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Ladies' Classic runners put in final gallops

Trainer Bill Mott's champion Royal Delta galloped 1 3/8 miles on Thursday morning over the main track at Santa Anita in preparation for a title defense run in Friday's Breeders' Cup Ladies'.

Nashua, Tempted draw baker's dozen of juveniles

A baker's dozen of two-year-olds will vie for the spotlight at Aqueduct on Sunday afternoon as they take the next step in their careers in the Grade 2, $200,000 Nashua and the Grade 3, $150,000 Tempted for fillies.

Goldikova attracts eight

One day after wrapping up the 2012 Breeders' Cup, Santa Anita will offer the Grade 2, $150,000 Goldikova (formerly Las Palmas) sending a competitive field of eight distaffers one mile over the turf on closing day Sunday.

Internationals in the Breeders' Cup -- Saturday

INTERNATIONALS IN THE BREEDERS' CUP

Breeders' Cup Saturday Previews

O'Brien gives updates on Breeders' Cup runners

While the Cup horses from Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle Stables remain in quarantine until they are able to make their first appearance on the track Thursday, the trainer was at the barn on Wednesday morning and spent some time with members of the international media discussing some of his Breeders' Cup hopefuls:

Mott has good shot at sweeping Classic, Ladies' Classic

Flat Out, Ron the Greek and To Honor and Serve, all three members of trainer Bill Mott's Breeders' Cup Classic team, galloped about 1 1/4 miles on the main track at Santa Anita Wednesday morning.

Jimmy Creed sizzles in :35; Amazombie gets into Halloween spirit

Trainer Richard Mandella "got the attention" of his Distorted Humor colt Jimmy Creed Wednesday morning. He felt he had to.

My Best Brother, Old Time Hockey meet again in Twilight Derby

My Best Brother and Old Time Hockey, who landed the major three-year-old grass stakes at Del Mar over the summer, will renew rivalry Friday in the Grade 2, $150,000 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita. Formerly known as the Oak Tree Derby, the grassy 1 1/8-mile Twilight Derby is the last of 10 races on the first of two Breeders' Cup programs.

Red Smith featured at Big A; Chilukki at Churchill

Boisterous will be heavy favorite to successfully defend his title in the Grade 2, $200,000 Red Smith Handicap at Aqueduct, the first of two non-Breeders' Cup graded stakes that will be held across the country on Saturday.

Dominus, Neck 'n Neck square off in Ack Ack

Grade 2 winners Dominus and Neck 'n Neck highlight an eight-horse field in Friday's Grade 3, $100,000 Ack Ack at Churchill Downs. The one-mile event also features the U.S. debut of Group 1 Argentinean hero Grand Berry.

Breeders' Cup Entries 2012

Below are the Breeders' Cup entries for the 15 races.

Breeders' Cup Friday Previews

Stakes-filled opening weekend at Aqueduct

Thoroughbred racing action in New York moves to Aqueduct on Friday, with opening weekend featuring a "Welcome Back" event for patrons on the newly refurbished second floor, the simulcast of the Breeders' Cup from Santa Anita, and exciting live racing action.

Royal Delta suffers cut on flight; Awesome Feather seeks second BC win

Trainer Bill Mott said the champion and defending Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic winner Royal Delta went to the track Tuesday morning and was not having any problems with the small cut she suffered on her right rear hip while being shipped from Newburgh, New York, early Monday morning.

Mott loaded in Classic; Nonios works a bullet

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said all three of his Breeders' Cup Classic horses -- Flat Out, To Honor and Serve, and Ron the Greek -- traveled well from the East Coast Monday and went to the track for light exercise Tuesday morning.

Point of Entry settling in; Wise Dan gallops at Keeneland

Point of Entry, the 3-1 Breeders' Cup Turf morning-line favorite, took his first tour of Santa Anita on Tuesday morning, galloping a mile over the main track. The four-year-old colt arrived from New York on Monday.

Final European contingent arrives at Santa Anita

The final shipment of European runners for this year's Breeders' Cup arrived late Monday night at the quarantine barn at Santa Anita. Aidan O'Brien's party of nine runners, including St Nicholas Abbey (Turf) and Excelebration (Mile), touched down in California shortly after 8 p.m. (PDT), and having cleared customs were safely bedded down by 11 p.m.

