support and is trading at around 9-1.
And let’s not forget Dreamloper, the Prix du Moulin winner, who is running her final race and will be sold at the Keeneland Breeding Stock sale on Monday.
Modern Games is a solid favourite both in the UK and on track, where Charlie Appleby’s colt is currently showing at around 6-5. Annapolis, the shortest-priced US-trained runner, is 5-1 from stall 11. He won the Coolmore Turf Mile over this very track and trip last time out.
And Kinross also features here, beating Pogo – my slightly speculative pick for the race at around 16-1 with the UK bookies – in the City Of York Stakes at the Ebor meeting in August.
There was only a length-and-a-quarter in it, and Pogo, like Kinross, is the kind of speedy seven-furlong type that could be ideally suited to a sharp American turf mile. Unlike Kinross, though, he has a low draw – against the rail in stall one – and a decent start should see him ideally positioned as the race develops.
Kinross is in the form of his life, winning the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp last time …
… though Frankie Dettori will need to be at his miracle-working best from stall 13.
Modern Games is also a Breeders’ Cup winner already, having landed a somewhat controversial renewal of the Juvenile Turf at Del Mar 12 months ago.
Five down and four to go in Kentucky, where the Mile will be along in about 25 minutes’ time. Lots of European interest here, with familiar names like Modern Games, Kinross, Dreamloper and Pogo all prominent in the betting and Order Of Australia attempting to repeat his massive upset win in this race, and at this track, two years ago.
Refresh your memory here:
Here’s the replay of the Sprint:
REPLAY: Elite Power wins the $2 Million @Qatar_Racing #BreedersCup Sprint! Congrats to all connections! #BC22 pic.twitter.com/VjLdbWbyaX
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 5, 2022
BREEDERS' CUP SPRINT RESULT:
1. ELITE POWER, 2. C Z Rocket, 3. Jackie’s Warrior.
Elite Power coming down the outside and he gets there! That was quite some surge down the stretch.
Super Ocho leads, Jackie’s Warrior next going around the home turn, Elite Power trying to get on terms
Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint!
Jackie’s Warrior and Super Ocho both away well
Two minutes to post time for the Sprint, Jackie’s Warrior is still a real banker for the punters on course at 3-5. Kimari is also fancied, at around 5-1, to improve on seventh place last year.
Also worth a close look is Elite Power, who streaked home by six lengths in the seven-furlong Vosburgh Stakes last time.
I think Jackie’s Warrior will probably get it done this time, but the odds are rather cramped.
Jackie’s Warrior was back to his best in the Alfred G Vanderbilt at Saratoga in the summer, however, before his good run over seven furlongs in the Forego, posted further down the blog.
The Sprint, back on the dirt, is the next race on the card, with Jackie’s Warrior odds on at 4-5 on track to win.
He was the warm favourite for the same race at Del Mar 12 months ago, when he turned in a below-par effort behind Aloha West, as 12-1 shot to retain his crown.
Hollie Doyle, meanwhile, told ITV Racing just now that
I think my race was lost in the first half-furlong and I was just too far back.
Following up from the Turf Sprint, John Quinn was delighted with the performance of Highfield Princess in fourth and hinted that she may be back for another crack at Santa Anita next year.
She ran another great race and I couldn’t be more proud of her. She’s had a long season so she’ll have a well-deserved holiday now and she’ll come back in to training for next season. It’s been a great experience and hopefully we’ll be back again.
Here’s the replay of the Filly & Mare Turf, a copybook ride by Ryan Moore.
REPLAY: Tuesday wins the $2 Million @MakersMark #BreedersCup Filly & Mare Turf at @keenelandracing! Congrats to all of the connections! pic.twitter.com/bBlwmJeKtm
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 5, 2022
A brilliant run down the home straight by Tuesday and Ryan Moore, who came into the meeting on a longish losing streak at the meeting but has now won three of the nine races so far.
BREEDERS' CUP FILLY & MARE TURF RESULT:
1. TUESDAY, 2. In Italian, 3. Lady Speightspeare.
Now here’s Tuesday, she’s coming with a storming run…
And she gets there, Tuesday wins the Filly & Mare Turf!
