YEE HAW – LIFE IS SWEET!!
Terence Dulay photo
UPSET
Careless Jewel uncontrollable and bombs in Ladie’s Classic
It was a foreshadowing of things to come.
Rob Landry told the TORONTO STAR on Wednesday there is just “no slowing down” Careless jewel, the favourite and Canada’s hope on yesterday’s first day of BREEDERS’ CUP races.
Oh was he right.
Essentially doing what she had done all week – work fast, drag around exercise riders and be , well, CARELESS JEWEL, the almost white Canadian owned gal broke like a bullet in the 1 1/8 mile race, cut across rivals to her outside from her one post and settled into a clear lead before grabbing the bit and screaming down the backstretch.
After a half in 45 and change, the filly was almost 10 lengths in front but she shortened stride badly nearing the top of the stretch and soon was all done.
RANDY MOSS, on the ESPN TV broadcast WAS BRILLIANT IN HIS PRE RACE ANALYSIS.
” She was keyed up all week in the mornings, she’s keyed up now, I’m betting against her. I’m taking LIFE IS SWEET.”
Not so brilliant were the talking heads on the SIMULCAST show for the Breeders Cup – KURT HOOVER, TODD SCHRUPP and whoever else.
One was heard exclaiming after the race “What was Robert Landry thinking?”
Obviously those folks had no paid any attention to racing this year or training this week.
Landry had no chance of holding onto a filly who was far too sharp and really had been trained to know one thing and race one way.
It was a sad way to end the day for Canadian fans who watched the Canadian trained BIOFUEL get annihilated by an erratic NEGLIGEE in the late stages of the Juvenile Fillies and pretty much lose any chance of catching up.
She did amazing to finish 4th.
The effort shoud have sewn up the SOVEREIGN AWARD FOR BIOFUEL as she certainly could have been in the top 2 with a cleaner trip.
Meanwhile, LIFE IS SWEET, who had 105 and 100 Beyer Figures way back in March, suddenly sprung to life under Garret Gomez to win the whole thing:
TORONTO STAR TODAY:
Canadian star fades fast in Ladies’ Classic
Favoured Careless Jewel finishes dead last under disappointed jockey Landry
ARCADIA, Calif.–Life got sweeter for Life Is Sweet without her daunting stablemate Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic. After fruitlessly chasing the undefeated mare in three previous races, Life Is Sweet found the winner’s circle.
Garrett Gomez guided her from last – more than 17 lengths behind – to a 2 1/2-length victory in Friday’s $2 million (all figures U.S.) race at Santa Anita. Life Is Sweet was one of four long shots to win on the opening day of the 26th thoroughbred world championships.
“It was exhilarating,” co-owner Marty Wygod said.
The 4-year-old filly shares the barn of defending champion Zenyatta, which will be taking on a powerful field of males in Saturday’s $5 million Classic. She will put her 13-0 career record on the line in the 1 1/4-mile race, the richest in North America.
Both horses are trained by John Shirreffs for different owners.
“I was glad she was able to get it done today,” Shirreffs said. “She really deserves this. She had been coming into this race really great.”
read more:
http://www.thestar.com/sports/horseracing/article/722512–canadian-star-fades-fast-in-ladies-classic
CAN HE PULL THE TRIGGER?
Two more chances for locals
FATAL BULLET is almost everyone’s pick to win the Sprint this year – he was 2nd in it in 2008.
He didn’t handle the heat very well earlier this week but wass reportedly happeier in the last 2 days.
He has an ideal post position outside of speedy ZENSATIONAL although there sure was not anything wrong with the inside yesterday.
Rob Landry, crushed after his big Breeders’ Cup hope CARELESS JEWEL completely went nuts and was not prepared for the wildness of the Cup, has a chance to come back on Euegene Melnyk’s BRIDGETOWN, an American bred colt who won Woodbine’s Summer stakes.
This Tapit flies – TAPITSFLY paid $21.90 after touting herself all week in workouts. he won the Juvenile Fillies Turf with a dream trip.
Cindy Pierson Dulay photo.
AND THEN THERE IS ZENYATTA….
ASSOCIATED REPRESS REPORT
PREVIEW OF TODAY’S 8-RACES
By GREG RISLING
Saturday, November 7, 2009 6:45 AM CST
Bring on the boys.
A day after the top female horses took center stage at the Breeders’ Cup, leading lady Zenyatta will face her male rivals in Saturday’s $5 million Classic. Zenyatta’s 13-0 career record is at stake as she also seeks to become the first female horse to win the 1 1/4-mile race.
