The 40th running of the main Saturday card at the Breeders’ Cup in California this weekend will, like most of the previous 39, have a bubbling undercurrent of intercontinental rivalry throughout the nine races, as many of the best racehorses in the world compete for $22m in prize money. Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel, first and second in the Derby at Epsom in June, are among the European star names that will take on the Americans on their home turf, alongside Mawj, Mostahdaf, Inspiral and plenty more.
It is a familiar dynamic to jumping fans used to the Anglo-Irish rivalry at Cheltenham each March. This time, however, it comes with a twist, because the latest renewal of this annual meeting of the continents promises to be a three-way go. As a result, Santa Anita in 2023 could yet come to be seen as the moment when the Breeders’ Cup finally lived up to its longstanding claim to be the “world championship” of horse racing.
Lingfield Park 12.25 Blue Collar Lad 1.00 Times Edition 1.35 Royal Athena 2.10 Golden Arrow 2.45 Mumayaz 3.20 Lion Ring 3.55 Intoxicata
Huntingdon 12.30 Allbetsoff 1.05 Burdett Road 1.40 Mofasa 2.15 Iliade Allen 2.50 Desque De L’Isle 3.25 Top Cloud (nap) 4.00 Star Legend (nb)
Carlisle 12.45 Whistle Stop Tour 1.20 Brandy McQueen 1.55 Frightened Rabbit 2.30 Mahler Mission 3.05 Carcaci Castle 3.40 Haute Estime 4.15 Panhandle Slim
Japan has sent a total of 15 runners to the Breeders’ Cup in the past, a figure that is due to increase by more than 50% over the two days at Santa Anita this year, when eight horses from Japanese stables are due to go to post. And while Equinox, officially the best horse in the world, is not among them, Japan’s challenge is spread across both the dirt and turf. It includes runners with distinct chances in the $6m Classic, the meeting’s showpiece event, the Mile, the Turf and the Turf Sprint.
It feels like a coming of age on a global stage for a racing-mad nation, which now generates more betting “handle” on the sport annually than the United States, and adds an extra layer of fascination, and complexity, to many of Saturday’s Grade One events at Santa Anita.
The problem for punters, of course, is how to compare and evaluate form lines from all corners of the earth, and find the one that matters most on a sunny afternoon in southern California. Ratings – such as those supplied by the Timeform operation – are an obvious first port of call, but it is also a considerable benefit to have access to the morning track work in the run-up to the meeting, either first-hand or via social media.
When the Breeders’ Cup is on the west coast, some of the horses shipped in for this meeting simply thrive from the moment they first step into the Californian sunshine. It also helps significantly to arrive here with a relatively fresh horse, which is another point to bear in mind when assessing an exceptional renewal of the Turf, which is probably Saturday’s standout race from a European perspective.
Auguste Rodin, the Derby winner, has certainly appeared to be enjoying the sunshine this week but like King Of Steel, the recent Champion Stakes winner at Ascot, he has had a long season. The latter colt in particular seems to be running here as something of an afterthought, just two weeks after a gruelling outing on testing ground.
Newmarket: 11.20 Mallavelly 11.52 Ghaihaban 12.27 Finbar Furey 1.02 Albert Cee 1.37 Tipsy Tiger 2.10 Talis Evolvere 2.47 You Got To Me 3.22 Pride Of America 3.57 Hiromichi
Ayr: 12.00 I Love My Baie 12.32 Joshua Des Flos 1.07 Thunder In Milan 1.42 Glinger Flame 2.15 Whodini 2.53 Transatlantic 3.28 Traprain Law 4.04 Junker D’Allier
Wetherby: 12.40 Brook Bay 1.15 Mount Tempest 1.50 Luccia 2.25 Dashel Drasher 3.00 Bravemansgame 3.30 Decorated 4.08 Not Sure
Ascot: 12.55 Ed Keeper 1.30 Cruz Control (nap) 2.05 Red Rookie 2.40 Ten Lengths Tom 3.15 Altobelli (nb) 3.45 Monbeg Genius 4.15 Oak Grove
Chelmsford City: 2.50 Gatwick Kitten 3.25 Claxton Bay 4.00 Katar 4.30 Urban Sprawl 5.00 Campaign Medal 5.30 Kodi Noir 6.00 Dame Sarra 6.30 Palazzo Persico
Neither makes much appeal as a result, and while Japan’s Shahryar would be a big contender on his best form – a close second in the 2022 Japan Cup – he has not shown it in two outings this year.
Mostahdaf, the narrow favourite, has looked to be in prime condition during track work this week but he was also trained for the Champion Stakes only to be scratched on the day when the ground turned against him, and has yet to win at the trip on turf.
That leaves Onesto (9.50pm, all times GMT), third behind Ace Impact in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on only his third start this year, as a very interesting runner at around 7-1 with British bookies. Fabrice Chappet’s colt is 1lb behind Mostahdaf on Timeform’s ratings, has definitely caught the eye at exercise this week and promises to be ideally suited to a mile and a half on a turning track.
Songline (8.30pm), touched off in a Grade One in Tokyo last time, could be a winner for Japan in the Mile, while his compatriot Ushba Tesoro (10.40pm), the Dubai World Cup winner on dirt earlier this year, is a live contender for what is perhaps a slightly subpar renewal of the Classic.
Elsewhere on the Breeders’ Cup card, Live In The Dream (11.25pm) can make the most of an excellent draw in stall five in the Turf Sprint, while Warm Heart (7.10pm) could have the beating of Inspiral in the Filly & Mare Turf.
Wetherby’s valuable jumps card on Saturday, including the Charlie Hall Chase, hinges on a 7am inspection after the first day of the meeting was abandoned and punters’ attention is likely to focus instead on Ascot’s first jumping card of the winter.
Monbeg Genius (3.45pm), third behind Corach Rambler, the subsequent National winner, at Cheltenham last year, is a solid favourite for the featured Sodexo Gold Cup. Earlier on the card, Cruz Control (1.30pm) and Red Rookie (2.05pm) will both go to post with every chance.
