JC / Railbird - Breeders’ Cup

Breeders’ Cup Archive

Alex to Miss Classic

Disappointing, but not unexpected news: Afleet Alex is out of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Trainer Tim Ritchey and veterinarian Patricia Hogan released a joint statement on the Afleet Alex web site this afternoon saying the colt’s injured ankle needs more time to heal:

After the recent works, Alex was radiographed again and although it is very subtle, it is evident that the bone is still in the end stages of the healing process. We are 99% there but for this horse we require 100%.

Ritchey said Afleet Alex will continue to jog and may still return to racing this year, possibly in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on November 26.
—
Check out the photo on this MSNBC article: You can almost hear Afleet Alex being read his rights.

Posted in Breeders' Cup on October 10, 2005

Never Mind the Slop

Rain and a sloppy track didn’t deter either of the favorites in the juvenile stakes at Belmont on Saturday.
Adieu proved she could handle an off-track and breaking from the inside post, winning the Frizette by two lengths over a stubborn Along the Sea (Blood-Horse).
In the Champagne, First Samurai confirmed his status as top two-year-old colt, beating runner-up Henny Hughes by two and three-quarter lengths. Henny Hughes’ margin of loss might have been less if the colt hadn’t engaged in a speed duel with Too Much Bling at the start; the two flew through the first half in :43.6, prompting announcer Tom Durkin to call, “The pace is almost too fast to believe!” From what jockey Gary Stevens said after the race, though, it seems Henny Hughes’ trainer Patrick Biacone wanted his colt to be tested on the lead (Daily Racing Form):

“My instructions specifically were to go to the front and improve my position,” Stevens said. “I asked [Biancone] last week if they go 21-and-4 what do I do? He said go 21-and-3. I just got off the phone with him, he’s happy, but I look like an idiot. The colt ran big.”

10/11 News: Henny Hughes has been transferred to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin (Thoroughbred Times). McLaughlin, Biancone trade compliments.
—
Other Breeders’ Cup developments: Tap Day, winner of the Meadowland Breeders’ Cup on Friday night, may run in the Classic, said trainer Mark Hennig. “We’ll certainly take a look at it” (Courier-Journal). Choctaw Nation, third in the Goodwood to Rock Hard Ten and Roman Ruler, is another likely Classic starter. Singletary, winner of the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Mile, rallied from last place to first to win the Oak Tree Mile at Santa Anita on Saturday. The five-year-old will try to repeat in the Mile, where he’ll meet Leroidesanimaux, winner of eight races straight. “He’ll need to be sharper than he was last year,” said trainer Don Chatlos (Los Angeles Times).
Beyers: First Samurai earned a Beyer speed figure of 101 in the Champagne, Adieu an 82 in the Frizette. At Keeneland, Dawn of War earned an 87 in the Futurity, She Says It Best an 81 in the Alcibiades. Tap Day came out of the Meadowlands Breeders’ Cup with 104. Pampered Princess earned a 98 in the Spinster Stakes, Intercontinental a 99 in the WinStar Galaxy.

Posted in Breeders' Cup on October 9, 2005

BC Preps, Round Two

The weekend is coming up fast and that means more Breeders’ Cup prep races. This Saturday is a big one for juveniles, with the Champagne and Frizette at Belmont and the Futurity at Keeneland, which begins its fall meet Friday with seven graded stakes scheduled for opening weekend (Courier-Journal).
First Samurai and Henny Hughes headline the Champagne. The two colts last met in the Hopeful, which First Samurai won by four and a half lengths over Henny Hughes despite a green tendency to lug in. Trainer Frank Brothers changed bits on the two-year-old for his last workout, and the different equipment seems to brought some improvement (Blood-Horse):

“We gave him the chance to lug in, and he never thought about it,” Brothers said. “We put him behind two horses and brought him around. It took him a little bit to get by them, he had his chance to (lug in) but he didn’t do it.”

Trainer Patrick Biancone said that Saratoga Special winner Henny Hughes has trained well in the past few weeks (Daily Racing Form):

“Read the works before the Hopeful and before this race — I have twist a little bit more the screw,” Biancone said. “He’s working well. Everything is in good form.”

Six others are entered in the Champagne, including the Tim Ritchey-trained Menacing, making only his second career start (Times-Union):

“Running in a Grade 1 in his second race is not ideally what you want to do, but Menacing showed me a lot off the first race,” Ritchey said. “When you see him on the racetrack, he definitely has a presence to him. So I think it’s worth trying, and if nothing else he’ll get a little battle-tested and a little more experienced. He’ll either regress or go forward to bigger and better things.”

Ritchey also has a starter in the Futurity: Kid Lemonade, who ran second to Nick Zito’s Champagne starter Superfly at Delaware on September 17.
—
Spinaway winner Adieu is the morning line favorite for the Frizette (NYRA). She’ll face the unbeaten Keeneland Kat, who’s demonstrated a pretty strong late kick in both her starts, and Mykindasaint, who comes into the race 3-for-3. The Frizette will be a test for the filly. “I don’t fool myself about horses, and I don’t think she’s beaten a good filly yet,” [trainer Bubba] Cascio said about Mykindasaint. “But she’s beaten everything she’s run against easy. So we’ll just see” (Star-Telegram).
—
Volponi used the Meadowland Breeders’ Cup as a springboard into the 2002 Breeders’ Cup Classic. One of this year’s starters may do the same. The six-year-old Alumni Hall is the early favorite, coming off a seven-length win at Saratoga on August 25. Purge, Royal Assault, and Tap Day are also entered, as is Ice Wynnd Fire, winner of two straight at Saratoga. Longshot Itsawonderfulife ships in from Suffolk Downs for a shot at the $500,000 purse.

Posted in Breeders' Cup on October 6, 2005

Alex “50-50” for Classic

Trainer Tim Ritchey told reporters on Tuesday that Afleet Alex is “50-50” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, depending on how well he does in a workout scheduled for Friday morning and whether he can get a suitable prep race in the following week (Blood-Horse). Ritchey is considering four or five options, including the seven-furlong Perryville Stakes at Keeneland on October 14. I’m trying to contain my excitement, but it would be amazing to have Afleet Alex meeting the likes of Rock Hard Ten and Saint Liam in the biggest race of the year. How would the three-year-old dual classic winner fare against older horses? How would jockey Jeremy Rose handle the competition? If he won, Horse of the Year honors would seem certain. But what if there was an upset winner and Alex ran second or third — off one prep and two workouts after an injury? The debate would be an interesting one for the end of the year.

Posted in Breeders' Cup on October 5, 2005

← Before After →

← Home