Breeders Cup 2010 (Saturday card)
Part two, yay! And this is where we get to the meat-and-potatoes of this event!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf
More baby races... man oh man. I know about Air Support because of the TVG Breeders Cup Profile, but that's about it. I really don't know much about this field. I'm intrigued by the 11 horse, Madman Diaries, just because that pedigree is completely foreign to me, and yet he's not an import. By all accounts, he should be a dirt horse, so what he's doing in a turf race, I dunno. Maybe he trains like a monster on the turf? I'm just going to go ahead and go with my gut and say Madman Diaries is my wildcard.
Breeders' Cup Sprint
I generally don't pay attention to sprinters, but this year is an exception. And how! This is a field packed with punch. I like Atta Boy Roy (and he's got Bo-Rail!) but I don't think this is going to be his day. I'd love it if it was, but I don't really think he's up to the task. But I could be wrong. However, the 7 horse is Kinsale King, and I really want to see him race -- dude, he went over to Royal Ascot and didn't humiliate himself against the world's best sprinters! If Kinsale King had gone in the Turf Sprint, I think he'd be the favorite based on that, and I would totally root for him.... but there's a horse in the 5 hole... Smiling Tiger! I love Smiling Tiger! He's got fun-loving connections, and he's got the iron man, Russell Baze, in the irons (Russell Baze won my heart when he was the regular rider of Lost in the Fog.) Plus, a three-year-old showing the older horses how it's done? Sign me up!
Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint
This is a genuinely-COED race. Holy crap. There are four females in this race. And one of them is a live wire -- Unzip Me is one hot commodity. However, I'm going to go with two of the grays: California Flag and Silver Timber. California Flag is the defending champ, and Silver Timber has been steadily earning his oats all year.
Breeders' Cup Juvenile
First of all, I am NOT impressed with Uncle Mo, dumb name nonwithstanding. While Jaycito has the pedigree for the distance, my sentimental pick is totally J.P's Gusto. The owner named the horse after his grandson, and the whole family has been there to cheer the horse. Beyond that, I really don't have a pick. Again: Baby races are hard to call.
Breeders' Cup Mile
Jesus fuck, this is a corker of a race. I'm all on Goldikova's bandwagon, but goddammit! Gio Ponti, Court Vision, Paco Boy, Sidney's Candy, Proviso, The Usual Q.T., Get Stormy.... even trying to pick exotics in this race is risky, because there is SO MUCH TALENT HERE. Sidney's Candy is such a loose cannon (he either blows them away, or he chucks a goose egg -- and you don't have any way of knowing ahead of time which it's going to be!), Gio Ponti is a genuine war horse, and Proviso has just been eating everything up that comes her way. Still, I am hoping to see Goldikova pull this off. But this is the toughest race on the card, I think. I hesitate to use the word "Epic" to describe anything, but this? This is an EPIC race.
Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
... why is this carded AFTER the regular Mile? Given the history that could be made in the Mile, you'd think it would get higher billing than the Dirt Mile, for all that the Dirt Mile is loaded with talent too. ANYWAY.
This is a race full of sprinters stretching out, if you ask me. Therefore, they're all in the same boat together. I think the class of the race is Crown of Thorns, but my sentimental pick is going to be Mine That Bird. He's a long shot, and he doesn't have Bo-Rail this time, but he picks up Mike Smith, and Lukas has had him firing bullets. I get the feeling that he's in this race because Lukas is just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks, because the horse has just lost so much spirit. I'm highly amused that Morning Line, who didn't make the cut for the Classic because of too many entries and had to settle for his other choice, is the morning line (har har) favorite for the race. UPDATE: Crown of Thorns has been scratched. Doesn't affect my sentimental pick of course, but it does take the class of the race out.
Breeders' Cup Turf
I'm not sold on any of the European shippers, not even Workforce. However, I don't think we have any real standouts in American racing taking this one on. Champ Pegasus is too fresh on the scene for there to be any indication on whether he can take this field or not. But I'll be rooting for him, just because I really don't give a crap about any of the other horses, and I like Richard Mandella.
Breeders' Cup Classic
One word: Zenyatta. That is all. Bring it on, bitches. Throw the best you've got at her.
Quality Road probably won't be scratched at the gate this year, since he'll be the first one loaded, and he's got six horses between him and the Queen, but I expect that he, Haynesfield and Espoir City will all rocket out of the gate and start fighting from the word go. I think that this will test Blame to his utmost, because he's got a monster that will likely be lurking behind him, one that can outkick the best of them. That monster is the only horse in the world to outkick Gio Ponti (to come from further back than he did; all the other horses who have beaten Gio Ponti have been closer to the pace than he was) and she has got one hell of a turn of foot. When she gets the pistons firing, she literally hotrods it, lowers herself down and just hauls ass. I think she can do it, even against Blame. I'm pretty sure she's still the biggest of the horses, and she's going to inhale this field at the quarter pole, and inhale what's left by the wire. Anything less would be a travesty, in my book. There is so much riding on that big mare's shoulders, and if the racing gods have any mercy at all, she'll win this one and go out the legend she deserves to be.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf
More baby races... man oh man. I know about Air Support because of the TVG Breeders Cup Profile, but that's about it. I really don't know much about this field. I'm intrigued by the 11 horse, Madman Diaries, just because that pedigree is completely foreign to me, and yet he's not an import. By all accounts, he should be a dirt horse, so what he's doing in a turf race, I dunno. Maybe he trains like a monster on the turf? I'm just going to go ahead and go with my gut and say Madman Diaries is my wildcard.
