Friday's Breeders Cup 2020 races are designated as "Future Stars Friday" and are only for horses that are 2 years old. Saturday's races are for the older horses. The United States is just about the only nation to choose "dirt" raising over racing on grass (turf). That happened when the Colonies kicked off the traces of the English government; they decided to race their horses the opposite from England. Hence, we breed for light-weight horses who can run short distances on dirt and race counter-clockwise. Most other nations prefer to race clockwise, on turf and breed for endurance. This is why, in both Friday's and Saturday's races, you'll see horses from other nations entered in the turf races, while almost every horse entered in a dirt race was bred in the US (with a few from Ontario thrown in).
I covered the Juvenile races in my last post. Today I cover the Saturday races in like manner. However, all of yesterday's horses are age 2, and there is a set standard for male and female 2-year-olds. Saturday's races have males and females running against each other (though some are gender specific) at varying ages. They, too, have a specific weight to carry for age and sex. You'll see soon where it's listed. The sex determination is strange, if you're not knowledgeable about horses: a neutered male horse is a gelding, always; from birth until the age of 5, girls are fillies and boys are colts; at age 5 and after the girls are mares and the boys are horses. Once a horse is being used for breeding, they are broodmares and stallions. The father of a horse is the sire, the mother is the dam.
The first of the Breeders Cup Races on Saturday is listed at 12:02 pm Eastern Standard Time, and they are taking place at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. No crowds are permitted due to the pandemic. I will list the name of the race, the amount of the purse, and the length of the race. Then I'll put in my own, personal comments. Next I'll list post position, the name of the entry with age in [brackets], the assigned weight in pounds, the morning line betting odds, the name of the sire, and the name of the dam.
*** Fillies and Mares Sprint $1 million 7 furlongs (7/8 mile)
There are nine entries for this race, all bred in Kentucky, except Speech, who is Florida bred. Of the 9, 4 are 3 years old, 4 are 4 years old, and Come Dancing is 6 years old. And eight of the nine ladies are bay, with Sally's Curlin a chestnut.
1. Speech [3] 122 6 to 1 Mr. Speaker Scribbling Sarah
2. Gamine [3] 122 7 to 5 Into Mischief Peggy Jane
3. Come Dancing [6] 124 8 to 1 Malibu Moon Tizahit
4. Inthemidstofbiz [4] 124 30 to 1 Fed Biz Midst
5. Sconsin [3] 122 20 to 1 Include Sconnie
6. Venetian Harbor [3] 122 8 to 1 Munnings Sounds of the City
7. Serengeti Empress [4] 124 3 to 1 Alternation Havisham
8. Sally's Curlin [4] 124 20 to 1 Curlin Cabo Queen
9. Bell's the One [4] 124 6 to 1 Majesticperfection Street Mate
*** Turf Sprint $1 million 5 1/2 furlongs (11/16 mile)
This race has both sexes running - there are 4 females running against 10 males, a full field of 14, with 4 entries on the "wait list" in case of scratches. Six of the male starters are geldings. Since this is an very short race, there are only two international entries - a 4-year-old filly bred in Great Britain, and a 6-year-old mare bred in Australia. Two of the geldings entered were bred in Florida (Imprimis and Extravagant Kid), and the other 10 entries are Kentucky bred. Two of the 14 entries are chestnut, Just Might and Got Stormy, while the rest are bays. All entries are aged 4 to 7; the females carry 3 pounds less than the males.
1. Big Runnuer [5] 126 12 to 1 Stormy Atlantic Elusive Luci
2. Just Might [4] 126 30 to 1 Justin Phillip Dynamite Babe
3. Imprimis [6] 126 4 to 1 Broken Vow Shoppers Return
4. Front Run the Fed [4] 126 12 to 1 Fed Biz Lawless Miss
5. Wet Your Whistle [5] 126 15 to 1 Stroll Winlocs Glory Days
6. Glass Slippers (GB) [4] 123 12 to 1 Dream Ahead Night Gypsy
7. Leinster [5] 126 4 to 1 Majestic Warrior Vassar
8. Oleksandra (AUS) [6] 123 12 to 1 Animal Kingdom Alexandra Rose (SAF)
9. Into Mystic [4] 123 12 to 1 Into Mischief Loveofalifetime
10. Bombard [7] 126 15 to 1 War Front Witty
11. Wildman Jack [4] 126 12 to 1 Goldencents Orientatious
12. Got Stormy [5] 123 7 to 2 Get Stormy Super Phoebe
13. Texas Wedge [5] 126 30 to 1 Colonel John Callmenancy
14. Extravagant Kid [7] 126 15 to 1 Kiss the Kid Pretty Extravagant
* The "wait list" four are: Equilateral, Chaos Theory, Archidust, Bulletproof One *
Got Stormy is the early betting favorite for the Turf Sprint.
