So, that was quite a day all told. Four winners for British and Irish stables, including three from trainers getting their first win at the meeting. Monomoy Girl’s win in the Distaff was a great moment too, and then the Kentucky Derby winner Authentic landed the Classic.
It was an odd Breeders’ Cup in the time of Covid, but a memorable one as well. I can’t wait to reconvene at Del Mar near San Diego in 12 months’ time - it’s one of the most splendidly-located tracks you could wish to see, and hopefully there will be plenty of spectators there to see it.
For now, though, it’s time to sign off from Breeders’ Cup 2020.
Here’s the big race replay:
REPLAY: Authentic wins the $6M @LonginesEq #BreedersCup Classic!! Congrats to connections!!
— Breeders' Cup World Championships (@BreedersCup) November 7, 2020
J: @ljlmvel
T: Bob Baffert
O: @SpendthriftFarm LLC, @MyRacehorse Stable, Madaket Stables LLC and @StarlightRacing Owner Link
Br: Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC#KeeGrad pic.twitter.com/8Z6BPGEcsY
Tom’s D’Etat was disappointing too - he beat only one horse home.
Bob Baffert already held the record for wins in the Classic with three, and that’s now four, after a decade in the early part of the century when he saw one big fancy after another beaten.
Authentic paid 4-1, while Improbable was 7-2 on the local tote and Tiz The Law, who never threatened, was the beaten 3-1 favourite.
John Velazquez, what a ride: making all in the Classic, judged to perfection. Improbable was close enough if good enough but Velazquez did not give his rivals any chance to land a serious challenge.
BREEDERS' CUP CLASSIC RESULT:
1. AUTHENTIC, 2. Improbable, 3. Global Campaign
Authentic makes all to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic!
Authentic still in front, down the stretch, he’s going clear but here comes Improbable
Improbable making ground, Tiz the Law ridden
Authentic still leads from Maximum Security and Tiz The Law
Tis The Law third, just behind Maximum Security
Level break, Authentic goes on
Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Classic!
They are approaching the gates for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and starting to go into the gate.
The sun is setting in Kentucky, it’s four minutes to post time for the Classic and Tiz The Law remains favourite at 5-2. Tom’s D’Etat is 7-2 alongside Improbable, and the latter’s stablemates Authentic and Maximum Security are 5-1 and 9-2 respectively.
But he’s had two months since the Kentucky Derby, where he didn’t seem to like the track either (his two defeats have both been at Churchill).
Tom’s D’etat is another big runner. He was only third behind Improbable in the Whitney last time, but stumbled out of the stalls and still went down by only two-and-a-half lengths.
I like Tiz The Law for this. I think he was a bit below form in the Derby, which came just a month after he won the Travers at Saratoga in fine style:
And here’s Authentic, another of the Baffert team, beating Tiz The Law - the current 5-2 favourite for the Classic - in the Kentucky Derby.
It’s a fascinating renewal this year, heavy with Bob Baffert runners but offering several fascinating alternatives too.
This is Baffert’s Improbable beating his stable companion Maximum Security in the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita.
And so, with 13 races in the book after two days of memorable action at Keeneland, we come to the Classic. I love this race, as this piece on the Breeders’ Cup website explains.
Four out of four for British and Irish stables on the main card at the Breeders’ Cup - I’ll need to check, but I’m not sure that’s happened before.
When things go this well for the travellers, it feels easy, but it should never be under-estimated just how difficult it is to prepare a racehorse to run up to the kind of level required to win at the Breeders’ Cup from several thousand miles away.
So, take a bow, Kevin Ryan, James Fanshawe, Dermot Weld and Aidan O’Brien. And Fanshawe and O’Brien have also won a Champion Hurdle, which is as good a moment as any to flag up that my colleague Chris Cook was at Wincanton earlier today.
BREEDERS' CUP TURF RESULT:
1 TARNAWA, 2. Magical, 3. Channel Maker.
Magical ran on to finish second with Channel Maker, but Tarnawa was just magnificent.
Colin Keane took over from Christophe Soumillon on Tarnawa when Soumi failed a Covid-test earlier in the week. He got it just right, only two behind him at the top of the stretch but she got there with something to spare.
here comes Tarnawa, trying to chase down Channel Maker, she’s got there, Tarnawa and Colin Keane win the Turf
Magical under a bit of a drive to keep her position, Channel Maker now two lengths clear turning in
Mogul second-last, Magical fifth, Arklow is on the rail,
Still Channel Maker leading, going out for the final circuit
Tarnawa and Mogul both held up
Channel Maker gets the lead, Magical close behind with United,
Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Turf!
