Breeders Cup races - what am I doing wrong?

[curious]

2 days out from this meeting with some of the word's best horses going around.

Go on the TAB website this morning to check the futures markets. Not only can I not find the markets, I can't even find any fields or form.

Am I looking in the wrong place or do they not know that one of racing's biggest betting events of the year is even on?

[mardigras]

The latter.

[Stodge]

Have a preview from me 🙂

The meeting now has 13 Grade 1 championship races - a mixture of Dirt and Turf races but the Americans have the Dirt races to themselves but on the grass the Europeans often prove serious opposition.

On Friday,  Wesley Ward has 10 of the 24 entries in the Juvenile Turf Sprint over 1100m in which Aidan O'Brien has entered recent Doncaster winner LIPIZZANER with MIGHTY GURKHA and UBETTERBELIEVEIT also in the entries.

The Juvenile Turf over 1600m has BATTLEGROUND as the 4/1 favourite but CADILLAC is also entered along with NEW MANDATE and THE LIR JET.

Five European entries in the Juvenile Fillies Turf over 1600m and Aidan O'Brien will be hoping MOTHER EARTH and SNOWBALL don't get mixed up again as happened at Newmarket. MISS AMULET and OODNADATTA also run for Ireland while Roger Varian has entered NAZUNA.

On to Saturday, GLASS SLIPPERS and EQUILATERAL have been entered for the Turf Sprint over 1100m.

As might be expected, a strong European challenge in the Filly & Mare Turf headed by Vermeille winner TARNAWA but also CAYENNE PEPPER, PEACEFUL and TEREBELLUM among others in a race the Europeans have often won.

The Turf Mile is another race in which the Europeans usually do very well and with the likes of KAMEKO, SISKIN and CIRCUS MAXIMUS entered, there will be another strong challenge.

The Turf over 2400m is the race the Europeans win most often and some years it has been the only European win. With MAGICAL and LORD NORTH coming here off the Champion Stakes and MOGUL coming off the Grand Prix de Paris , it looks another powerful entry.

The Classic is worth about the same as the Melbourne Cup and again the parallel is with the Arc as it's the meeting of champions of the generations. The top 4-y-o MAXIMUM SECURITY and IMPROBABLE clash with the 3-y-o SWISS SKYDIVER and AUTHENTIC.

More later in the week.

[Stodge]

So, the Grade 2 Juvenile Turf Sprint over 1100m. MIGHTY GURKHA  has drawn one and has blinkers on for the first time but the Europeans rarely break as sharp as the Americans and that could cause problems. LIPIZZANER comes out of stall 3 and won over 1200m last time so again may be tapped for early speed. UBETTERBELIEVEIT won the Flying Childers over 1000m at Doncaster last time so speed won't be an issue and I think he has a big chance though Wesley Ward probably holds the key with Norfolk runner-up GOLDEN PAL.

The Juvenile Turf over 1600m looks wide open. BATTLEGROUND swerved all the big European juvenile races and hasn't run since winning the Vintage at Goodwood and you'd have to think connections are of the view the horse needs quick ground. He has obvious claims. CADILLAC beat subsequent Group 1 winner VAN GOGH at Leopardstown and didn't handle the ground when fifth in the Dewhurst. I like this horse a lot. Ralph Beckett runs two, DEVILWALA and Royal Lodge winner NEW MANDATE. Of the Europeans, I think CADILLAC could go very well and looked to enjoy the sharp left-handed track at Leopardstown.

With SNOWBALL third reserve, the Europeans have four runners among the main field for the Juvenile Fillies Turf. MISS AMULET has never gone beyond 1200m having won the Lowther and been runner up in the Cheveley Park. Will she see out the extra 400m? She should stay 1400m and perhaps she might get away with it.   OODNADATTA was third in the Moyglare and the trip won't be an issue. That run matches her closely with PRETTY GORGEOUS, the top juvenile filly in the UK and Ireland. The latter also links to MOTHER EARTH and you'd have to think wherever OODNADATTA finishes, MOTHER EARTH will be close. NAZUNA's second in the Rockfel doesn't look good enough.