*** Dirt Mile $1 million 8 furlongs (1 mile)
This race has a full 12 entries, plus one on the "wait list." All of the entries are males; so the 3-year-olds carry 123 pounds, while the older guys carry 126. Three of the 12 are geldings: Sharp Samurai, Silver Dust, and Pirate's Punch. They range in age from 3 to 6 years. All but two were bred in Kentucky: Knicks Go was bred in Maryland and Rushie is a Florida bred. Of the twelve, only one is a chestnut (Mr. Freeze), and three are gray/roan (Silver Dust, Knicks Go, and Rushie); the rest are bays.
1. Art Collector [3] 123 6 to 1 Bernardini Distorted Legacy
2. Sharp Samurai [6] 126 15 to 1 First Samurai Secret Wish
3. Silver Dust [6] 126 30 to 1 Tapit Filare l'Oro
4. War of Will [4] 126 10 to 1 War Front Visions of Clarity (IRE)
5. Knicks Go [4] 126 7 to 2 Paynter Kosmo's Buddy
6. Mr. Money [4] 126 20 to 1 Goldencents Plenty O'Toole
7. Rushie [3] 123 20 to 1 Liam's Map Conquest Angel
8. Pirate's Punch [4] 126 20 to 1 Shanghai Bobby Catch the Moon
9. Mr. Freeze [5] 126 6 to 1 To Honor and Serve Heavenly Cat
10. Complexity [4] 126 2 to 1 Maclean's Music Goldfield
11. Jesus' Team [3] 123 30 to 1 Tapiture Golden Memories
12. Owendale [4] 126 15 to 1 Into Mischief Aspen Light
* The colt on the "wait list" is Pingxiang *
*** Fillies & Mares Turf $2 million 10 1/2 furlongs (1 3/16 miles)
There is a full field of 14 ladies here, with no wait list. They range in age from 3 to 7 years in age. The three 3-year-olds carry 120 pounds, while the rest of the field carry 124. There is one chestnut, one gray/roan, eleven bays, and, surprisingly, one brown. (Most horses listed as brown are dark bays, and black legs, muzzles and mane and tail can be seen in certain light. This filly is a light chocolate brown all over - Terebellum.) Starship Jubilee was bred in Florida, Mucho Unusual in California, and the Kentucky-breds are: Mean Mary, Rushing Fall, Harvey's Lil Goil, and Civil Union. There are also two ladies from France and six from Ireland. - - It's not unusual to have two horses with the same sire running in the same race - stallions cover a lot of mares in any one year. But in this race, we have two half-sisters with the same mother and different sires. The shared dam is Starlet's Sister (IRE); she has a 6- and 5-year-old daughter in this race, bred in different countries.... I don't know if this has happened before in Breeders Cup history....
1. Starship Jubilee [7] 124 10 to 1 Indy Wind Perfectly Wild
2. Sistercharlie (IRE) [6] 124 6 to 1 Myboycharlie (IRE) Starlet's Sister (IRE)
3. Peaceful (IRE) [3] 120 12 to 1 Galileo (IRE) Missvinski
4. Mean Mary [4] 124 7 to 2 Scat Daddy Karlovy Vary
5. My Sister Nat (FR) [5] 124 12 to 1 Acclamation (GB) Starlet's Sister (IRE)
6. Rushing Fall [5] 124 5 to 2 More Than Ready Autumnal
7. Terebellum (IRE) [4] 124 20 to 1 Sea the Stars (IRE) Marvada (IRE)
8. Mucho Unusual [4] 124 30 to 1 Mucho Macho Man Not Unusual
9. Harvey's Lil Goil [3] 120 20 to 1 American Pharoah Gloria S.
10. Civil Union [5] 124 12 to 1 War Front Photograph
11. Audarya (FR) [4] 124 12 to 1 Wootton Bassett (GB) Green Bananas (FR)
12. Lady Prancealot (IRE) [4] 124 30 to 1 Sir Prancealot (IRE) Naqrah (IRE)
13. Nay Lady Nay (IRE) [4] 124 20 to 1 No Nay Never Lady Ederle
14. Cayenne Pepper (IRE) [3] 120 8 to 1 Australia (GB) Muwakaba
*** Sprint $2 million 6 furlongs (3/4 mile)
This race has a full field of 14, plus one on the scratch "wait list." Although it's not in the race title description, this race is on the dirt, and all entries are US-bred. This is a weight for age and sex; and there is one filly (Frank's Rockette) racing against the boys. There are also 3 geldings in the race: C Z Rocket, Whitmore, and Diamond Oops. The horses range in age from 3 to 7 years. Eleven were bred in Kentucky and three in Florida (C Z Rocket, Collusion Illusion, and Firenze Fire). There are three chestnuts and eleven bays.