One minute to place your bets for the Turf, I’m with Mogul while United is reckoned the best of the US contingent by the local backers.
It’s a stunning scene as the field for the Turf makes its way to the start in late-afternoon sunshine in Kentucky. Mogul and Magical in particular look to be in gleaming condition.
It’s four minutes to post time, a clean sweep for the Europeans in prospect in today’s four turf races - but which of our challengers will get it done?
Magical, according to the backers - she’s just displaced Tarnawa as favourite.
Here’s Mogul winning the Grand Prix de Paris, which seemed to set him up for the Arc, only to be denied a run by a bizarre set of circumstances involving contimated feed.
That means he’s fresh, though, and his last start was an impressive defeat of a horse who then ran second in the Arc.
The early betting can’t separate Tarnawa, the Prix Vermeille and Prix de l’Opera winner, and Magical, already a seven-time Group One winner, at 3-1. Tarnawa, in fact, has just taken over as narrow favourite to give Dermot Weld a first Breeders’ Cup winner.
It’s the Turf up next, and a big chance for Europe to complete a clean sweep of today’s races on the grass.
It’s also a chance for man-of-the-moment Pierre-Charles Boudot to complete an epic treble, when he rides Mogul for Aidan O’Brien.
Ryan Moore will be doing his best to stop him on stable companion Magical, while Lord North and Tarnawa are huge players too. Mehdaayih and outsider Donjah, from Germany, complete the European challenge, while Channel Maker, an 18-1 chance, is the shortest-priced US-trained challenger.
Looking back at the replay, Swiss Skydiver stumbled slightly leaving the gate and she was never quite going as well as her big rival from that point on. She eventually finished seventh, by the way.
Here’s Monomoy Girl’s run to glory on Twitter:
She’s incredible! Monomoy Girl is the @BreedersCup Distaff champion again under @flothejock!
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 7, 2020
Four #BC20 winners at @keenelandracing for @bradcoxracing 🙌 pic.twitter.com/YOuODSJPyl
That was almost certainly the last start of Monomoy Girl’s career, and she goes off to the paddocks having been first past the post in 14 of her 15 starts. She was beaten a neck on her final start at two, and demoted to second after beating Midnight Bisou by a neck in a Grade One in September 2018. What. A. Record.
BREEDERS' CUP DISTAFF RESULT:
1. MONOMOY GIRL, 2. Valiance, 3. Dunbar Road.
Swiss Skydiver never really threatened, but Monomoy Girl was irresistible anyway. Another great win for one of the best dirt females for many seasons.
Monomoy Girl in front in the stretch, she’s clear, the favourite wins!
Opening quarter 23.11, Monomoy Girl is goig well, Swiss Skydiver too against the rail
Lady Kate leads from Harvest Moon, Monomoy Girl is fifth, Swiss Skydiver just behind
The track coverage is calling this the “Marquee Match-Up” of the meeting, it’s seconds away ..
Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff!
The money is all for Monomoy Girl at the moment, she’s now odds-on at 4-5 with Swiss Skydiver showing at 5-2 on the tote board. She would be Ken McPeek’s first winner at the Breeders’ Cup - and a very popular one for a trainer whose 31 runners at the meeting prior to this year had produced 16 in-the-money finishes without a winner.
Swiss Skydiver took the Preakness last time, only the sixth filly to do so.
That was at the end of a three-year-old season which also included a win in the Kentucky Oaks. She subsequently missed the 2019 season due to injury, but has come back as good as ever this year with three straight wins, including the La Troienne Stakes at Churchill last time with today’s rivals Horologist and Lady Kate down the field.
Aidan O’Brien is not here to see it, which is a real shame, but I’ll post reaction as and when possible.
For now, though, it’s on to the Distaff, and the much-anticipated meeting of Monomoy Girl and Swiss Skydiver. It’s currently even-money about Monomoy Girl and 2-1 Swiss Skydiver, and 11-1 bar.
Here’s Monomoy Girl winning this race in 2018:
That result will have knocked almost everyone out of the Pick Six. The Superfecta - first four in the right order - paid just over $15,000 for a 0.10c stake - around 150,000-1.
