The State of Washington will have one of its own to root for in the 2012 Breeders' Cup World Championships.
As expected, Emerald Downs Horse of the Meeting Class Included has been nominated to both the Ladies Classic and the Filly & Mare Sprint (both gr. I) to be run Nov. 2-3 at Santa Anita Park.
Owner Mike Feuerborn said Oct. 24 that he might swing for the fences and run his sensational homebred 4-year-old filly —co-owned and bred by his wife Amy— in the star-studded Ladies Classic. Class Included has won four consecutive stakes races and is 6-for-7 in 2012.
"I was 50-50 yesterday, and I'm still processing it everyday, but I'm leaning slightly toward the (Ladies) Classic. I'm thinking about it morning, noon and night," Feuerborn said.
Factors, according to Feuerborn, are that only nine horses are pre-entered to the Ladies Classic while 14 runners are nominated to the Filly & Mare Sprint. Class Included also has a better record at 1 1/8 miles than at seven furlongs, and the Ladies Classic, at $2 million, offers twice the purse as the Filly & Mare Sprint. A fifth-place finish in the Ladies Classic would be worth $60,000 while a fifth in the Filly & Mare Sprint would earn $30,000, just enough to earn back the nomination and starting fees.
Naturally, Feuerborn would like to do better than that, and considering Class Included has never finished worse than second in 16 career starts, including 10 victories, why not dream a little?
"A top three finish would be a win," Feuerborn said. Not to mention a big payday: third in the Ladies Classic pays $200,000 and third in the Filly & Mare Sprint $100,000.
Class Included, trained by Jim Penney, worked over the Santa Anita main track Oct. 22, timed for five furlongs in 1:01 3/5 with Hall of Fame jockey Russell Baze aboard. She goes into the Breeders' Cup off a victory in the Ballerina Stakes (Can-III) Oct. 8 at Hastings Racecourse with Baze in the irons.
While it wasn't a brilliant drill, Feuerborn feels Class Included is plenty fit and doesn't need too much preparation to have her on edge for the Breeders' Cup. She also will be fitted with new shoes before her work next week.
Baze will ride Class Included back in the Breeders' Cup regardless of the race, Feuerborn said.
Feuerborn is known to be among the shrewdest horsemen in Emerald Downs' 17-year history, ranking second all-time with 22 stakes wins while winning at a 26% clip (79-for-303). While the Ladies Classic is formidable —with undefeated Awesome Feather and My Miss Aurelia, and defending champion Royal Delta— Feuerborn doesn't make many mistakes.
The Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic is the ninth and final race Nov. 2. The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint goes as race five Nov. 3. Entries will be drawn Oct. 29
Chu and I, Emerald Downs' top juvenile male of 2011, and Include the Baby, a three-time winner at Emerald Downs in 2012, also worked Oct. 22 at Santa Anita for the Feuerborn/Penney combination. Both are expected to race Breeders' Cup week at Santa Anita.
Class Included
