By Sarah Mace
More horses have been pre-entered for the 2014 Breeders’ Cup World Championships than ever before (201), but that wasn’t the only record that fell when pre-entries were announced on Wednesday.
Previously, the most New York-breds to compete in the Breeders’ Cup races in a single year was six (in 2011), and in only one other year (1992) have there been more than four New York-breds in the championship races. This year a grand total of eleven New York-breds are pre-entered (including one cross-entry) in nine of the thirteen Grade 1 races to be run at Santa Anita on October 31 and November 1.
After 53 New York-bred Breeders’ Cup starts, last year saw the first Empire-bred winner when London Bridge (Arch), bred by Patricia S. Purdy and owned by Waratah Thoroughbreds, captured the now-discontinued Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Marathon. Otherwise, the most successful New York-bred performances in the championship races have resulted in three seconds and five thirds. It seems likely that the strong slate of New York-bred runners pre-entered this year, in some cases leaders of their divisions, could carry the state-bred program into new territory. A brief review of the pre-entrants follows.
Friday, October 31
Race 6. Three New York-bred 2-year-olds are pre-entered in the one-mile $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, which makes this the only Breeders’ Cup race this year that could have multiple New York-breds in the starting gate.
International Star (Fusaichi Pegasus), bred by Katharine M. Voss and Robert T. Manfuso and trained by Mike Maker for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey, comes to the Juvenile Turf on the heels of an October 5 victory in Woodbine’s $156,300 Grade 3 Grey Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds on Polytrack.
Chad Brown also has a pair of New York-breds pre-entered for the Juvenile Turf, only one of which might compete. Offering Plan (Spring At Last), bred by C. W. Swann and Cygnet Farm and owned by Michael Dubb et al., finished third in the Grade 3 Pilgrim on September 28, but is he is also entered this Sunday in Belmont’s $100,000 Awad Stakes. Brown also sends out Klaravich Stables, Inc. and William H. Lawrence’s Startup Nation (Temple City). Bred by Spendthrift Farm, Startup Nation won the Grade 2 With Anticipation on August 28 in his second career start, and in his most recent race made a late run to finish fourth in the Grade 3 Pilgrim.
Four New York-breds have competed previously in the Juvenile Turf. The best finish came from Cannonball (Catienus), who was third in 2007. Bred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Cannonball returned in the Breeders’ Cup in 2009, when he also finished third in the Turf Sprint.
Saturday, November 1
Race 4. Treadway Racing Stable’s Wonder Gal is scheduled to appear in the $2 million 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, which kicks off the action on Saturday. Bred by Apache Farm LLC and trained by Leah Gyarmati, the imposing filly romped in the Lynbrook Stakes in her unveiling on July 6 and has since run third and second, respectively, in the Grade 2 Adirondack at Saratoga and Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont.
Six New York-breds have competed previously in the Juvenile Fillies, with the best efforts producing a pair of thirds. Cadillac Women (Carr de Naskra), bred by Andrew and David Kaskel and owned by Fares Farm, was third in 1991 at odds of 28-1 under Perry Compton. Weemissfrankie, bred by Hidden Point Farm Inc., owned by Sharon Alesia, Bran Jam Stables et al. and trained by Peter Eurton, finished third to My Miss Aurelia and Grade Hall in 2011 under Rafael Bejarano at odds of 5-1.
Race 5. The $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at 1 1/4 miles is the first preference for multiple Grade 1 winner and millionaire Dayatthespa, who is cross-entered in the Breeders Cup $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile later in the card (Race 11). Bred by Castellare DiCracchiolo Stable, Cracchiolo & Goldsher and trained by Chad Brown for owners Jerry and Ronald Frankel, Steve Laymon and Bradley Thoroughbreds, Dayatthespa powered home to win the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland at one-mile in her most recent start. This will be a return trip to Breeders’ Cup competition for the 5-year-old City Zip mare, who, needless to say, has every right to improve on her ninth-place finish in the Juvenile Fillies turf in 2011.
