A glorious 37th Breeders’ Cup World Championships had everything racing fans could want, from track record-setting performances, wild longshot winners and dominant wins by some beloved equine stars and their human teams.
AUTHENTIC, the Kentucky Derby winner, beat a solid field in the $6 million Classic, winning for his home-to-be Spendthrift Farm, the huge fan-based syndicate Myracehorse.com, Starlight and Madaket Stables and trainer Bob Baffert. The Classic capped 9 Cup races that had all the feels; WHITMORE won the Sprint in his 4th attempt, the popular gal MONOMOY GIRL rolled in the Distaff and jockey Pierre Charles Boudot won 2 Cup races, taking over for riders who had tested positive for COVID-19.
But it was a very tough day for Canadian Horse of the Year STARSHIP JUBILEE who bobbled out of the gate of the Filly & Turf and lost jockey Florent Geroux. Canada’s darling mare continued to race after the field on the outside fence until she was corralled by track outriders and Geroux was fine after simply a freakish little stumble.
It is expected that the race was the final one of ‘Jubee’s incredible career, rising from a $16,000 claim by Tino Attard, Kevin’s dad, into multiple champion, Grade 1 winner and multi-millionaire now owned by Blue Heaven Farm.
She will be 8-years-old next year and a life of raising foals is in her future.
“You can’t take nothing away from her,” said Kevin Attard to the Toronto Sun. “She got here and it was a fantastic journey. You don’t want to see it end, but I know the end is coming. It’s just a tough way to say goodbye.”
Kevin will head home and stay at home for a 2- week quarantine. There are 5 weeks left in the Woodbine season.
Jockey Florent Geroux takes a fall in the 7th @BreedersCup #StarshipJubilee pic.twitter.com/hcOW37pWDW
— Gulf-SchemePark(Formerly Calder) (@Jackpotkimm) November 7, 2020
Beyer Speed Figures for Saturday Breeders’ Cup Winners:
Gamine, FM Sprint, 110
Authentic, Classic, 109
Tarnawa, Turf, 109
Authentic, Classic, 109
Knicks Go, Dirt Mile, 108
Glass Slippers, Turf Sprint, 104
Order of Australia, Mile, 105
Audarya, FM Turf, 103;
Whitmore, Sprint, 104
Order of Australia, Mile, 105
Monomoy Girl, Distaff, 100
Here are some quick bits from the 9 Cup races:
FILLY & MARE SPRINT – GAMINE crushes track record/Canadian breeders excited
Gamine came from off a blistering pace set by Serengeti Empress, surging to the front at the top of the stretch and pulling away for the victory in track record time of 1:20 1/5, BEATING THE PREVIOUS MARK OF 1:21 1/5.
“She is just brilliant,” Baffert said. “She is the fastest filly going one turn I’ve ever trained.
“I wanted it bad for her. What she’s gone through, she deserved it,” added Baffert, the two-time Triple Crown winning trainer who has come under scrutiny this year after having four horses produce positive tests for banned or regulated substances.
Gamine was among them, testing positive twice, including for an illegal level of a corticosteroid used legally as an anti-inflammatory.
The Into Mischief – Peggy Jane by Kafwain 3-year-old filly was a $220,000 yearling and a $1.8 million 2-year-old purchase by Michael Lund Peterson.
Gamine’s dam Peggy Jane is a daughter of the mare SEATTLE SPLASH who resides in Daysland, Alberta, with owner Dawson Guhle. The Chief Seattle mare is a half-sister to broodmare MURANI, who is the dam of Alberta stallion Dynamic Sky.
Read more below:
BREEDERS’ CUP TURF SPRINT – Cinderella story
Glass Slippers, ridden by Tom Eaves, wins the Turf Sprint on Breeders’ Cup Championship Saturday at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky on November 7, 2020. Wendy Wooley/Breeders’ Cup/Eclipse Sportswire/CSM
GLASS SLIPPERS (GB), a 4-year-old fill by Dream Ahead – Night Gypsy (GB) by Mind Games (GB) threaded the needle under a super ride by jockey Tom Eaves to win the 5 1/2 furlong turf dash in her North American debut for Bearstone Stud, owners, breeders, and trainer Kevin Ryan. She is 7 for 17 in her career now and is also a Group 1 winner in Ireland.
One of the favourites, IMPRIMIS, was checked hard in late stretch and lost all chance.