This was a race that had eluded O’Brien until now. That’s some way to break his duck. Order Of Australia paid 73-1 on the tote, by the way, for anyone prescient enough to see it coming - or, more likely, punters who just liked the name.
BREEDERS' CUP MILE RESULT:
1. ORDER OF AUSTRALIA, 2. Circus Maximus, 3. Lope Y Fernandez.
That is the shock of the day. Order Of Australia was due to be ridden by Hollie Doyle in a race on the undercard at Keeneland yesterday, but sneaked into the Mile when another runner scratched.
He leads home an astonishing 1-2-3 for Aidan O’Brien.
Kameko squeezed, now here’s Order Of Australia for a massive upset, wow, he’s won it to complete a double for Pierre-Charles Boudot
Kameko still railing in third, under a ride
Siskin mid-division, still Halladay from Factor This, Order of Australia goes well too
Halladay stright into the lead, Murphy did well to get Kameko third on the rail
Circus Maximus is first into the stalls, now Kameko ... going in steadily, post time for the Mile ...
And they’re off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Mile!
Oisin Murphy has yet to finish better than sixth after having half a dozen rides at the Breeders’ Cup to date. Now he’s on a favourite, though, and the champion jockey will have thought this race through from every angle. A fascinating two minutes in prospect.
One more to think about: Digital Age, from stall five. He took the Grade One Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs last time.
My pick, meanwhile, is John Quinn’s Safe Voyage, who has spent a lot of time running at seven furlongs but could be ideally suited to this sharp mile.
He’s a good traveller too, with big runs at Leopardstown and Longchamp on his last two starts. He’s currently 18-1 on the US tote, where Kameko is favoured at 5-1.
Siskin is another big challenger for Ger Lyons. He landed the Irish 2,000 Guineas earlier in the year but was only fourth behind Persian King in the Prix Du Moulin at Longchamp last time.
Uni, who won this at Santa Anita 12 months ago, is also back for another go.
Kameko leads a six-strong European challenge for this race, while the home defence is headed by Ivar, the winner of the Shadwell Mile over today’s course and distance last time.
Five down, four to go. Next we are back on turf for the pell-mell charge around just over one circuit of the track in the Mile.
This will be the final start of Kameko’s career, and the 2,000 Guineas winner could give a decent boost to his stud fee with a victory here.
He’s had a mixed time of it since his win at Newmarket, running fourth in the Derby, the Sussex Stakes and then the International Stakes with a least a half-decent excuse each time. And then he got back to winning form in the Joel Stakes last time:
Ron Moquett, Whitmore’s trainer, had to break off from the post-race interview on NBC as he’s so emotional about his first Breeders’ Cup win. Suffice to say, he’s one happy guy.
BREEDERS' CUP SPRINT RESULT:
1 WHITMORE, 2. C Z Rocket, 3. Firenze Fire.
For the first time today, the pace didn’t hold up. Whitmore is usually a closer and didn’t he just close today, powering into the lead in a few strides on the way to a clear-cut success.
Whitmore and Irad Ortiz jun land the spoils, and do it with ease, that’s his fourth run in the race and his first success
Turning in, it’s fast and furious, CZ Rocket challenges but Whitmore hits the front
Jasper Prince leads, Empire Of Gold next and Yaupon third
It’s 9-5 Yaupon, 9-2 Diamond Oops, 5-1 C Z Rocket, and they’re off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint!
Yaupon is drawn wide in 10, and another fancied runner, Diamond Oops, is even wider in 11. He landed the Phoenix Stakes over track and trip last time.
And here’s my sneaking fancy for the race, C Z Rocket, who has improved no end since being claimed for $40,000 by trainer Peter Miller.
This race lost its likely favourite when Vekoma was ruled out with a temperature three days ago, and Yaupon now heads the market for Steve Asmussen.
Here he is winning the Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga.
Next up on the track here is the Sprint, very much one for the local specialists in recent decades but a race that once went to Newmarket courtesy of Sheikh Albadou.
Boudot came in for the ride after Ioritz Mendizabal, Audarya’s regular jockey, failed a Covid-19 test just prior to travelling to the US. As Fanshawe said at the presentation:
Pierre-Charles and Ioritz share the same agent ... and it looks like he gave Pierre-Charles the right instructions. She kept finding when he asked her in the final two furlongs
It’s turning into a great day already for Team Europe, who are two-from-two on the turf.
