Breeders’ Cup hopefuls prepare for busy racing weekend
Over the next two weekends, most of the Breeders’ Cup probables will prep in a major stakes. On Saturday, Santa Anita will offer five Grade 1 preps and Belmont Park three.
Each one of these Grade 1 stakes offers a huge purse and on merit is well worth winning. But it’s at the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 4 and 5 at Santa Anita where championships will be won.
The five Grade 1 stakes at Santa Anita are the Frontrunner and Chandelier for the 2-year-olds, the Rodeo Drive on turf, and the Awesome Again and the Zenyatta for older horses.
The Frontrunner is for colts and will have a strong favorite in Klimt for trainer Bob Baffert. He has won three times, including the Del Mar Futurity and Best Pal. The other six starters are eligible for nonwinners of two races lifetime, so Klimt has a big edge.
The Chandelier for fillies has a stronger field headed by American Cleopatra, the full sister to Triple Crown champ American Pharoah. Baffert has the trainer honors with this favorite, too. If you are looking for a price, take a look at Zapperkat by Ghostzapper.
The Rodeo Drive drew 14 entrants and is as wide open as a stakes could be. Avenge beat six of these last out in the John C. Mabee. But keep an eye on Zipessa, who ran a solid third last race in the Grade 1 Beverly D at Arlington.
The Zenyatta is a rematch between Beholder and Stellar Wind. Stellar Wind upset Beholder in the Vanity Mile in her last race.
Beholder then ran second to California Chrome in the Pacific Classic. She ran what I call a winning race in defeat. Many probably think Beholder is still the better horse over Stellar Wind.
California Chrome stands head and shoulders over his rivals in the Awesome Again. If he wins this and the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he will be the Horse of the Year. The fact both races will be at Santa Anita means no travel plus a home-track advantage.
At Belmont Park, the three Grade 1 stakes are the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, the Vosburgh and the Beldame.
Flintshire (1-5) has been so dominant that only three other horses will test him in the Joe Hirsch. Flintshire ran second in stakes five times overseas last year. This season, he is unbeaten in three stakes starts for trainer Chad Brown.
The Vosburgh clearly goes through A.P. Indian (1-1), who has won all five stakes starts this year. His strongest rival will be X Y Jet (7-2), who has been rested since his second in the Golden Shaheen in Dubai.
The Beldame came up weak. Forever Unbridled (1-1) has a big class edge, but none would scare Beholder or Stellar Wind one iota.
SOUTH POINT PHONE APP
The South Point horse racing phone app is available. The minimum deposit is $50. The free software can be downloaded at southpointracebook.com, or visit the race book for help.
The convenience factor is a remedy for not having the time to sit in a race book all day.
Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. You can buy his Santa Anita picks at www.racedaylasvegas.com. You can email him at rich_eng@hotmail.com and follow him on Twitter @richeng4propick