BREEDERS’ CUP DIRT MILE – Go Knicks Go
Knicks Go, ridden by Joel Rosario, wins the Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile on Breeders’ Cup Championship Saturday. Alex Evers/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders Cup/CSM
Trainer BRAD COX won 4 of 14 Breeders’ Cup races and must be considered Eclipse Ward winning Trainer for 2020. He transformed KNICKS GO from a wandering 3-year-old who went 0 for 8 into a 4-year-old who is 3 for 3 and a Grade 1 winner. The grey colt is by Paynter – Kosmo’s Buddy by Outflanker and is a Maryland bred owned by the Korea Racing Authority. He was an $87,000 yearling and he won the Breeders’ Futurity as a 2-year-old at Keeneland for previous trainer Ben Colebrook.
His dam won the Maryland Million Turf Sprint and has produced 3 other foals, 2 winners.
BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY & MARE TURF – First for Fanshawe
After Starship Jubilee was eliminated at the break, the big field of fillies and mares looked like it was going to be another match to the wire between speedy Mean Mary and the amazing Rushing Fall, co-bred by Toronto’s John Fielding. But in the last eighth of a mile, AUDARYA (Fr) charged past to win for Alison Swinburn and trainer James Fanshawe. The 4-year-old is by Wooten Basset (GB) – Green Bananas, by Green Tune and she was a Group 1 winner in France two starts ago. Jockey Pierre Boudot picked up the mount (her rider overseas had tested positive for COVID-19).
A tasty victory for AUDARYA. 🌼😋
2020's @BreedersCup Filly & Mare Turf heroine tucks in. @james_fanshawe pic.twitter.com/UCn22OaYb9
— World Horse Racing (@WHR) November 8, 2020
BREEDERS’ CUP SPRINT – Whitmore Voted Most Popular
Whitmore was the winner of the Sprint on Breeders’ Cup Championship Saturday. Bill Denver/Breeders’ Cup/Eclipse Sportswire/CSM
7-year-old WHITMORE who bucked and played most mornings leading up to the Breeders’ Cup, was the most popular winner of the day as he won the Sprint in his 4th try at the 6 furlong race. The incredible gelding by Pleasantly Perfect – Melody’s Spirit by Scat Daddy, 3rd to Mitole last year, came from mid-pack and burst away under new rider Irad Ortiz, who won the Boll Shoemaker Award for the Breeders’ Cup’s top jockey.
Trained by Ron Moquett and owned by Robert La Penta, Head of Plains Partners and Southern Springs Stables, Whitmore has won 15 of 38 races and some $4.4 million.
BREEDERS’ CUP MILE – Order of the day
Order of Australia, ridden by Pierre-Charles Boudot, wins the FanDuel Mile presented by PDJF. Carolyn Simancik/Breeders’ Cup/Eclipse Sportswire/CSM
Drawing in from the also-eligible list and picking up new rider Pierre Boudot as Christophe Soumilllon tested positive for COVID-19, ORDER OF AUSTRALIA, a non-winner of 3 lifetime, charged to a 73 to 1 upset. The well-bred son of Australia GB) – Senta’s Dream (GB) by Danehill is a 3-year-old half-brother to Iridessa who won the Filly and Mare Turf last year.
Breeding aside, it was hard to like this Smith and Magnier, Aidan O’Brien colt based on his 2 minor wins in 6 races this year.
DISTAFF
Monomoy Girl, ridden by Florent Geroux, wins the Longines Distaff. Jessica Morgan/Breeders’ Cup/Eclipse Sportswire/CSM
MONOMOY GIRL (Tapizar – Drumette by Henny Hughes) rolled to her 13th win in 15 races for Monomoy Stable and Michael Dubb, et al, trained by Brad Cox, to cap a brilliant career. The 2018 Kentucky Oaks winner missed all of 2019 due to colic surgery and she won all 4 of her races this year.
She is from the winning mare Drumette who also produced stakes winner Mr. Monomoy.
TURF
Tarnawa, ridden by Colin Keane, wins the Longines Turf. Carolyn Simancik/Breeders’ Cup/Eclipse Sportswire/CSM
Great speed try by Ontario-bred CHANNEL MAKER (pink silks) who ended up 3rd (with his 3rd straight 108 Beyer Figure) behind the 4-year-old Irish bred TARNAWA, who was winning for the 4th straight time. The Aga Khan owns and bred this daughter of Shamardal – Tarana by Cape Cross and Dermot Weld trains. This was a pick up mount for Colin Keane from Soumillion).
CLASSIC
Authentic is simply a top colt and he was allowed to coast on the lead and that made it easy to predict a victory halfway through the 1 1/4 mile race. By Into Mischief – Flawless by Mr. Greeley, Authentic is 6 for 8 and the probable Horse of the Year.
Improbable was a game second under heavy pressure from jockey Irad Ortiz and Global Campaign, by Curlin, was 3rd.
Total all-sources handle for the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course was $160,472,894, the sixth-highest total since the Breeders’ Cup expanded to a two-day event in 2007 and an 8% decrease from the 2019 record handle of $174,000,574 at Santa Anita.
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