1. Echo Town [3] 124 20 to 1 Speightstown Letgomyecho
2. C Z Rocket [6] 126 7 to 2 City Zip Successful Sarah
3. Collusion Illusion [3] 124 20 to 1 Twirling Candy Natalie Grace
4. Bon Raison [5] 126 30 to 1 Raison d'Etat Padmore
5. Manny Wah [4] 126 30 to 1 Will Take Charge Battlefield Angel
6. Frank's Rockette [3] 121 10 to 1 Into Mischief Rocket Twentyone
7. Whitmore [7] 126 15 to 1 Pleasantly Perfect Melody's Spirit
8. Firenze Fire [5] 126 8 to 1 Poseidon's Warrior My Every Wish
9. Empire of Gold [3] 124 30 to 1 Goldencents Empire Diva
10. Yaupon [3] 124 7 to 2 Uncle Mo Modification
11. Diamond Oops [5] 126 8 to 1 Lookin At Lucky Patriotic Viva
12. Hog Creek Hustle [4] 126 30 to 1 Overanalyze Candy Fortune
13. Jasper Prince [5] 126 30 to 1 Violence Ambitious Journey
14. Vekoma [4] 126 3 to 1 Candy Ride (ARG) Mona de Momma
* The one horse on the "wait list" is Lasting Legacy *
*** Turf Mile $2 million 8 furlongs (1 mile)
A full field of 14 entries, ranging in age from 3 to 7 years, with two mares (One Master and Uni) competing against the boys. (There is also one horse on the scratch "wait list.") Again, this is a weight for age and sex race. Of the fourteen starters, one each were bred in Brazil, France, and Florida; two in Great Britain, four in Ireland, and five in Kentucky. So there are eight international and five domestic starters; the Florida-bred is March to the Arch. March to the Arch is also one of two geldings in the race, the other is Safe Voyage. In coat colors, there is one chestnut, one gray/roan and the rest are bays. ** If you want to make an homage bet for/to the great Sunday Silence, his grandson is the Brazilian-bred Ivar. **
1. Circus Maximus (IRE) [4] 126 12 to 1 Galileo (IRE) Duntle (IRE)
2. Kameko [3] 123 6 to 1 Kitten's Joy Sweeter Still (IRE)
3. Lope Y Fernandez (IRE) [3] 123 30 to 1 Lope de Vega (IRE) Black Dahlia (GB)
4. Siskin [3] 123 12 to1 First Defence Bird Flown (GB)
5. Digital Age (IRE) [4] 126 8 to 1 Invincible Spirit (IRE) Willow View
6. Safe Voyage (IRE) [7] 126 15 to 1 Fast Company (IRE) Shishangaan (IRE)
7. Casa Creed [4] 126 20 to 1 Jimmy Creed Achalaya
8. March to the Arch [5] 126 15 to 1 Arch Daveron (GER)
9. One Master (GB) [6] 123 15 to 1 Fastnet Rock (AUS) Enticing (IRE)
10. Halladay [4] 126 12 to 1 War Front Hightap
11. Ivar (BRZ) [4] 126 4 to 1 Agnes Gold (JPN) May Be Now
12. Uni (GB) [6] 123 5 to 1 More Than Ready Unaided (GB)
13. Factor This [5] 126 8 to 1 The Factor Capricious Miss (GB)
14. Raging Bull (FR) [5] 126 8 to 1 Dark Angel (IRE) Rosa Bonheur
* The single horse on the "wait list" is Order of Australia (IRE) *
Ivar (BRZ) is the early betting favorite in the Turf Mile.
*** Distaff $2 million 9 furlongs (1 1/8miles)
A field of ten fillies and mares will contest the Distaff this year (barring scratches). The Distaff is always contested on the dirt track, and nine of the ten entries were bred in Kentucky; Horologist is a New Jersey bred filly. The two 3-year-olds will carry 121 pounds, with the other eight will pack 124 pounds. The 10 ladies are from 3 to 5 years of age. And Swiss Skydiver won the Preakness the first weekend of October. There are five bays, four chestnuts and one gray or roan. I will only list the ages of this group, since I explained the weights a couple of sentences ago...