Life is Sweet didn’t mind her stablemate’s absence, especially considering the 4-year-old filly had lost three of her previous four races to Zenyatta. Life Is Sweet ended up winning the $2 million Ladies’ Classic at 8-1 odds and gave John Shirreffs, who trains both horses for different owners, the tantalizing prospect of taking the weekend’s two premier races.
When asked if life is sweet, Shirreffs beamed, “It is, isn’t it?”
Shirreffs won last year’s Ladies’ Classic with Zenyatta, but he said it was time for her to face the boys.
“You know, Zenyatta was at the point in her career where she would have an opportunity to run in the Classic if she trained well up to it, and she trained well up to it,” he said.
More than 37,000 people were in attendance for the second consecutive Breeders’ Cup to be run on Santa Anita’s synthetic Pro-Ride surface. The decision to run on the Southern California track kept stellar filly Rachel Alexandra, who was 8 for 8 this year, away. Her owner Jess Jackson doesn’t like synthetics, so he shut down the Horse of the Year favorite.
Life Is Sweet improved to 4 for 5 this year in races Zenyatta wasn’t running, with her only loss to males in the Hollywood Gold Cup. She ran 1 1-8 miles in 1:48.58 and paid $18.20, $8 and $5.
Mushka returned $12.80 and $6.40, while Music Note was another length back in third for the second straight year and paid $3.20.
In other races, She Be Wild charged along the rail to win the $2 million Juvenile Fillies by three-quarters of a length.
For co-owners Nancy and Mike Mazzoni the win was particularly special. They raised the 2-year-filly on their 25-acre farm in Kentucky and when the horse didn’t sell for $19,000 because of her small stature, they decided to race her. Fortunately, the lack of interest paid off for them.
“There’s a connection that we have,” Mike Mazzoni said of the bond to their horses. “And it’s tough for us to sell a horse, and there was a lot of emotion in the decision.”
Tapitsfly held off Rose Catherine by a half-length to win the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf, while Informed Decision won the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint by 1 1/4 lengths over defending champion Ventura.
Midday scored in the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf that broke an 0 for 6 streak in the Breeders’ Cup by veteran European trainer Henry Cecil.
“To win it, certainly lived up to my expectations, the excitement and thrill,” Cecil said. “Once you’ve won a race here you feel you can probably do it again.”
Man of Iron won the $500,000 Marathon, the day’s only race featuring males.
While Zenyatta has received much of the attention, the other Breeders’ Cup races provide their own intrigue.
Trainer Bob Baffert has a trio of strong contenders, led by Zensational, winner of his last four in the $2 million Sprint, and undefeated Lookin At Lucky in the $2 million Juvenile. He also saddles live longshot Richard’s Kid in the Classic.
Both Goldikova and Conduit seek to become repeat champions in the $1 million Mile and the $3 million Turf, respectively.
Jockey Julien Leparoux also will try to add to his win tally with six mounts on Saturday, including Einstein in the Classic. Leparoux won twice on Friday, putting him ahead of his counterparts in The Head2Head Jockey Bet that pays for the rider who wins the most Breeders’ Cup races.
TORONTO STAR:
My Breeders’ Cup analysis
JUVENILE TURF
Mile, 2-year-olds, $1 million purse
JENNIFER’S PICKS
1 BECKY’S KITTEN
2 BRIDGETOWN
3 INTERACTIF
Anything goes in this freshman event around two turns on the grass and how about a long shot in Becky’s Kitten (12-1), one of three entered in the race by owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey, who also compete at Woodbine.
CANADIAN CONTENT
Woodbine jockey Rob
Landry rides
Eugene Melnyk’s hotshot
colt Bridgetown, winner of
the Summer Stakes at
Woodbine.
read more at www.thestar.com
MORE BREEDERS’ CUP
GLOBE & MAIL REPORT
(Cloudy’s Knight report, but he’s not Canadian)
Canadian horse beaten by a nose
Beverley Smith
Cloudy’s Knight, winner of the 2007 Canadian International Championship Stakes at Woodbine, finished second in the $454,500 Breeders’ Cup Marathon at 1 ¾ miles Friday.
Now a 9-year-old, Cloudy’s Knight lost by a nose to Man of Iron, a 3-year-old colt from the powerful Aidan O’Brien stable in Ireland.
Cloudy’s Knight was a regular at Woodbine in 2007, winning the Sky Classic Stakes and finishing second in the Nijinsky to Last Answer.
READ MORE AT WWW.GLOBEANDMAIL.COM
