IT’S CUP DAY!!
Welcome to Breeders’ Cup 2009 -the 26th edition.
It’s a big day for a lot of Canadians: READE BAKER and owner DANNY DION, EURICO ROSA DA SILVA, ROB LANDRY, JOSIE CARROLL and VERNE AND DONNA DUBINSKY and BREEDER ROBERT HARVEY.
That group have 2 horses in the Breeders’ Cup races today – the first day of the 2 day event.
MY PICKS appear today in the TORONTO STAR – not likely on the web site – so pick up a paper and check out the selections.
Here is an excerpt from the spread in today’s Star:
Photo below – Will it be another big day for canadian owner VERNE DUBINSKY?
26th BREEDERS’ CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Nov. 6 and 7
SANTA ANITA PARK, Arcadia, California, Pro-Ride synthetic dirt surface
FRIDAY’S BREEDERS’ CUP RACES
Breeders’ Cup Marathon; post time 3:35 (eastern); 1 3/4 Miles; 3 Year Olds & Up; Purse: $500,000
JENNIFER’S PICKS 1 – MASTERY 2- FATHER TIME 3- GANGBUSTER
CANADIAN CONTENT – NONE
The oddball race of the 14-race series is essentially just a glorified everyday stakes race with the exception of the presence of MASTERY (9 to 5), the upset Group 1 English St. Leger winner owned by the Maktoum family of Dubai. Let’s start the day with a favourite.
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf ; 1 mile; turf; 2-year-olds; fillies; Purse: $1,000,000
JENNIFER’S PICKS: 1- LILY LANGTRY 2- TAPITSFLY 3-SMART SEATTLE
Another European selection – LILY LANGTRY (3 to 1) is a top filly overseas, she’s raced a lot but she meets a modest field of American turf fillies.
CANADIAN CONTENT – JUNGLE TALE, a longshot, was based at Woodbine this year with American trainer Steve Asmussen.
read more by buying a TORONTO STAR!
Some notes on today’s races and horses:
*THE SOVEREIGN AWARD FOR CHAMPION 2-YEAR-OLD FILLY could be decided today between BIOFUEL and NEGLIGEE in the Juvenile Fillies. Should one win of course – slam dunk.
Biofuel needs to beat Negligee to have a chance to be champion.
(Left) NEGLIGEE, a Juvenile Filly fave and possible Canadian champion
www.horse-races.net photo
*CONNIE AND MICHAEL, the sensational debut winner who runs in the Juvenile Fillies today, was seen freaking out in the paddock as recently as yesterday for trainer Ken McPeek.
The youngster will have an awfully big crowd to handle today.
* CANADIAN INTERNTIONAL WINNER CLOUDY’S KNIGHT is 9-years-old but is a popular pick in the first race of the cup – the 1 3/4 mile MARATHON.
*Europeans are popular picks all day long during the 1st card of the Cup.
LILY LANGTRY is a tough filly in the Juvenile Filly Turf today.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien rides her without a helmet or safety vest?
www.horse-races.net photo
ZENYATTA arrived at Santa Anita yesterday and galloped
www.horse-races.net photo
CANADIAN TV SKED FOR BREEDERS’CUP
Friday
TSN will carry the Breeders’ Cup from 3:30 pm EST until 7:00 pm EST.
Saturday
ABC will broadcast from 1:00PM EST until 3:30 pm EST
TSN2 will broadcast from 1:30PM EST until 4:00 pm EST
TSN will broadcast from 4:00PM EST until 7:00 pm EST.
HPItv will also carry the Santa Anita simulcast signal as part of the HPItv rotation (with 3 other tracks) and on PPV via HPItv International.
First race post-time for Saturday’s Woodbine card is moved up to 12:35 pm from 1:00 pm.
BREEDERS’ CUP LOCAL NEWS:
Ontario jockey on a Breeders’ Cup favourite
Landry will be aboard hot filly for $2 million Ladies Classic
Robert Landry has little trouble remembering his past experience in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, thoroughbred racing’s biggest event of the year.
“Oh, yes, I rode in it once and my horse was 99-1 and finished 11th in the Classic in 2001,” the 47-year-old Toronto-born jockey said with a chuckle.
Landry never expected to get another chance on the world stage, but Friday the popular Woodbine rider will be on 2-1 favourite
http://www.thestar.com/sports/horseracing/article/721983–ontario-jockey-on-a-breeders-cup-favourite
ANDY BEYER IN THE WASHINGTON POST SAYS:
“Fatal Bullet is the fastest and best horse in the field, and he is going to dominate Zensational.”