Here’s James Fanshawe’s immediate reaction:
It was a fantastic ride. He was drawn 11 and somehow he got to the inside. I thought she’s going to get tired, but she kept going. She’s thrived since she’s been here.
BREEDERS' CUP FILLY & MARE TURF RESULT:
1. AUDARYA, 2. Rushing Fall, 3. Harvey’s Lil Goil
Another winner for Europe, and James Fanshawe is on the board with his first runner at the meeting!
That was a great ride by Pierre-Charles Boudot, Rushing Fall had a great trip and was ideally placed to strike for home but Boudot had her in his sights from a furlong out on Audarya and would not be denied.
The winner was a 17-1 chance on the US tote.
Rushing Fall leads, here comes Audarya ... and James Fanshawe’s filly has won it in another course record time!
Rushing Fall moves up going well, Mean Mary leads them in, here comes Audarya
Audarya goes well on the rail in fifth, Terebellum next.
Cayenne Pepper on the rail, Mean Mary second, Rushing Fall third
Starship Jubilee unseated jockey coming out of the stalls, Cayenne Pepper moves into the lead at the turn
Terebellum goes in for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori ... won’t be long now
and they’re off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf!
Rushing Fall is 5-2 on the board at Keeneland but 100-30 in places with UK books. Taking the European hat off for a moment, I reckon that’s a pretty fair price.
One more interesting snippet: there are half-sisters going to post for this race, and they both have “sister” in their name. Sistercharlie won this two seasons ago at Churchill Downs, while My Sister Nat, a year younger at five, is one of the outsiders.
And a shout out too to James Fanshawe’s Audarya, who was beaten in a Listed race at Pontefract in July, scraped home in a handicap off 99 shortly afterwards and then went straight to a Group One victory in the Prix Jean Romanet.
And here’s Cayenne Pepper, who turned up the heat in the Blandford Stakes last time.
Peaceful, Aidan O’Brien’s runner, was last of 12 in the Sun Chariot at Newmarket last time, when the going was heavy bordering on unraceable.
But here she is in happier times, finishing second in the Group One Matron Stakes at Leopardstown in September.
Now we’re back to the turf, and the Filly & Mare Turf to be precise. Europe is up and running at this year’s Breeders’ Cup, and three of the first five in the betting are from the visiting team.
The top two in the market, though, are Rushing Fall and Mean Mary, trained by Chad Brown and Graham Motion respectively. They were 1-2 in the Grade One Diana Stakes at Saratoga last time.
And here’s some reflection from Tom Eaves, who has just become a Breeders’ Cup-winning jockey aboard Glass Slippers:
I talked to Ryan Moore who rode her in her last race. He knows the track well. That was the right thing, to sit down there and ride for a bit of luck. We had a great run through which doesn’t always work, but it did today
The dirt track here is clearly lightning-fast and it’s suiting the front-runners. The fractions there were electric, but like Gamine earlier, Knicks Go wasn’t stopping.
Brad Cox is being interviewed on the track:
He’s very fast and he loves Keeneland as well. This was a good race for him, short stretch, a lot of things were in his favour today
BREEDERS' CUP DIRT MILE RESULT:
1. KNICKS GO, 2. Jesus’ Team, 3. Sharp Samurai.
Knicks Go has bolted up, and it’s another track record!
Sharp Samurai is third but Knicks Go is clear, into the final furlong
Knicks Go and Complexity at the head of affair, still a fast pace
Down the back, Knicks Go still leads, 21.98 for the first quarter
Knicks Go into the lead, Art Collector got a little squeezed
Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile!
Knicks Go is very much the one for money here, down to 2-1 on the US tote.
Complexity, seen here finishing a close second in the Forego Stakes, is also prominent in the betting, though a draw in stall 10 is not ideal.
Art Collector didn’t appear to get home over an extended nine furlongs in the Preakness last time, but was previously a convincing winner of the Runhappy Ellis Park Derby.
More reaction from that brilliant win by Glass Slippers as it arrives.
For now, though, it’s on to the Dirt Mile, sponsored by Big Ass Fans. They make very big fans, in case you were wondering, and are based in nearby Lexington.
The favourite is Brad Cox’s Knicks Go, though his name will seem slightly ironic if he wins as, since any NBA fan can tell you, “Go” is the one thing that the Knicks have signally failed to do in recent years.