1. Ce Ce [4] 12 to 1 Elusive Quality Miss Houdini
2. Harvest Moon [3] 12 to 1 Uncle Mo Qaraaba (GB)
3. Dunbar Road [4] 12 to 1 Quality Road Gift List
4. Horologist [4] 8 to 1 Gemologist Cinderella Time
5. Swiss Skydiver [3] 2 to 1 Daredevil Expo Gold
6. Lady Kate [4] 15 to 1 Bernardini Princess Haya
7. Point of Honor [4] 30 to 1 Curlin Zayanna
8. Valiance [4] 12 to 1 Tapit Last Full Measure
9. Ollie's Candy [5] 10 to 1 Candy Ride (ARG) Afternoon Stroll
10. Monomoy Girl [5] 8 to 5 Tapizar Drumette
*** Turf $4 million 12 furlongs (1 1/2 miles)
A field of ten for the $4million Turf seems small, for some reason. But the entries themselves provide a variety: a single 3-year-old colt from Great Britain faces 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds. In the group of ten are 3 fillies and 1 mare, 3 geldings, 1 colt, and 2 horses. One was bred in Ontario, Canada; one in Germany; 2 in Great Britain; 3 in Ireland, and 3 in Kentucky. There are 4 chestnuts and 6 bays. Galileo (IRE) is the sire of the mare running, as well as the 3-year-old colt. And two of the entries, both 6-year-olds have the same sire, both are chestnuts; but one is a horse and one is a gelding, and they are listed as being bred is different countries... This is a weight for age and sex race, so everything will be listed. (The ladies carry 123 pounds, and the 3-year-old colt has 121.)
1. Arklow [5] 126 5 to 1 Arch Unbridled Empire
2. Magical (IRE) [5] 123 5 to 2 Galileo (IRE) Halfway To Heaven (IRE)
3. Tarnawa (IRE) [4] 123 6 to 1 Shamardal Tarana (IRE)
4. Mehdaayih (GB) [4] 123 30 to 1 Frankel (GB) Sayyedati Symphony
5. Donjah (GER) [4] 123 30 to 1 Teofilo (IRE) Dyanamore
6. Lord North (IRE) [4] 126 8 to 1 Dubawi (IRE) Najoum
7. United [5] 126 8 to 1 Giant's Causeway Indy Punch
8. Red King [6] 126 30 to 1 English Channel Youre Speeding Luv
9. Channel Maker (ONT) [6] 126 5 to 1 English Channel In Return
10. Mogul (GB) [3] 122 4 to 1 Galileo (IRE) Shastye (IRE)
*** Classic $6 million 10 furlongs (1 1/4 miles)
The Classic gets its name because it's run at the "classic" Kentucky Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles on a dirt track. This year, all ten entries are male, ranging in age from 3 to 7 years. The two 3-year-olds will carry 122 pounds, while the other eight will tote 126. Tiz the Law, one of the 3's, won the Belmont Stakes in June. The other, Authentic, won the Kentucky Derby in September. (The Preakness winner is running in the Distaff.) Maximum Security, who won the 2019 Derby but was subsequently disqualified - to my mind, wrongly, having viewed the tapes over 150 times - is also running in this Classic. All of the entries were bred in Kentucky, except Tiz the Law, from New York. Tacitus is the gray/roan in this race, and Improbable is the chestnuts; the rest are bays. -- And, if you want to make another homage bet, this one with an eye to the ladies, Title Ready's dam is out of the great Personal Ensign, who won a hard-fought 1988 Breeders Cup Distaff. -- Since I explained the weight earlier I won't list them below.
1. Tacitus [4] 20 to 1 Tapit Close Hatches
2. Tiz the Law [3] 3 to 1 Constitution Tizfiz
3. By My Standards [4] 10 to 1 Goldencents A Jealous Woman
4. Tom's d'Etat [7] 6 to 1 Smart Strike Julia Tuttle
5. Title Ready [5] 30 to 1 More Than Ready Title Seeker
6. Higher Power [5] 20 to 1 Medaglia d'Oro Alternate
7. Global Campaign [4] 20 to 1 Curlin Globe Trot
8. Improbable [4] 5 to 2 City Zip Rare Event
9. Authentic [3] 6 to 1 Into Mischief Flawless
10. Maximum Security [4] 7 to 2 New Year's Day Lil Dixie
Improbable is the early betting favorite in the Classic.
Happy handicapping! Happy Betting!!
And here's to two days of racing without accidents
or injuries of any kind!
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