A small Canadian contingent has their post positions for their respective races at the 40th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia, California on November 4 and 5.
In total, 175 horses were entered in 14 races over the two days which kicks off with Future Stars Friday, the two-year-old races.
The marquee race, the $6 million Classic at 1 1/4 miles on dirt, has a field of 13 and the morning line favourite is ARABIAN KNIGHT (Uncle Mo), who, coincidentally, won his career debut on Breeders’ Cup Friday a year ago at Keeneland.
Arabian Knight won his career debut a year ago on Breeders’ Cup Saturday at Keeneland.
The Saturday card of nine races has one of the largest and most imposing contingents of European and Japanese horses.
For fans of Canadian racing, both days have horses and horsepeople to cheer for.
Friday, the country’s top two-year-old colt MY BOY PRINCE, bred by Murray Smith and foaled at Gail Wood’s Woodlands in Hillsburgh, is 8-to-1 from post 5 in the $1 million Juvenile Turf. Joel Rosario rides for Gary Barber and trainer Mark Casse. The colt, who won the Cup & Saucer Stakes in his most recent start, is by Cairo Prince from the Silent Name (Jpn) mare Hopping Not Hoping.
Lou and Carlo Tucci’s Tucci Stables, a longtime player in Ontario racing, own a share in the undefeated Kentucky bred two-year-old filly AUSTERE, who has post 10 in the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Tyler Gaffalione will ride.
Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup races begin in race 3 with the Dirt Mile, followed by race 4 where Canada’s 2022 Horse of the Year MOIRA (12-to-1) tries the Filly & Mare Turf again after a fifth-place finish last season at Keeneland. The Ontario-bred star, winner of the Queen’s Plate last year and the Canadian Stakes this year, meets up with her Woodbine rival FEV ROVER (Ire), who is 8-to-1 for owner Tracy Farmer and trainer Mark Casse. The race is led by 5-to-2 favourite INSPIRAL (GB), a four-time Group 1 winner.
SHIRL’S SPEIGHT, the popular six-year-old horse trained by Canadian ROGER ATTFIELD for fellow Canadian CHARLES FIPKE, is back for another shot at the Mile. The son of Speightstown was second in the race last year to Modern Games. He was recently second in the Woodbine Mile (G1) to Master of the Seas, who is in the Mile. Shirl’s Speight is 30-to-1 and John Velazquez will ride.
Ontario-bred LUCKY SCORE has also been entered in the Mile and this is the biggest race the son of Lookin at Lucky has ever tackled. Bred by James and Janeane Everatt and Arike Everatt-Meeuse, Lucky Score won the Grade 2 Highlander Stakes at 6 furlongs on the grass n July 1 and he was third in the Woodbine Mile. Irad Ortiz rides for Gary Barber and Mark Casse.
My Boy Prince says he is ready for the @Prevagen #BreedersCup Juvenile Turf! ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/kgNyTMbEAa
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) October 30, 2023
NOTABLE RACE FIELDS
Friday, Santa Anita #9, post time: 7:40 p.m. EDT
PREVAGEN BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF-GI, $1,000,000, 2yo, c/g, 1mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 – Air Recruit Air Force Blue Mark B. Grier Delacour Saez 122
2 – River Tiber (Ire) Wootton Bassett (GB) Brant, Peter, Magnier, Mrs. John, Tabor, Michael O’Brien Moore 122, Smith, Derrick and Westerberg
3 – Tok Tok Quality Road Wertheimer and Frere Motion Velazquez 122
4 – Can Group Good Samaritan D. J. Stable LLC and Cash is King LLC Casse Prat 122
5 – My Boy Prince Cairo Prince Gary Barber Casse Rosario 122
6 – Stay Hot Summer Front Burns Racing LLC, Exline-Border Racing LLC, Eurton Fresu 122
SAF Racing, The Estate of Brereton C. Jones, and Hudock, William Dan
7 – Agate Road K Quality Road Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC Pletcher Ortiz, Jr. 122
8 – Unquestionable (Fr) Wootton Bassett (GB) Al Shaqab Racing, Magnier, Mrs. John, M. Tabor, O’Brien Dettori 122 Smith, Derrick and Westerberg
9 – Endlessly Oscar Performance Amerman Racing LLC McCarthy Hernandez 122
10 – Fulmineo Bolt d’Oro Starlight Racing and Grier, Mark B. Delacour Gaffalione 122
11 – Liam’s Journey K Liam’s Map Robyn Kaiser Maker Franco 122
12 – Mountain Bear (Ire) No Nay Never Magnier, Mrs. John, Smith, Derrick & Tabor, Michael O’Brien McMonagle 122
13 – Grand Mo the First K Uncle Mo Granpollo Stables LLC Barboza, Jr. Berrios 122
