Perhaps the most exciting race of the previous weekend was the Santa Monica – somehow, Gabby’s Golden Gal went off at 11-1 odds.  Granted, she did not show much in her final effort as a 3-year-old (and first race since a disappointing effort in July), finishing a distant seventh behind Evita Argentina [...]]]>

Gabby's Golden Gal

Perhaps the most exciting race of the previous weekend was the Santa Monica – somehow, Gabby’s Golden Gal went off at 11-1 odds.  Granted, she did not show much in her final effort as a 3-year-old (and first race since a disappointing effort in July), finishing a distant seventh behind Evita Argentina in the La Brea, but the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro easily turned the tables – this time, Evita Argentina was the far-off seventh, and Gabby’s Golden Gal was

back in the winner’s circle.  Runner-up Proviso, who has finished respectably behind the likes of Goldikova and Zarkava, is still looking for her first US win, but she certainly bears watching this year – as does this entire division.

Of course, Medaglia d’Oro had another filly in action this past weekend – just not in a race.  On Sunday, Rachel Alexandra had her first workout since winning the Woodward.  It was just a gallop, and she’s still some way off from entering a race, but it was still very encouraging to see her back on the official worktab.

Neither Rachel Alexandra nor Zenyatta appears in the current list of Dubai World Cup nominations (PDF) – but either one could be added later this month.  Gio Ponti looms large as the very early favorite, but other notable names among the nominations include Zenyatta’s stablemate, Life Is Sweet, Friesan Fire, Quality Road, Weekend Hussler, Dar Re Mi and second-most-expensive-horse ever, Jalil (to name just a few).

The Sunshine Millions ended with a media-friendly storyline (largely ignored, unsurprisingly, except by the LA Daily

News) – hard-knocking older horse and tough older jockey steal win in big-money race.  The older horse in question, Bold Chieftain, keeps making money the hard way – finishing in the money often, and managing some nice wins along the way.  The same is true of his jockey, Russell Baze; we may not see him in the headlines very frequently, but he holds the world record for career victories.  Both achievements would be worth highlighting.

Over to the 3-year-olds for a moment – we’re pleased to once again be included in the Paulick Derby Index – although please note that this first installment is based on very little data!

Finally, next weekend, Quality Road headlines the Donn Handicap – check back later in the week for more…

MarathonWhat a fascinating result – nine-year-old Cloudy’s Knight very nearly got there to be the oldest Breeders’ Cup winner on record (and jockey [...]]]> While Zenyatta’s historic win in the Classic seems to eclipse the rest of the two-day event, there were many other interesting storylines – each race stood out in its own way this year.

Marathon
What a fascinating result – nine-year-old Cloudy’s Knight very nearly got there to be the oldest Breeders’ Cup winner on record (and jockey Rosemary Homeister, Jr. would have been only the second female jockey to win a Breeders’ Cup race), but he was run down by three-year-old Man of Iron. The Aiden O’Brien trainee was actually sold just before the race and will be moving to Luca Cumani’s barn, but he proved yet again that like his half-siblings, Rags to Riches and Jazil, his dam’s offspring like to run as long as possible. He will aim for the Dubai Carnival races next. Last year’s winner, Muhannak, was no factor this year, but he also changed hands and will remain in California under the tutelage of Ben Cecil. Man of Iron was the only Ballydoyle horse who ran on Lasix – and their only winner this year.

Juvenile Fillies Turf
Tapitsfly rewarded her backers, professionally taking on Rose Catherine in the stretch. Favored Lillie Langtry came out of the race with a slab fracture, but she should be back after some minor surgery and time off. Tapitsfly gave trainer Dale Romans his first Breeders’ Cup victory – and so far American-based runners are two-for-two in this turf event.

Juvenile Fillies
She Be Wild proved she enjoys running on synthetics, but she and the other top two finishes, Beautician and Blind Luck, will all be aiming for the Kentucky Oaks on conventional dirt. Both the runner-up and third-place finishers had some bad luck during the race, as did wiseguy favorite Biofuel, who got pretty knocked around – luckily, all seemed to have only minor complaints and a few of them may run again before the year is out.

Filly & Mare Turf
Legendary trainer Henry Cecil scored his first Breeders’ Cup win when Midday took the Filly & Mare Turf – and perhaps she will be back to defend her title, as the plan is for her to remain in training next year. It’s an exciting possibility.

Filly & Mare Sprint
Informed Decision gave jockey Julien Leparoux his second Breeders’ Cup weekend win; as expected, it came down to a dogfight between the winner and top-class mare Ventura. We should see Informed Decision next year as well.

Filly & Mare Classic
Without stablemate Zenyatta to waltz past her in the closing strides, Life is Sweet finally had a chance to demonstrate her class – and trainer John Shirreffs plenty of confidence going in to Saturday’s races.

Juvenile Turf
The first Breeders’ Cup race on Saturday’s card went to Pounced; the American-bred, European-based colt had the always-welcome piloting services of Frankie Dettori. Trainer John Gosden (who was based at Santa Anita for many years) snagged his second victory in this race, having won last year with Donativum.

Turf Sprint
California Flag, who had given himself an impromptu workout before the race, proved he suffered from no ill-effects from his adventure. Joe Talamo secured his first Breeders’ Cup win aboard the California-bred speedball, with ‘other’ filly Gotta Have Her getting up for second (the well-traveled Diamondrella didn’t fire on Saturday).

Sprint
Dancing in Silks scored a major upset – and made trainer Carla Gaines the third woman to train a Breeders’ Cup winner in the process. All the ‘big names’ finished off the board, with Gayego getting closest in fourth. Favorites Zensational and Fatal Bullet finished near each other in fifth and sixth, and global star Fleeting Spirit did not seem to take to the surface. It was a fantastic race for longshot bettors!