Dayatthespa is the first New York-bred to compete in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
Race 6. The $1 million DraftKings Filly & Mare Sprint, will see the second New York-bred Breeders’ Cup returnee of the group, Chester and Mary Broman’s homebred Artemis Agrotera (Roman Ruler), who ran fifth in the Juvenile Fillies last year as second choice after being forced to steady. Winner of the Grade 1 Frizette last year, in her two most recent starts “Artemis” delivered powerful winning performances in the Grade 1 Ballerina (part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win & You’re In” series) and Grade 2 Gallant Bloom. The Mike Hushion-trainee is also a perfect 2-for-2 at the seven-furlong distance of the sprint.
The only other New York-bred to try the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint was Oprah Winney, who was unplaced.
Race 8. Ralph M. Evans’s Upstart (Flatter) will take on the best 2-year-olds in the country in the $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile run at 1 1/16 miles. Bred by Mrs. Gerald A. Nielsen, and trained by Rick Violette, the dark bay/brown ridgling romped in his Spa debut in mid-August, took down the Funny Cide against statebreds later in the meet and most recently finished second in the Grade 1 Champagne to Daredevil, a Todd-Pletcher trainee also in the Juvenile field.
Only two other New York-breds have competed before in the Juvenile, Noteasybeingreen in 1998 and Overextended in 2007. Both were unplaced.
Race 9. The $3,000,000 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf will see the first Breeders’ Cup appearance by 6-year-old Hangover Kid (Lemon Drop Kid), a homebred for Steve Taglienti’s Four Tags Stable trained by Jason Servis. Owner of a powerful late kick, Hangover Kid won Belmont’s Grade 2 Bowling Green two starts back at the 1 1/2-mile distance of the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Gallagher’s Stud homebred Allez Milord, the only New York-bred to compete in the Turf previously, finished unplaced.
Race 10. Palace (City Zip) was claimed by Linda Rice for owner Antonino Miuccio from Bill Mott and WinStar Farm for $20,000 in October 2012 and now, at age five, is one of the top sprinters in the country and will take his place in the starting gate in the $1.5 million Xpressbet Breeders’ Cup Sprint at six furlongs. He carried off two Grade 1 prizes this year at Saratoga with a victory in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap on August 2 and a powerful open-length victory in the Grade 1 Forego Handicap (a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race). Last out, Palace finished third in the Grade 1 Vosburgh to Private Zone who is also in the Sprint field.
The Sprint has seen six New York-bred entrants in all, resulting in two runner-up finishes. In 2006 Todd Pletcher-trained Friendly Island, owned by Anstu Stables and bred by Kildare Stud and Adrian Regan, ran second to Thor’s Echo at odds of 58-1 under Ramon Dominguez. In 2012 The Lumber Guy, bred and owned by Barry K. Schwartz, finished second as 3-1 second choice to longshot Trinniberg.
Race 11. ($2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile, Dayatthespa, see race 5 above). Fourstars Allstar appeared three times in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (1992, 1993 and 1995) finishing third in 1993. Compliance Officer finished off the board in 2011.
Race 12. Last, but certainly not least, is Thomas Coleman’s homebred Zivo (True Direction), who will participate in the biggest race of them all, the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, featuring a potent line-up of 3-year-olds and older horses. Trained by Chad Brown, Zivo is a strong closer with dramatic last-to-first flair. A winner of five of seven starts this year, Zivo bested Classic rivals Moreno and Prayer for Relief in Belmont’s Grade 2 Suburban in July with a last-to-first move at the Classic distance (1 1/4 miles). Last out he finished second to Tonalist in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic has seen eight prior New York-bred entries (six individuals, with Gander and Funny Cide appearing twice each). Virginia Kraft Payson’s L’Carriere owns the best Classic finish to date, finishing second to Cigar in 1995 under Jorge Chavez at 51-1 odds.
Final entries for the 31st Breeders’ Cup World Championships are due on Monday, October 27, with the post-position selection draw for the 2014 Breeders’ Cup set for Wednesday, October 29. Download complete pre-entries.
