European stars appear headed to Del Mar for Breeders’ Cup

To get ready for the turf races in the first Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar, the first thing to consider is the course, of course.

The turf course at Del Mar is a 7/8 mile oval, shorter than those at many other U.S. racetracks. (Santa Anita’s turf course is about 9/10ths of a mile, for example.) That means the turns are tighter, which would appear to favor athletic North American runners who are used to left-hand cornering.

But the Europeans always deserve strong consideration in the Breeders’ Cup grass races, and this year is no exception. A strong contingent appears likely to give Del Mar a go and the track replaced and widened its turf course in 2014, an adjustment that will give the Euros more room to unleash their typical late charges.

The fields for the races are still taking shape, but here are some of the big names that may partake:

Turf: Defending champ Highland Reel and Ulysses, fourth in last year’s race at Santa Anita, were both expected. But trainer Aidan O’Brien, who is chasing the record for the most Group 1 (or Grade 1, as we call them in the colonies) victories in a calendar year, entered Highland Reel in Saturday’s Champion Stakes at Ascot, making a Breeders’ Cup appearance uncertain. His departure would make Ulysses, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the likely favorite over the top grass runners from North America, including Beach Patrol and Oscar Performance. O’Brien is instead reportedly considering entering the 4-year-old filly Seventh Heaven.

Mile: Europe’s top miler, Ribchester, remains a possibility, but trainer Richard Fahey also entered the Godolphin colt in Saturday’s races at Ascot, so that would be a quick turnaround. Other top Euros being considered include the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Zelzal and several O’Brien runners — Alice Springs, Churchill and Lancaster Bomber.

Fillies & Mares Turf: O’Brien is loaded, as he usually is, and could run Hydrangea, Rhododendron and Roly Poly in the race. Because of the Del Mar course configuration, the race will be run at 1 1/8 miles, the shortest distance since it was added to the card in 1999.

Juvenile Fillies: The most exciting European horse may well be Happily, another O’Brien runner who is coming off two straight wins in Europe. Last out she became the first filly since 1986 to beat the boys in the the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, France’s marquee race for juveniles.

There are more top Europeans coming for the Turf Sprint and the Juvenile Turf, but I’ll end now with the same exhortation as last week: Watch those European races online!

RJ Breeders’ Cup handicapping panel

As I hinted last week, the RJ will provide some informed Breeders’ Cup opinions via a special video Breeders’ Cup panel featuring noted handicapping author and software developer Michael Pizzolla and Patrick McQuiggan, house handicapper at South Point. I’ll be the moderator and hazard a few picks myself. It will be available online only starting on Thursday, Nov. 2.

#RJhorseracing feature races

The column wouldn’t be complete without our interactive handicapping challenge: This week we tackled the 10th and 11th races on Laurel Park’s Saturday card — the Maryland Million Classic and a 7-furlong stakes restricted to horses that have started for a claiming tag of $7,500.

Our handicappers are sensing chalk on top this week, settling on 2-1 favorite John Jones in the Maryland Million Classic, followed by Takethattothebank (20-1) and Ghost Bay (8-1) and Bonus Points (3-1) tied for third. My money’s on Takethattothebank, who’s up in class but in sharp form.

The mints this week go to Fred Dungan, a man of few words who just picked JJ and moved on.

In the 11th, our crew likes 2-1 favorite Miss Nosy, followed by Sommer Something (8-1) and Katie’s Caddie (12-1). I’ll go with the cheap-but-honest Chesapeake Spring (6-1).

Consider joining us next week for our weekly thoroughbred puzzles. Simply email me or head to Twitter (hashtag #RJhorseracing) to get in on the action.

Contact Mike Brunker at mbrunker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_brunker on Twitter.