The Breeders' Cup, which takes place November 2-3 at Santa Anita Park, has become the culmination of the U.S. Thoroughbred-racing season, and attracts some of the best horses, trainers and owners from across the globe. This year, Breeders' Cup and Grey Goose Vodka will showcase a celebration of global cuisine to go along with the Thoroughbred action when hosting "A Taste of the World."
Starlight Racing's undefeated Algorithms will enter stud at Claiborne Farm for 2013, according to farm representative Bernie Sams. The son of leading sire Bernardini will be syndicated and stand for a $7,500 fee.
Eight celebrity racing fans and owners are being honored as Breeders' Cup Ambassadors in the inaugural year of a program launched by the organization. The honor comes with rewards which allow the Ambassadors to enjoy horse racing all over the world, including concierge service, tickets and more. Additionally, they will serve as spokespersons for the 2012 Breeders' Cup World Championships and help promote the prestigious international event.
BREEDERS' CUP FEATURE
Closing weekend at Belmont Park is highlighted by a pair of Grade 3 races, with both the $150,000 Bold Ruler Handicap and the $150,000 Turnback the Alarm Handicap for fillies and mares set for Saturday, the penultimate day of racing.
Grade 3 Affirmed Handicap hero Nonios (Pleasantly Perfect), runner-up in the Grade 1 Awesome Again (formerly Goodwood) and Grade 1 Haskell Invitational, clocked a bullet five furlongs in :59 4/5 over Hollywood Park's Cushion Track on Wednesday. The dark bay sophomore has been pre-entered to both the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Classic, with a first preference to the Dirt Mile.
BREEDERS' CUP PRE-ENTRIES 2012
SANTA ANITA NOTEBOOK
Led by multiple Grade 1 winner Game On Dude, defending Ladies' Classic champion Royal Delta, dominating turf stars Wise Dan and Point of Entry, and 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, 180 horses, including eight defending or former Breeders' Cup Champions, have been pre-entered for the 2012 Breeders' Cup World Championships.
A $1.1 million, six-stakes bonanza awaits fans and bettors at Laurel's Fall Festival of Racing on Saturday, highlighted by the $350,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash for older horses over six furlongs.
Hoping to add his name to an honor roll of three-year-old winners of the Grade 2, $150,000 Fayette that includes Blame and Arch, Grade 1 Florida Derby winner Take Charge Indy makes his return to the races Saturday in the closing day feature at Keeneland. The Pat Byrne trainee is the only sophomore in a field of 11 that will negotiate nine furlongs on Polytrack.
The Breeders' Cup has announced the final race order for the Breeders' Cup World Championships, November 2-3 at Santa Anita Park. While all of the Friday races will remain in the same order when announced earlier this month, there were three changes made to the Saturday program.
A gray son of Speightstown provided some late fireworks near the conclusion of Tuesday's second session of Fasig-Tipton's October Yearling Sale at Newtown Paddocks near Lexington, Kentucky. Whipser Hill Farm was the winning bidder at $440,000 for the February 2 Kentucky-bred, who was offered as Hip No. 820 from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
Esteemed turf writers Jay Hovdey and the late Whitney Tower have been chosen as the National Museum of Racing's Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor recipients for 2012. The Roll of Honor was initiated by the Museum in 2010 in memory of Hirsch, a distinguished turf writer who died the previous year.
Canadian champion Musketier has been retired to Adena Springs Canada for the 2013 breeding season.
Golden Ticket, dead-heat winner with Alpha in the Grade 1 Travers in August, was not pre-entered in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic.
BELMONT NOTEBOOK
In its continuing support of a national program for retired racehorses, the Breeders' Cup announced Tuesday that it has created a "Text to Donate" campaign, through Give by Cell, to allow fans to contribute to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA).
Owner Benjamin Leon, who purchased Royal Delta for $8.5 million at Keeneland a few days after her 2011 Ladies' Classic triumph, wanted to keep all options on the table.
Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) will honor Frank Stronach with the TCA Leadership Award and Belmont Child Care Association with the TCA Industry Service Award at the 23rd Annual Select Stallion Season Auction to be held January 5, 2013 at the Keeneland Entertainment Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
The blitz towards the Breeders' Cup continued at mach speed Sunday morning at Santa Anita as several major players worked for their engagements in the World Championship events at The Great Race Place on November 2-3, headed by Breeders' Cup Classic favorite Game on Dude.
In a move that did not come unexpectedly, Godolphin announced Sunday that Frankie Dettori will no longer serve as a retained rider for the stable. The popular Italian, who had been Godolphin's premier rider for 18 years, will now become a highly sought-after freelancer. On that basis, Dettori will continue to accept mounts for Sheikh Mohammed's flagship operation.
"I love Woodbine, I love riding here," Sutherland said. "It's nice that I could end it here, where it all started for me."
The veteran five-year-old mare Upperline made her finale for the Mike Stidham barn in Sunday's $125,000 Dowager Stakes, and seized the moment to make Keeneland history as well. The winner of the Grade 3 Bewitch here in April, Upperline became the first to sweep both of the track's 1 1/2-mile turf stakes for distaffers in the same season.
Trainer Chad Brown sent out undefeated Awesome Feather on Sunday morning for her penultimate work prior to an expected start in the 1 1/8-mile Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic. The four-year-old Awesome of Course filly was caught by NYRA clockers in 1:12 1/5 for six furlongs over Belmont Park's fast main track, the only work at the distance.
Trainer Gary Sciacca expressed excitement Sunday morning about what the future might have in store for Saratoga Snacks, a three-year-old who on Saturday finished second, beaten 1 1/4 lengths by five-year-old Lunar Victory, in the Empire Classic.
After his Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint hopeful, Great Attack, breezed five furlongs in 1:02 3/5 over the good Keeneland turf course on Thursday, trainer Wesley Ward was asked about the performance. The horseman said he was pleased and that he "wanted to talk to his Melbourne Cup-winning rider."
Gold Ship, sent off heavy favorite with the absence of archrival Deep Brillante, lived up to expectations with his second classic victory in Sunday's Grade 1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) at Kyoto. Trained by Naosuke Sugai and ridden by Hiroyuki Uchida, the gray son of Stay Gold covered about 1 7/8 miles on firm turf in 3:02.9, just missing the stakes record of 3:02.7 established by Song of Wind in 2006.
Under jockey Paco Lopez, Bern Identity sat behind the early leaders before moving up four wide around the second turn. When Lopez gave him his cue he responded well by opening up a clear lead in the stretch and cruising home in front by three lengths while never feeling the whip. Finishing another four lengths behind Mylute in third was Mr. Bandini's Band. Bern Identity covered the distance over a fast track in 1:39 2/5.
Gypsy Robin remained a perfect three-for-three over the Keeneland Polytrack as she wired the field in the Grade 2, $250,000 Raven Run on Saturday with John Velazquez aboard.
Kindle, the 5-2 second choice, blasted right out of the gate in her turf debut. As she sizzled through fractions of :20 4/5 and :42 2/5, Kindle opened up a sizeable margin. Broken Dreams, who was shortening up off a trio of route races, stalked beneath Garrett Gomez, but the 3-1 third choice still had about five lengths to make up at the top of the stretch. The 2-1 favorite Byrama, who had been last early, had even more of a deficit to overcome.
Godolphin Racing's multiple Grade 1 winner It's Tricky has been retired with an injury to her right hind ankle, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin announced Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday in England, Juddmonte Farm's Frankel wrapped up his extraordinary career with victory in the Group 1 Champions Stakes at Ascot. Later in the day and across the Atlantic in New York, the organization's Lunar Victory helped prolong the festivities with a 1 1/4-length score in the $250,000 Empire Classic at Belmont Park.
With apologies to Grantland Rice, under blue-gray October skies, Breeders' Cup candidates were out en force at Santa Anita Saturday morning, going through final stages of their major drills for the World Championships event at "The Great Race Place" on November 2 and 3.