Coolmore buys half of Shanghai Bobby

Starlight Racing has sold a 50 percent interest in Shanghai Bobby, the 2-1 morning line favorite in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile, to the Coolmore connections of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the unbeaten two-year-old is considered an early favorite for next year's Kentucky Derby.

Damascus tops Breeders' Cup Saturday undercard

Breeders' Cup Saturday at Santa Anita kicks off with three $100,000 stakes, the highlight being the seven-furlong Damascus for three-year-olds.

Aikenite retired due to ankle injury

Dogwood Stable's Aikenite -- a multiple Grade 2-winning earner of $875,385 -- has been retired after re-injuring an ankle while prepping for his final appearance in Saturday's Grade 3 Ack Ack Stakes at Churchill Downs, according to Cot Campbell, Dogwood Stable president.

Belmont Notebook

BELMONT NOTEBOOK

Champions line up for 29th Breeders' Cup

Thoroughbred racing's most prestigious global event, the Breeders' Cup consists of 15 races worth a total of more than $25 million and hosted by Santa Anita for the sixth time with six races on Friday and nine on Saturday to be televised on NBC Sports Network and NBC. For the first time, the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic will be televised live and in primetime on NBC from 8-9 p.m. (ET).

Mott, Brown horses get out of New York; Pletcher's flight delayed

Seventeen Breeders' Cup horses arrived at Santa Anita Park at 9:12 a.m. (PDT) Monday after a cross-country Tex Sutton flight that originated at Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, New York.

Dullahan, Little Mike both opt for Turf

Trainer Dale Romans has confirmed that Grade 1 Pacific Classic winner Dullahan and Grade 1 Arlington Million winner Little Mike will both start in the Turf. Dullahan had been pre-entered for the Classic, while Little Mike had been considered for the Mile.

Groupie Doll blitzes three furlongs at Santa Anita

Groupie Doll blasted three furlongs in :34 2/5 Monday morning at Santa Anita with regular exercise rider Jada Schlenk aboard in preparation for Saturday's Filly & Mare Sprint. The work was the co-fastest of 19 at the distance.

BC participants running for racehorse adoption program

Some of horse racing's biggest stars are stepping up to the plate to support New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program by pledging a percentage of their purse earnings from the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Sun sets on Ryehill's dream comeback

Ryehill Dreamer, who had been sidelined by injury since capturing the Grade 2 American Handicap in May 2011, tracked Red Sun through fractions of :23 4/5 and :47 1/5 on the firm turf. Rounding the far turn, Ryehill Dreamer went after the pacesetter in earnest. He drew alongside through six furlongs in 1:10 3/5, and appeared ready to go by at the top of the stretch, but Red Sun refused to yield.

Gomez hopes for another BC grand slam at Santa Anita

Garrett Gomez is no stranger to winning Breeders' Cup races, especially at Santa Anita. The 40-year-old Tucson, Arizona, native has 12 such victories overall on his growing and glowing resume, including four in 2008 and one in 2009 when the World Championship events were held at The Great Race Place.

Game On Dude continues to impress ahead of Classic

Multiple Grade 1 star Game On Dude shored up his early favoritism for the Breeders' Cup Classic with a strong seven-furlong drill in 1:25 over Santa Anita's fast main track Sunday morning.

Sign goes two-for-two in Pocahontas

Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's homebred Sign made a couple of rookie mistakes in her stakes debut in Sunday's Grade 2, $168,150 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs, but the 4-5 favorite easily overcame them to win as much the best.

Uncaptured pulls away in Iroquois

John C. Oxley's Uncaptured could not be caught in the Grade 3, $114,800 Iroquois at Churchill on Sunday. The Ontario-bred two-year-old colt was an impressive winner by 5 1/2 lengths in his first race away from Woodbine.

Trainers targeting Aqueduct's weekend stakes

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey looks to have a strong hand in Aqueduct's early turf stakes, with Boisterous aiming to defend his title in the Grade 2, 1 3/8-mile Red Smith Handicap on opening Saturday and Hit It Rich looking to repeat in the Grade 3 Long Island Handicap a week later.

Eishin Flash snaps two-year losing streak in Tenno Sho

Eishin Flash swept under the wire to capture Sunday's Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo, a much awaited victory after going winless for two years and five months since his Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) triumph in 2010.