Read his story at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/05/AR2009110502549.html
WINDFIELDS STORY – TORONTO STAR
Last gallop for legendary Windfields Farm
Fabled Oshawa horse-breeding operation will soon be a subdivision — after final run at winner’s circle
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By Mary Ormsby Sports Reporter
She’s named Careless Jewel, a sleek grey filly who’ll carry the bloodlines and spirit of Canada’s peerless Windfields Farm into Friday’s richest Breeders’ Cup race in California.
But when she bolts from the Santa Anita starting gate in the $2 million Ladies Classic, it will also be Windfields’ final burst of glory
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/722053–last-gallop-for-legendary-windfields-farm?bn=1
Just happy to be here!
Turf sprint fave CALIFORNIA FLAG just wants to run!
www.horse-races.net photo
FROM THE BLOOD-HORSE
Fatal Bullet Gunning for Sprint Win
By Deirdre B. Biles
Reade Baker, the trainer of Fatal Bullet, has a message for Zensational, the 7-5 morning line favorite in the $2-million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I), and the rest of the field: We’re ready, and we’re going to run hard.
“Don’t worry, we’ll let them know where we’re at,” Baker said Nov. 3 following the post position draws for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park. “Zensational isn’t going to walk away from these horses and open up seven or eight lengths on his own. He’s not going to do it. He may be able to lope a little bit, but we’ll be right there, right beside him, so we’ll have our eye on him the whole time.”
WHAT IS GREAT ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP
(and not so great)
The horses and their people.
You can love the horses, you can love their people, especially the ones who are quotable, personable and havesomethingto say – something tosay to the hundreds of folks who are trying to relay the festivites tothose of us not able to get out to the get coast.
Sone of the most entertaining reading comes from the overseas scribes who get us everything they can from the QUARANTINE barn at Santa Anita – not an easything as you can to stand outside a fenced in area for eons it seems and then follow the horses and their people out to the track).
The BLOOD-HORSE’S STEVE HASKIN recently had an unfortunate meeting with the legendary trainer HENRY CECIL, who has 3 horses in the Cup races.
Funny stuff, yes, but too bad that there are horsemen out there (Woodbine too!) that just can’t support the game, promote it and enjoy it enough to talk to folks just doing a job.
The RACING POST writes a humourous piece (the Haskin part is at the very bottom of the story).
And then HASKIN himself writes about the conversation:
Classic Report: Oh, Henry
By Steve Haskin
If there is one main aspect of the Breeders’ Cup that is most fascinating it is the merging of American and British cultures, whether it be terminology, style of racing, or in the way horsemen deal with the media and vice versa.
In America, we have an eclectic group of trainers, each with their own personality and method of communicating with the press. The same for the most part can be said of the British horsemen, who are cloistered away in their own little domains and have far less dealings with those pesky blokes with the note pads and tape recorders. And then we come to Henry Cecil, who seems to enjoy testing those who hurl questions his way.
COLIN’S GHOST REMEMBERS BREEDERS’ CUP BIRTH
http://www.colinsghost.org/2009/11/breeders-cup-foundation-and-future-1984.html
REBELLION JOINS NORSE RIDGE
from Blood-Horse/press release
Multiple graded stakes winner Rebellion, second in last year’s TVG Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, will enter stud in 2010 at Norse Ridge Farm in King Township, Ontario, Canada. The 5-year-old son of Mozart will stand for $3,500 (Canadian funds) for owner James R. Treptow.
Bred in Great Britain by Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley, Rebellion won or placed in 17 of 26 races and earned $816,277 in five years of racing in North America and England. After winning or placing in seven of his eight starts in England, he was purchased by Treptow’s Virginia-based Hickory Tree Stable.
Trained by H. Graham Motion, Rebellion captured the 2008 Commonwealth Stakes (gr. II) at Keeneland in 1:21.40 for seven furlongs and the Ack Ack Handicap (gr. III) at Hollywood Park He finished a fast-closing second, beaten a half-length, in the $1,000,000 TVG Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Oak Tree at Santa Anita and also ran second in that year’s Pat O’Brien Handicap (gr. II) at Del Mar.
Rebellion also won the 2007 Steinlein Stakes on grass at Belmont Park and ran second in this year’s Commonwealth.
Rebellion is out of English group II winner Last Resort (by Lahib).