Mary Ann Houghland's Pierrot Lunaire charged through the stretch and overtook pacesetter Divine Fortune to win the Grade 1, $250,000 Grand National by three-quarters of a length at the 92nd Far Hills Races on Saturday. Royal Bonsai, a newcomer to American racing, finished third in the year's richest steeplechase race.
Unbeaten phenom Frankel crowned his glorious career with a victory over Cirrus des Aigles in Saturday's Group 1 Champion Stakes at Ascot, but only after his fans endured drama both before and during the highly-anticipated contest.
Senior BHA handicapper Phil Smith paid tribute to Frankel following the unbeaten colt's grand finale in Saturday's Group 1 Champion Stakes.
FRANKEL THEY SAID IT
Multiple Grade 1 hero Wise Dan, one of the top contenders for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile on November 3 at Santa Anita, completed his major work for his California test by working five furlongs on Keeneland's Polytrack in a bullet, best of 18, 1:00 2/5 on a cool, clear Saturday morning.
Mr. and Mrs. Marc C. Ferrell's two-year-old filly Madame Cactus rallied strongly in the homestretch to score a two-length victory in Friday night's $150,000 My Trusty Cat Stakes at Delta Downs. The race was part of an opening night program for the track's 2012-2013 meeting.
One race prior to Frankel's anticipated career finale in the Group 1 QIPCO Champion Stakes on Saturday at Ascot, a field of eight will take to the green in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. The four-year-old Excelebration, trained by Aidan O'Brien, has been beaten five times by Frankel and finally has the chance to prove himself the top miler in Europe without having to take on his nemesis.
Todd Pletcher, whose barn of bluebloods leads the nation in purse earnings this year with nearly $17 million, was at Santa Anita Friday morning to coordinate strategy first hand as his locally based contenders prepare for the Breeders' Cup on November 2 and 3.
Miz Ida made a successful rally from more than seven lengths down to deny 25-1 longshot English Class the upset in Friday's second division of the Grade 3, $125,000 Valley View for three-year-old fillies at Keeneland. A homebred racing for Richard, Bert and Elaine Klein, Miz Ida paid $11.40, $6.40 and $4 as the 9-2 second choice.
Augustin Stable's homebred Angel Terrace outperformed her 27-1 odds when fending off the 4-1 Miss Cato by a nose in Friday's first division of the Grade 3, $125,000 Valley View Stakes at Keeneland. A fast-finishing fourth in the July 29 Nani Rose Stakes at Saratoga last out, the Jonathan Sheppard pupil rallied from last under an enterprising ride by James Graham and sparked mutuels of $57.60, $20.60 and $15.80.
Caixa Eletronica, who at age seven finished second in the Grade 1 Vosburgh Invitational last out, returns next Saturday in Belmont Park's Grade 3, $150,000 Bold Ruler Handicap, a race in which he finished third last year.
Slip Away, the champion steeplechaser of 2010, makes his return from a layoff of more than 14 months in Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Grand National. Contested over 2 5/8 miles at Far Hills, New Jersey, the Grand National is the richest event of the American jump season and last year yielded the season's eventual Eclipse Award champion, Black Jack Blues.
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Poker Pro and World Series of Poker Bracelet Winner, confirmed Friday that he will play in the $10,000 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) taking place at Santa Anita Park on November 2-3 during the World Championships.
The Jockey Club on Friday released Report of Mares Bred (RMB) statistics for the 2012 breeding season. Based on RMBs received through October 14, 2012, The Jockey Club reports that 1,861 stallions covered 35,391 mares in North America during 2012.
Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) announced Friday that Donald R. "Donnie" Richardson, CDI's senior vice president of racing, will leave at the end of the year.
When Sir Henry Cecil saddles Frankel at Ascot ahead of the Group 1 QIPCO Champion Stakes on Saturday, the poignancy of the moment will be far from lost on him.