Juvenile
Upset winner Vale of York gave up-and-coming Godolphin jockey Ahmed Ajtebi his first Breeders’ Cup win. The horse may be pointed to the Kentucky Derby, but he’d be working against history by prepping in Dubai. Bob Baffert trainee Lookin at Lucky was not terribly lucky in the race, but he still finished a respectable second – and seems a more likely Derby contender.

Mile
Goldikova continued to display her brilliance – matching the great Miesque’s back-to-back Mile wins, and she did so by overcoming a difficult post position and not the easiest trip in this year’s installment. It caps a year in which she’s been (mostly) beating up on the world’s best milers and it means she now has seven G1 wins. The suggestion that she could come back next year to aim for a third Mile win was not immediately ruled out – let’s hope it happens. For those who may grumble that it seems unfair to give an Eclipse award to a horse who has made a single US appearance this year, I’d say that’s true – unless it’s Goldikova.

Dirt Mile
Mastercraftsman was billed as unbeatable, but obviously no one told longshot Furthest Land. Followed closely on by perpetual maiden Ready’s Echo and Midshipman, Furthest Land gave Julien Leparoux his third win for this year’s Breeders’ Cup. And Mastercraftsman? He’s retired.

Turf
Another repeat – Conduit did it again. What was perhaps almost as exciting was Presious Passion’s gutsy effort for second in the race – running off like a sprinter at the beginning, yet still managing to get a big slice of the purse. Dar Re Mi also ran a good race for third (overcoming some considerable traffic trouble), and we could see her again next year. Conduit will now retire to stud in Japan, and it’s possible Presious Passion may also head to Asia – but in his case he’d be going to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Vase.

Classic
Did Rip Van Winkle’s feet bother him? Perhaps. But even if he had been in top form, it’s difficult to imagine anyone having beaten Zenyatta on the day, as she was perfection incarnate. It’s easy to overlook the quality efforts put in by both Gio Ponti in second and Twice Over in third, but neither had any sort of chance against the giant mare. Poor Einstein had to check behind the slowing Rip Van Winkle, which essentially took him out of the race, and Summer Bird did not have the best luck but still managed to be a closing fourth. But it was really all Zenyatta – and while the Horse of the Year discussions will go on, they really don’t matter; she’s one of the greatest, and that’s all anyone will remember.

Juvenile TurfI had Viscount Nelson with Pounced in my exacta, so I won’t be cashing any tickets, but it was a very professional effort by Pounced (with more than a little help from Frankie Dettori). In any event, it’s always fun [...]]]> We’ll just go straight in for the commentary – latest updates always on Twitter.

Juvenile Turf
I had Viscount Nelson with Pounced in my exacta, so I won’t be cashing any tickets, but it was a very professional effort by Pounced (with more than a little help from Frankie Dettori). In any event, it’s always fun to see Dettori in the winner’s circle. Lady Serena Rothschild, his owner, reminds me of this:

Turf Sprint
Nice to see Joe Talamo get a Breeders’ Cup win – naturally, I had the other filly, Diamondrella, boxed in my exacta with California Flag – as well as Cannonball, who finished third. Gotta Have Her put in a great run for second, even if she did ruin my ticket.

Sprint
I only had Fleeting Spirit - obviously, she would have done better in the Turf Sprint. Wish I’d had the trifecta for this one! Still, Carla Gaines trains the winner, Dancing in Silks, and I’m all for more female trainers winning Breeders’ Cup races.

Juvenile
Ahmed Ajtebi is having quite a year – he gave Vale of York a great ride.

Mile
GOL-D-KO-VA! Clap, clap, clapclapclap! That’s how it’s done, folks.

Dirt Mile
I had to dash out for that, but I’m glad I didn’t bet it – I’d have had nothing. Really odd result.

Turf
What a great race – Conduit coming back to repeat, just like Goldikova – and fine runs from Presious Passion and Dar Re Mi. At least I got $3 on her – but how exciting to see two champions successfully defend their titles.

Classic
The gate scratch of Quality Road made everything peculiar – but what a result. Zenyatta proved everything and then some – and what great efforts from Gio Ponti and Twice Over as well.

Let Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta share Horse of the Year – who needs the colts?

1 Telling, Steve Hobby, J. Castellano, 20-1Sword Dancer winner is competitive with American turf runners, if not often in the winner’s circle.

2 Conduit (IRE), Sir Michael Stoute, R. Moore, 7/5Wins almost every time he does not face Sea the Stars – a worthy returning champion.

3 Red Rocks (IRE), B.J. Meehan, [...]]]> #, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Telling, Steve Hobby, J. Castellano, 20-1
Sword Dancer winner is competitive with American turf runners, if not often in the winner’s circle.

2 Conduit (IRE), Sir Michael Stoute, R. Moore, 7/5
Wins almost every time he does not face Sea the Stars – a worthy returning champion.

3 Red Rocks (IRE), B.J. Meehan, J. Leparoux, 20-1
2007 winner of this race has struggled to find his best form this year.

4 Allegre, Brian Koriner, J. Velazquez, 50-1
Big step up in class; distance may also be a concern.

5 Dar Re Mi (GB), John Gosden, L. Dettori, 3-1
Second to Zarkava last year and beat Stacelita (let’s be honest) – good result in the Arc (pictured).

6 Presious Passion, Mary Hartmann, E. Trujillo, 4-1
Best US-based chance in the race; always gives his all.

7 Spanish Moon, Sir Michael Stoute, K. Fallon, 5/2
Very solid European performer (although American by birth) is a strong threat here.

8 Monzante, Mike Mitchell, R. Bejarano, 30-1
Recent form does not suggest a huge threat here.

Picks: Dar Re Mi, Conduit, Spanish Moon, Presious Passion