This is his win at Oaklawn in February:
Glass Slippers was a 10-1 shot on the US tote, and is the first European-trained winner of the Turf Sprint. Now that Ryan, Eaves and Glass Slippers have shown that it can be done, perhaps it will attract a bigger challenge in years to come.
Here’s the closing stages, what a ride it was by Tom Eaves...
The Euros strike at the @keenelandracing – Glass Slippers wins the @BreedersCup Turf Sprint for @kevinryanracing and @tomeaveswigan! #BC20 pic.twitter.com/LGmgy27lBw
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 7, 2020
BREEDERS' CUP TURF SPRINT RESULT:
1. GLASS SLIPPERS, 2. Wet Your Whistle, 3. Leinster.
Kevin Ryan is talking to Nick Luck on the track:
She seems to thrive when she travels. Every day this week we got happier and happier with her. Tom gave her a plucky ride.
What a fantastic moment for Kevin Ryan and Tom Eaves, and what a sprinter Glass Slippers is. The result is still unofficial by the way - she seemed to give a rival a slight nudge as Eaves pulled her off the rail, but there’s no sign of any issues as yet.
She’s done it! Glass Slippers wins the Turf Sprint with a fabulous, brave ride by Tom Eaves!
Into the far turn, Wild Man Jack in front, Glass Slippers needs room, she’s finishing briliantly
Glass Slippers broke in mid-division, Into Mystic leads
Leinster may just start as favourite.
They’re going into the gates ... and they are off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint!
This is really open, three horses - Leinster, Imprimis and Oleksandra - all at 9-2, Got Stormy on 5-1 and Glass Slippers next at 8-1.
Kevin Ryan is being interviewed on the track:
She’s very easy to ride, she can come from off the pace or we can leave her handy. Tom [Eaves] knows her well, he rides her work all the time at home and I’ve no worries there, I’ll just let him ride his own race.
Glass Slippers is showing at 8-1 on the track’s tote board, which is a point shorter than you’ll get with the British bookies at the moment.
Got Stormy is another that needs a mention. Mark Casse’s five-year-old mare has spent most of her career at a mile, including a close second behind Uni in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita, but she showed more than enough speed to win a five-and-a-half furlong Grade Three last time.
And don’t forget Imprimis, who took the Runhappy Sprint at Kentucky Downs:
Also prominent in the betting is Leinster, the winner of the Woodford at Keeneland:
The narrow favourite at the moment is Oleksandra, who produced a stirring run down the stretch to land the Grade One Jaipur Stakes at Belmont.
We are on to the turf next - it’s dirt/turf/dirt/turf all through the card - and the Turf Sprint, a race that has often passed - somewhat perplexingly, to me at least - without serious European representation but has attracted a dual Group One winner this time around in Kevin Ryan’s Glass Slippers.
She took the Prix de l’Abbaye in 2019, the Flying Five in Ireland in September and finished a close second in this year’s Abbaye from a bad draw.
Here’s the Flying Five:
Gamine was an even-money shot at the off, which means favourite-backers are off to a perfect start at the Breeders’ Cup for the second day running.
Bob Baffert is talking down on the track and just briefly, seems almost lost for words. Almost:
One turn, that’s her game. What a thrilling .. what a spectacular ... she’s the fastest sprinting filly I’ve ever trained in my life
That was a track record too, some performance to start the evening. No duel though - Gamine brushed Serengeti Empress aside halfway down the stretch and never showed any signs of stopping on the run to the wire. Bell’s The One finished as expected but was only chasing second at best.
BREEDERS' CUP FILLY & MARE SPRINT RESULT:
1. GAMINE, 2. Serengeti Empress, 3. Bell’s The One
Gamine takes the lead! Closing stages now, Gamine going clear, very easy win in the end
Serengeti Empress still leads turning in, Gamine goes well in her slipstream
Now a length lead for Serengeti Empress, 21.77 for the opening quarter
Serengeti Empress and Gamine straight to the lead, Gamine just second
Off and running in the Filly & Mare Turf!
Really looking forward to this, a classic dirt-race puzzle to unravel. Went for Gamine as she has the better draw of the principals but it’s going to be a battle with Serengeti Empress while Bell’s The One will be charging late.
They are going in, here we go...
Other contenders for the race include Speech, who was fourth in the Kentucky Oaks (see earlier), and Come Dancing, a Grade Two winner at Saratogo in September.