[curious]

1 hour ago, mardigras said:

The latter.

OK. Well at least we've got markets for the dogs at Palm Beach this mor ning.

[Stodge]

On then to the first part of Saturday's stellar card at Keeneland.

EQUILATERAL is a reserve for the Turf Sprint but GLASS SLIPPERS, who was second in the Abbaye last time, gets a run. I'm doubtful as to how she will go on the firm turf.

The Filly & Mare Turf is over just 1750m here and can be up to 2100m at other venues so we're seeing the milers as well as the 2000m types in the field. PEACEFUL represents Aidan O'Brien and her Irish 1000 Guineas win was on quick ground. This may be short enough for CAYENNE PEPPER but ideal for TEREBELLUM who won a Group 2 at Newmarket on fast ground in June. AUDARYA represents James Fanshawe and was a fine third in the Opera but is completely unproven on quick ground.

The Turf Mile is a race for which the Europeans always put up a strong challenge. Both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas winners in the forms of KAMEKO and SISKIN run and there wasn't much between them in the Sussex at Goodwood. KAMEKO returned to form back at Newmarket but SISKIN was disappointing in the Moulin and needs to find his earlier form. CIRCUS MAXIMUS was fourth in this last year behind UNI and must have claims but the likes of SAFE VOYAGE and ONE MASTER look better on softer ground. I'm interested in LOPE Y FERNANDEZ who was third to SISKIN in the Irish 2000 and has mixed it with the very best throughout the campaign.

[Stodge]

Before moving on to the rest of Saturday's Breeders Cup card, news today three-time Foret winner ONE MASTER has been retired. She had been due to run in the Mile but will now head to the paddocks. As she raced over 1400m, she didn't get the recognition she would have as a miler or sprinter. She placed in the Queen Anne and Falmouth and last time was a close third in the Champions Day Sprint but at 1400m she was a real champion.

10 run in the Turf over 2400m and this is the race the Europeans win more often than any other as the Americans don't run their horses over this trip too often. It's worth £1.56 million which makes it more valuable than the Arc.

MAGICAL is the 5/2 favourite with the UK bookies and while she was slightly disappointing behind ADDEYBB in the Champion, her defeat of GHAIYYATH in the Irish equivalent (the likes of SOTTSASS behind) looks really solid form and we know she likes American types as she and ENABLE fought out an epic dual in this equivalent race two years ago.

She faces a serious threat from Vermeille and Opera winner TARNAWA and back to this trip on quick ground looks ideal for this improving 4-y-o filly. MOGUL won the Grand Prix de Paris - it didn't go well for him in the English Derby but they've always rated him at Ballydoyle. LORD NORTH won the Prince of Wales at Ascot beating ADDEYBB four lengths but MAGICAL finished in front of him at York and I don't see why he should reverse places with the mare.

I fancy TARNAWA to upset the Ballydoyle runners.

10 also run in the Classic over 2000m on the Dirt and it's arguably the Arc for the Dirt runners. There look to be five who have a realistic chance of winning. IMPROBABLE has improved all season and beat MAXIMUM SECURITY comfortably in the Awesome Again at Santa Anita last time. It's a different track and 200m further but I struggle to see why the outcome should be any different. He also holds the 7-y-o TOM'S D'ETAT on Whitney running.

The top 3-y-o AUTHENTIC and TIS THE LAW make this a real clash of the generations. The former won the Haskell and the Kentucky Derby beating TIZ THE LAW but was beaten a neck by the filly SWISS SKYDIVER in the rescheduled Preakness.  It's difficult to tease this out but TIZ THE LAW has been rested for this and could well be right on song. 

It's not easy to call the race - IMPROBABLE has obvious claims but I'm going to take TIZ THE LAW to emerge as the top dog.