Tuesday is sixth , Nashwa plenty to do with In Italian still in front, coming down the stretch
Toy is second, then Lady Speightspeare and Family Way
In Italian setting decent fraction here, Nashwa has around 9 lengths to find going to the far turn
Off and running in the Filly & Mare Turf!
Nashwa was a little slow to stride, In Italian leads going to the first turn.
They are heading onto the turf course ahead of the Filly & Mare Turf, and now going into the stalls.
In Italian is the early favourite on track at 5-2, with Nashwa on 7-2, Aidan O’Brien’s Oaks winner, Tuesday, at 4-1 and Above The Curve a very attractive 8-1.
I quite fancy Across The Curve to give Joseph O’Brien the win here, but victory for Nashwa and Hollie Doyle would, of course, be magnificent result for all concerned too.
The big local hope, meanwhile, is In Italian, trained by Chad Brown, who won the First Lady Stakes at Keeneland in Sepetember.
Joseph O’Brien’s Above The Curve adds depth to the European challenge, she was just a short-head behind Nashwa in the Prix de l’Opera and won the Blandford Stakes at the Curragh in July.
And also the replay of the Dirt Mile:
REPLAY: Cody's Wish wins the $1 Million @bigassfans #BreedersCup Dirt Mile at @Keeneland! Congrats to all of the connections! pic.twitter.com/SMKQE8GnIx
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 5, 2022
Here’s the replay of the Turf Sprint on the Breeders’ Cup’s Twitter feed:
REPLAY: Caravel wins the $1 Million #BreedersCup Turf Sprint! Congrats to all connections! #BC22 pic.twitter.com/wXDJvhD0Tg
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 5, 2022
Cody’s Wish was a 2-1 chance, by the way.
Nashwa and Hollie Doyle are up next in the Filly & Mare Turf, she was second in the Prix de l’Opera last time out and previously won the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
No change to the result in the Dirt Mile.
There is an OBJECTION after the Dirt Mile but it does not look to affect the winner. Cyberknife came across Gunite, who was already starting to fade, around a furlong out and that looks like the issue.
That’s a fourth win in a row for Cody’s Wish, and a potential pointer towards Jackie’s Warrior, one of the favourites for the Sprint later on, as he was second behind Cody’s Wish in the seven-furlong Forego Stakes last time.
BREEDERS' CUP DIRT MILE RESULT:
1. CODY’S WISH, 2. Cyberknife, 3. Slow Down Andy.
Cyberknife on the inside, head-to-head with Cody’s Wish, here comes the line …
Cody’s Wish is coming with a challenge, Gunite leads them into the straight
Pipeline leads, a fast opening quarter, Gunite and Cyberknife are close behind
Going in now … won’t be long …
Off and running in the Dirt Mile!
They are approaching the gates for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, which at Keeneland are within spitting distance of the opening turn. That could make things quite interesting in the early stages.
Just to tidy up that loose end from the Turf Sprint, the stewards decided that Golden Pal was a runner.
Pipeline, meanwhile, was third home behind Cody’s Wish in the Forego Stakes, posted a few minutes ago.
There are two more runners at single-figure odds, Gunite and Pipeline. Gunite won the Perryville Stakes last time out:
My bad, I was expecting Cody’s Wish to be rather shorter in the betting than he actually is. At the moment, the three-year-old Cyberknife is the on-track favourite at 2-1, despite having failed to add to his win in the Haskell Stakes in two subsequent starts.
Next up at Keeneland is the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, whose sponsor makes fans which are unusually large.
The favourite here, and one of the shortest of the day, is Bill Mott’s Cody’s Wish, the winner of the Forego Stakes last time out.
That’s a first win for a US-trained runner in four turf races at this year’s Breeders’ Cup. Kevin Ryan’s Emaraaty Ana, a 10-1 shot, ran really well under Ryan Moore to finish second, and Highfield Princess also emerged with plenty of credit in fourth.