It’s 10 minutes to post time for the Filly & Mare Sprint and Gamine is a solid favourite at 6-5 on the tote board. Serengeti Express is 5-2 and Bells The One is a 5-1 shot.
The winner there was Bells The One, third favourite in the betting and the obvious “closer” who could benefit if the two principals get involved in a speed duel up front.
Gamine’s main rival in the betting is Serengeti Express, who was touched off in a head-bobber in the Grade One Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs last time having set some crazy fractions. Some race, this:
Gamine tested positive for a banned anti-inflammatory after a win at Oaklawn earlier in the year and came up positive again after the Oaks, a highly unfortunate situation which prompted Baffert to pledge earlier this week to do “everything possible” to prevent further positives after what he called “a difficult year”.
And here’s Gamine’s astonishing 19-length all-the-way win in the Grade One Acorn Stakes, which was also a track record time.
First up this evening we have an intriguing renewal of the Filly & Mare Sprint, a race on the dirt which, perplexingly for those of us who think that sprinting stops at six furlongs, is staged over seven.
The warm favourite is Bob Baffert’s Gamine, who was first past the post in her first four starts, subsequently disqualified from the second for a positive dope test, then beaten into third stepping up to nine furlongs in the Kentucky Oaks. She led much of the way until fading in the stretch, setting such a strong pace that it was a record time for the race.
Hello racing fans, hi to all handicappers, and bonjour turfistes. It’s Breeders’ Cup liveblog time with the first of nine races on the main Saturday card now just under an hour away, and unless you are one of the very lucky few with a pass for Keeneland, we’ll all be sharing the experience remotely this time around.
The Friday card was something of a dry run for today in terms of staging one of the biggest days in American racing amid strict social distancing rules, and with no-one in the stands to generate an atmosphere. As we discovered in Britain during Royal Ascot back in June, it’s a. possible, b. necessary and c. perfectly enjoyable, while also being d. something you’d very much only want to do once. If the meeting is going to return to Keeneland in two years’ time as planned, there will need to be fans in grandstands or the whole game will likely be up.
The horses certainly played their part on Future Stars Friday, when Golden Pal’s lightning speed in the Juvenile Turf Sprint was an early aperitif for next year’s Royal Ascot, where he’s likely to be aimed at the King’s Stand Stakes. Aunt Pearl too was a convincing, front-running winner in the Juvenile Fillies’ Turf, and though with a European hat on, it was disappointing to draw a blank from the three turf contests, there are big chances ahead today in the four that remain.
If you’re mainly looking to check in on the turf races and runners from Europe, the crucial off-times (GMT) are: 5.39pm for the Turf Sprint (Glass Slippers, Equilateral); 6.57pm for the Filly & Mare Turf (Cayenne Pepper, Peaceful, Terebellum, Audarya); 8.15pm for the Mile (Circus Maximus, Kameko, Lope Y Fernandez, Siskin, Safe Voyage, Order Of Australia); and 9.33pm for the Turf (Magical, Tarnawa, Mehdaayih, Donjah, Lord North, Mogul).
On the dirt, meanwhile, the big highlights are at the end of proceedings, where the Classic at 10.13pm is preceded by a much-anticipated first (and almost certainly last) meeting between the outstanding females Swiss Skydiver and Monomoy Girl in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Swiss Skydiver is going up against older horses for the first time – something her trainer, Ken McPeek, has compared to a college athlete going up against professionals – after an exceptional three-year-old season which included a rare win for a filly in the Preakness. Monomoy Girl, meanwhile, has been first past the post in 13 of 14 starts including the 2018 Kentucky Oaks, missed 2019 due to injury and looked likely to be retired, but then returned to Brad Cox at the age of five for what is, so far, an unbeaten campaign.
The Classic looks exceptionally open, for all that Bob Baffert has three of the 10 runners and all three are priced up at 6-1 or shorter. Tiz The Law will be a popular choice too for 82-year-old Barclay Tagg, who started out in racing as a jump jockey, was a work rider on the legendary Ruffian and has been saddling winners in his own right since the 1970s.
Video form for the leading contenders will be posted here in the run-up to every race, along with the results as soon as they’re official along and news on what the future holds for the winners and also-rans. The optimists among you might also want to know what my picks are for today’s races, if only to remove them from calculations. It’s one of the best days in racing, let’s get it rolling ….