14 – Carson’s Run K Cupid West Point Thoroughbreds and Bouchey, Steven Clement Davis 122
Saturday, Santa Anita #4, post time: 3:10 p.m. EDT
MAKER’S MARK BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY & MARE TURF-GI, $2,000,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/4mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 – In Italian (GB) Dubawi (Ire) Peter M. Brant Brown Rosario 124
2 – Warm Heart (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor O’Brien Moore 120
and Derrick Smith
3 – With The Moonlight (Ire) Frankel (GB) Godolphin, LLC, Lessee Appleby Buick 124
4 – Moira Ghostzapper Madaket Stables LLC, SF Racing LLC Attard Prat 124
and X-Men Racing
5 – Win Marilyn (Jpn) Screen Hero (Jpn) Win Co. Ltd. Tezuka Demuro 124
6 – Inspiral (GB) Frankel (GB) Cheveley Park Stud, Ltd. Gosden Dettori 124
7 – Lindy (Fr) Le Havre (Ire) Everest Racing Walsh Gaffalione 120
8 – Fev Rover (Ire) Gutaifan (Ire) Tracy Farmer Casse Castellano 124
9 – Didia (Arg) Orpen Merriebelle Stable LLC Correas, IV Cheminaud 124
10 – McKulick (GB) Frankel (GB) Klaravich Stables, Inc. Brown Ortiz, Jr. 124
11 – Lumiere Rock (Ire) Saxon Warrior (Jpn) Michael O’Flynn O’Brien McMonagle 120
12 – State Occasion (GB) Iffraaj (GB) The Eclipse Partnership Beckett Ryan 124
Saturday, Santa Anita #6, post time: 4:30 p.m. EDT
FANDUEL BREEDERS’ CUP MILE PRESENTED BY PDJF-GI, $2,000,000, 3yo/up, 1mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 – Shirl’s Speight Speightstown Charles E. Fipke Attfield Velazquez 126
2 – Gina Romantica K Into Mischief Peter M. Brant Brown Gaffalione 123
3 – Casa Creed K Jimmy Creed LRE Racing LLC and JEH Racing Stable LLC Mott Saez 126
4 – Win Carnelian (Jpn) Screen Hero (Jpn) Win Co. Ltd. Shikato Miura 126
5 – Lucky Score Lookin At Lucky Pantofel Stable, LLC, Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber Casse Ortiz, Jr. 126
6 – Mawj (Ire) Exceed And Excel (Aus) Godolphin, LLC, Lessee bin Suroor Murphy 120
7 – Masteroffoxhounds War Front David A. Bernsen LLC and Rockingham Ranch D’Amato Maldonado 126
8 – Du Jour K Temple City Natalie J. Baffert and Debbie Lanni Baffert Prat 126
9 – Astronomer Air Force Blue Alice Bamford and Michael B. Tabor Callaghan Moore 126
10 – Songline (Jpn) Kizuna (Jpn) Sunday Racing Co. Ltd. Hayashi Tosaki 123
11 – Kelina (Ire) Frankel (GB) Wertheimer and Frere Laffon-Parias Guyon 120
12 – Exaulted K Twirling Candy C R K Stable LLC Eurton Hernandez 126
13 – More Than Looks K More Than Ready Victory Racing Partners DeVaux Rosario 123
14 – Master of The Seas (Ire) Dubawi (Ire) Godolphin, LLC, Lessee Appleby Buick 126
Saturday, Santa Anita #9, post time: 6:40 p.m. EDT
LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC-GI, $6,000,000, 3yo/up, 1 1/4m
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 – Arcangelo Arrogate Blue Rose Farm Antonucci Castellano 122
2 – Zandon Upstart Jeffrey Drown Brown Dettori 126
3 – White Abarrio Race Day C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable, LLC Dutrow, Jr. Ortiz, Jr. 126
4 – Missed the Cut Quality Road Bee Zee LLC, Lanes End Racing, Sadler Saez 126 St. Elias Stables, LLC, Edward P. Babington, Edward J. Hudson Jr. and Lynne Hudson
5 – Derma Sotogake (Jpn) Mind Your Biscuits Hiroyuki Asanuma Otonashi Lemaire 122
6 – Saudi Crown Always Dreaming FMQ Stables Cox Geroux 122
7 – Clapton Brethren RRR Racing Summers Gaffalione 126
8 – Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) Orfevre (Jpn) Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Co. Ltd. Takagi Kawada 126
9 – Senor Buscador Mineshaft Joe R. Peacock, Jr. Fincher Franco 126
10 – Dreamlike Gun Runner Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC Pletcher Ortiz 122
11 – Bright Future Curlin Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC Pletcher Velazquez 126
12 – Arabian Knight Uncle Mo Zedan Racing Stables, Inc. Baffert Prat 122
13 – Proxy Tapit Godolphin, LLC Stidham Rosario 126
***
The Breeders’ Cup is on www.HPIBET.COM, the Woodbine betting platform. It will be televised on NBC, USA Network, and Peacock with the schedule shown below. All times are Eastern.
Friday, November 3, 4:00-8:00pm – Future Stars Friday on USA Network
Saturday, November 4, 1:30pm-3:30pm – Championship Saturday on USA Network
Saturday, November 4, 3:30-7:00pm – Championship Saturday NBC and Peacock
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