Golden Pal was expected to break well and sit close to or on the lead, but the script went out of the window when he was last away from the stalls. It looks like he reared slightly as the gates opened.
The stewards are reportedly watching a reply of the start to see if the stalls handler held onto Golden Pal’s reins for too long – he could be declared a non-starter if so.
Caravel and Tyler Gaffalione were quick to stride and made all the running to win.
BREEDERS' CUP TURF SPRINT RESULT:
1. CARAVEL, 2. Emiraaty Ana, 3. Creative Force.
Caravel holds on to win at 43-1, the biggest upset at this year’s Breeders’ Cup so far
They are into the straight, not today for Golden Pal, Caravel is leading
Golden Pal settles in sixth, just behind Highfield Princess,
They are off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint!
Highland Princess broke in mid-division, Golden Pal last away but searing towards the lead
On the track feed, Rishi Persad, who got his break in broadcasting from John Fairley, the owner of Highfield Princess, reports that John Quinn has broken the habit of a lifetime by backing his mare. He has done so in order to get a slip as a souvenir, however, and if she wins, it will go uncashed.
It is post time for the Turf Sprint, but the race will not be off for a minute or two.
Laura King, who is well worth following on Twitter (if you don’t already) for her coverage of Dubai’s racing action, is lucky enough to be Stateside and here’s Highfield Princess in the paddock:
Best of luck to the remarkable Highfield Princess. pic.twitter.com/6KHvmgaPf3
— Laura King لورا كنج (@LauraKingDXB) November 5, 2022
With seven minutes to post time for the Turf Sprint, Golden Pal remains a rock-solid favourite at 6-5. Highfield Princess is down to 3-1 with Creative Force on 8-1 and Naval Crown, the mount of James Doyle, among the rank outsiders at 43-1.
I’m going with Highfield Princess, but that could be the heart over-ruling the head.
But he was down the field behind Kinross – who runs in the Mile later today – in the Champions Sprint at Ascot last month, a race in which Creative Force finished third.
Naval Crown, meanwhile, took the Platinum Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in June …
Charlie Appleby’s strike-rate with his Breeders’ Cup runners is remarkable, and while Golden Pal and Highfield Princess are top on the ratings, his runners Creative Force and Naval Crown are both Group One winners in Britain and cannot be lightly dismissed.
Here’s Creative Force winning the Sprint on Champions Day at Ascot last season:
Golden Pal, though, is an absolute machine around these tight American turf tracks, and it is no surprise to see him as the 6-5 favourite at the track, with Highfield Princess at 4-1.
This is his win in the same race last year at Del Mar:
As Irad Ortiz jun and Goodnight Olive enjoy the moment in the winner’s enclosure, it’s time to turn our thoughts towards the Turf Sprint, which is, according to the UK bookies at least, a classic US-Europe head-to-head.
It’s also a race that I’m looking forward to immensely, not least because the trainer on the “Europe” side of the equation is John Quinn, whose Highfield Princess is a narrow second-favourite behind Wesley Ward’s Golden Pal.
There’s no need to break out the violins, but when it’s part of your job to put up a tip in every single one of the 10,000 or so races over the course of the British season, take it from me that trainers whose horses run to form and still find some progress, over and over again, are worth whatever Mr Quinn’s weight is in gold.
Quinn has four Group One wins on his record so far, three of which have arrived since August thanks to Highfield Princess, and two Grade Ones over hurdles to boot. Highfield Princess’s progress from low-grade handicapper to potential Grade One winner at the world’s most glamourous meeting has been nothing short of extraordinary, here she is running away with the Nunthorpe Stakes at York in August:
That was a decisive win for Goodnight Olive, who set off as the 9-5 favourite.
BREEDERS' CUP FILLY & MARE SPRINT RESULT:
BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY & MARE SPRINT RESULT:
1. GOODNIGHT OLIVE, 2. Echo Zulu, 3. Wicked Halo.
Slammed and Edgeway contesting the lead … Goodnight Olive is coming through to challenge ... Echo Zulu too setting off in pursuit, but it’s all over, Goodnight Olive is the clear winner
Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint!