Breeders' Cup Sprint
I generally don't pay attention to sprinters, but this year is an exception. And how! This is a field packed with punch. I like Atta Boy Roy (and he's got Bo-Rail!) but I don't think this is going to be his day. I'd love it if it was, but I don't really think he's up to the task. But I could be wrong. However, the 7 horse is Kinsale King, and I really want to see him race -- dude, he went over to Royal Ascot and didn't humiliate himself against the world's best sprinters! If Kinsale King had gone in the Turf Sprint, I think he'd be the favorite based on that, and I would totally root for him.... but there's a horse in the 5 hole... Smiling Tiger! I love Smiling Tiger! He's got fun-loving connections, and he's got the iron man, Russell Baze, in the irons (Russell Baze won my heart when he was the regular rider of Lost in the Fog.) Plus, a three-year-old showing the older horses how it's done? Sign me up!
Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint
This is a genuinely-COED race. Holy crap. There are four females in this race. And one of them is a live wire -- Unzip Me is one hot commodity. However, I'm going to go with two of the grays: California Flag and Silver Timber. California Flag is the defending champ, and Silver Timber has been steadily earning his oats all year.
Breeders' Cup Juvenile
First of all, I am NOT impressed with Uncle Mo, dumb name nonwithstanding. While Jaycito has the pedigree for the distance, my sentimental pick is totally J.P's Gusto. The owner named the horse after his grandson, and the whole family has been there to cheer the horse. Beyond that, I really don't have a pick. Again: Baby races are hard to call.
Breeders' Cup Mile
Jesus fuck, this is a corker of a race. I'm all on Goldikova's bandwagon, but goddammit! Gio Ponti, Court Vision, Paco Boy, Sidney's Candy, Proviso, The Usual Q.T., Get Stormy.... even trying to pick exotics in this race is risky, because there is SO MUCH TALENT HERE. Sidney's Candy is such a loose cannon (he either blows them away, or he chucks a goose egg -- and you don't have any way of knowing ahead of time which it's going to be!), Gio Ponti is a genuine war horse, and Proviso has just been eating everything up that comes her way. Still, I am hoping to see Goldikova pull this off. But this is the toughest race on the card, I think. I hesitate to use the word "Epic" to describe anything, but this? This is an EPIC race.
Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
... why is this carded AFTER the regular Mile? Given the history that could be made in the Mile, you'd think it would get higher billing than the Dirt Mile, for all that the Dirt Mile is loaded with talent too. ANYWAY.
This is a race full of sprinters stretching out, if you ask me. Therefore, they're all in the same boat together. I think the class of the race is Crown of Thorns, but my sentimental pick is going to be Mine That Bird. He's a long shot, and he doesn't have Bo-Rail this time, but he picks up Mike Smith, and Lukas has had him firing bullets. I get the feeling that he's in this race because Lukas is just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks, because the horse has just lost so much spirit. I'm highly amused that Morning Line, who didn't make the cut for the Classic because of too many entries and had to settle for his other choice, is the morning line (har har) favorite for the race. UPDATE: Crown of Thorns has been scratched. Doesn't affect my sentimental pick of course, but it does take the class of the race out.
Breeders' Cup Turf
I'm not sold on any of the European shippers, not even Workforce. However, I don't think we have any real standouts in American racing taking this one on. Champ Pegasus is too fresh on the scene for there to be any indication on whether he can take this field or not. But I'll be rooting for him, just because I really don't give a crap about any of the other horses, and I like Richard Mandella.
Breeders' Cup Classic
One word: Zenyatta. That is all. Bring it on, bitches. Throw the best you've got at her.
Quality Road probably won't be scratched at the gate this year, since he'll be the first one loaded, and he's got six horses between him and the Queen, but I expect that he, Haynesfield and Espoir City will all rocket out of the gate and start fighting from the word go. I think that this will test Blame to his utmost, because he's got a monster that will likely be lurking behind him, one that can outkick the best of them. That monster is the only horse in the world to outkick Gio Ponti (to come from further back than he did; all the other horses who have beaten Gio Ponti have been closer to the pace than he was) and she has got one hell of a turn of foot. When she gets the pistons firing, she literally hotrods it, lowers herself down and just hauls ass. I think she can do it, even against Blame. I'm pretty sure she's still the biggest of the horses, and she's going to inhale this field at the quarter pole, and inhale what's left by the wire. Anything less would be a travesty, in my book. There is so much riding on that big mare's shoulders, and if the racing gods have any mercy at all, she'll win this one and go out the legend she deserves to be.