Lady Ten proves best in Autumn Miss

Mercedes Stable's homebred Lady Ten surged to the lead off the far turn and held the fast-closing Customer Base safe late to win Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita. The three-year-old filly was sent postward as the 2-1 favorite for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Rafael Bejarano, who figure to be a popular combination again next weekend in the two-day Breeders' Cup. 

On the Breeders' Cup worktab

Trainer Todd Pletcher's brigade of unbeaten juveniles was also out in force.

Keeneland sees record attendance, gains in all-sources handle during fall meet

Keeneland concluded its 2012 fall race meeting Saturday with strong gains in all-sources handle and a fall meet attendance record while featuring outstanding Thoroughbred racing.

Dullahan drills on dirt, but Classic decision awaits

Dullahan worked five furlongs on Santa Anita's conventional dirt track Saturday morning under Tammy Fox in 1:00, after which trainer Dale Romans said a decision on whether the Grade 1 Pacific Classic winner would run in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic or the $3 million Turf at Santa Anita next Saturday would likely not be rendered before Monday's deadline.

Newsdad rallies in Fayette

Newsdad rallies in Fayette

Action Andy edges Il Villano in De Francis Memorial Dash

The Laurel fall meet has proven to be a big one for Robert Gerczak's Action Andy. Three weeks after taking the Maryland Million Sprint by 2 3/4 lengths, the five-year-old gelding delivered a thrilling photo-finish score in Saturday's $350,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, the centerpiece of Laurel's six-stakes Fall Festival of Racing.

Buffum wires Bold Ruler

Godolphin Racing's Buffum quickly moved to the front at the start of Belmont Park's Grade 3, $150,000 Bold Ruler Handicap on Saturday and held to score by 1 1/4 lengths under jockey Eddie Castro.

Afleeting Lady jumps up in Turnback the Alarm

Exactly one week before her half-brother and stablemate Shackleford lines up in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Afleeting Lady broke through with her first graded victory in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Turnback the Alarm Handicap at Belmont Park. Owned by Alpha Delta Stables and Richard Santulli, the Dale Romans trainee stalked, pounced, and drew off with authority by 3 1/2 lengths.

Willcox Inn, juvenile duo post moves at Keeneland for BC engagements

Grade 2 hero Willcox Inn, pre-entered in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile, worked at Keeneland on Saturday for the second time since his runner-up finish to Wise Dan in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile on October 6. With assistant Hilary Pridham aboard for trainer Mike Stidham, the colt worked five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 in company with Every Way, a two-year-old City Zip filly who was third in the Grade 3 Mazarine at Woodbine on October 6.

Sum of the Parts, Global Power breeze for Amoss

Sum of the Parts, winner of the Grade 3 Phoenix on October 5 at Keeneland, capped his major preparations for a start in next Saturday's $1.5 million Breeders Cup Sprint by working a half-mile in :47 3/5 under jockey Julien Leparoux on Saturday morning at the Lexington, Kentucky, track.

On the Breeders' Cup worktab

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin had Godolphin's Breeders' Cup foursome working a half-mile over the all-weather Tapeta at Greentree Training Center on Friday.

Breeders' Cup Feature

BREEDERS' CUP FEATURE

Baffert dismisses home-court edge; Bejarano with nine mounts so far

Bob Baffert, who has been headquartered at Santa Anita for more than two decades, can fall out of bed and be at the Breeders' Cup when it's run next Friday and Saturday. Ditto for his horses, who are only a furlong away from their barn to the starting gate, but that doesn't necessarily provide an edge over those who have to ship in from all parts of the globe.

Twin Spires form backdrop for Casse's Breeders' Cup quintet

Trainer Mark Casse had planned to work his two juvenile fillies pointing to the Breeders' Cup on Friday and the boys would work Saturday. The threat of rainy conditions Friday and Saturday caused Casse to call an audible and all five of his Breeders' Cup hopefuls breezed over the fast main track at Churchill Downs on Friday morning.

Amazombie records final major drill for Sprint defense

Animal Kingdom heads Breeders' Cup workers at Keeneland

Animal Kingdom completed his major training for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile by working five furlongs in 1:02 3/5 around the dogs on a firm turf course Friday morning at Keeneland.