They are heading towards the stalls for the Filly & Mare Sprint, and it is 60 seconds until the gates are due to open for the first race on the main card.
The other one for money is Obligatory, who finished third in the Ballerina Handicap – a key piece of form, that – where she was beaten four-and-a-quarter lengths when getting 5lb from the winner.
With just over 10 minutes to post, Goodnight Olive is showing as the 8-5 favourite at the track, with Echo Zulu at 4-1, Obligatory on 9-2 and Ce Ce at double-figure odds of 10-1 to retain her crown.
At the odds, I’m still inclined to side with the defending champion, but this is a very tricky opener to proceedings.
But she is drawn wide in stall 13, which is sub-optimal, while Ce Ce, the defending champion, is in stall four. You might have spotted her finishing fifth in the Ballerina, but today’s race is at level weights (she was giving Goodnight Olive 7lb at Saratoga).
Ce Ce had just four opponents last year but still put up a career-best on the ratings and a repeat would put her right in the mix again today.
The opposition includes Echo Zulu, who reeled off three Grade One wins at the end of her juvenile season last year including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ at Del Mar. But she was only fourth in the Kentucky Oaks in May, before winning this Grade Three at Churchill Downs off a near five-month break in September.
First up, we have the Filly & Mare Sprint, though as the pedant in me always feels obliged to point out, this race is actually over seven furlongs, which wouldn’t count as a sprint in Europe and probably shouldn’t anywhere, strictly speaking, as the step from six furlongs to seven in racehorses is similar to the jump from 200m to 400m in human athletes: ie. they can’t do it at full pelt all the way.
That minor niggle aside, this is an intriguing and competitive race, with Goodnight Olive heading the market at around 3-1. Chad Brown’s filly is on a five-race winning streak, and arrives on the back of her first Grade One win in the Ballerina Handicap at Saratoga.
Preamble
Hello, good afternoon and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the main card at the Breeders’ Cup meeting at Keeneland in Kentucky. The five races for juveniles on Future Champions Friday provided their usual mixture of drama, excitement, close finishes and upsets, and now it’s the turn of the actual, here-and-now champions to strut their stuff across the course of nine Grade One races, culminating in Flightline’s attempt to achieve equine immortality in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at 9.40pm UK time.
Along the way, more than $20m [£18.4m] in prize money is up for grabs, but it is the glory and the chance to call your horse a Breeders’ Cup winner that matters above all, perhaps more so than ever at Keeneland, which is the rough equivalent of Newmarket in terms of its central position in America’s breeding industry in particular.
European-trained runners swept the three turf races on Friday’s card and the visitors will be hoping for plenty more of the same today, with Nashwa and Hollie Doyle expected to head the market for the Filly & Mare Turf at 5.50pm; several big contenders in the Mile at 7.10pm; and Charlie Appleby’s Nations Pride setting off as favourite for the $4m Turf at 8.40pm.
The hugely popular, Yorkshire-trained Highfield Princess’s head-to-head with Golden Pal, a winner at this meeting for the last two years, in the Turf Sprint is another highlight, and Wesley Ward’s colt is likely to be the only American-trained favourite for a race on the turf. That is the second of the nine Breeders’ Cup races and due off at 4.29pm, 39 minutes after the opening Filly & Mare Sprint at 3.50pm.
It can all get dizzyingly fast and furious once the action is underway, but I’ll do my level best to get race previews, results, news and quotes online as rapidly as my typing fingers and internet connection allow. My picks for the nine races are already online here, but I’m guessing that the vast majority of readers – no doubt wisely – prefer to make their own minds up, so thanks to the wonders of YouTube, form highlights for major contenders will also be here for your perusal around half an hour before the relevant race.
Over the years, I’ve covered 18 Breeders’ Cup on the ground and three more in the post-Covid years from the UK, and to my mind there is nothing quite like it anywhere on the planet. I’m looking forward to steering you through a typically wild ride on the way to the Classic, and the very best of luck to everyone who is having a dabble on Breeders’ Cup XXXIX.
