McKinsey headlines Breeders' Cup Classic Raceday
Preview: 2019 Gr.1 Breeders' Cup race meeting - Day 2 (Saturday)
2019-11-02 - And just like that, the Breeders' Cup raceday has dawned. Sun shining over the glorious Santa Anita racecourse which has been the topic of many concerned horsemen in the past 12 months, horses will line-up to prove their formidable mettle against horses of the highest caliber.
The Breeders' Cup races is one of those iconic race meetings which every thoroughbred horseman has to make his way to, at least once in a lifetime. As always, this year the Breeders' Cup Classic features those horses which have been trending on the scoreboards for the last six months. In the second part of this fairly detailed article, about this exciting and prophetic weekend, we bring you a complete smorgasbord of Breeders' Cup information, showcasing the previews, post position runner list, 2018 race winner's profile and runner list, race info and of course the 2018 race video. So buckle up to find out more about whats happening at Santa Anita racecourse.
3Yo Group One winner,
Covfefe is out to be better than her elders. Her scars from previous battles proves she has the mettle to do it. Carlos F. Martin trained-
Come Dancing will provide the best contest with
Bellafina and Spiced Perfection both capable of standing up to Covfefe. However the latter has proved quite formidable and in form of the entire field and this edition of the Filly & Mare Sprint is likely to be one of the deepest.
Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (3:33 p.m.)Belvoir Bay was runner-up behind Godolphin's dual Gr.1 wining
Blue Point the only horse ever to win three G1 sprints at Royal Ascot after an extraordinary victory in the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai on World Cup day.
Stormy Liberal was third. Blue Point is retired and many are interested in seeing Stormy Liberal seek redemption. The later is hoping to make complete a three-peat. Comparatively lightly raced Stubbins and Eddie Haskell, a local charge are both out to beat their elders.
Sistercharlie seems to be the one for this race.
Mrs. Sippy, for trainer Graham Motion, seems to be doing well while with
Magical, being retired, O'Brien will look for his first Filly & Mare Turf with
Fleeting. Godolphin's lightly raced,
Castle Lady, who placed runner-up in the Gr.1 QEII Challenge Cup seems to be the wildcard in this mix.
This is one of those races where most of the field 'is capable of great things'. Will they deliver? That's another question.
There are great expectations from
Matera Sky, who was runner-up in the Gr.1 Golden Shaheen at Meydan. Formidable
Imperial Hint is the fore-running favourite in this escapade. Can he once again show the form he displayed when he wore down Mitole and won the Vanderbilt (G1)?
Mitole himself has turned into a formidable force, capable of stealing the show. While Engage and Shancelot
have the ability to land in the trifecta to boot.
Circus Maximus has the greatest chance of romping to victory here. Group One winner
Without Parole has been off his game since his Gr.1 St. James's Palace Stakes win at Royal Ascot. He will be looking to regain lost ground and fans. Geoff and Sandra Turnbull’s 6YO Gr.1 Queen Anne Stakes, earned an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Mile in the process. The gelding,
Lord Glitters has come a long way to fail the test.
Chad C. Brown trained Uni
is the wild card in this race. Keep watching this space.
Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Distaff (7 p.m.)Gr.2 Zenyatta Stakes' winner
Paradise Woods is the only real threat to
Midnight Bisou who will be hoping to end an unbeaten season with a bid for the Horse of the Year award. Of course they will also have to tangle with a trio of Grade 1-winning 3-year-olds: Street Band, Dunbar Road and
Serengeti Empress.
Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Turf (7:40 p.m.)Gr.1 Arlington Million winner,
Bricks and Mortar, another unbeaten (in 2019) Horse of the Year candidate is the real threat to the rest of the field. He will go the longest distance of his career in this 1 1/2-mile feature. Candidates from far have come to find success in this glorious venture. Trainer Aidan O'Brien, officially removed
Anthony Van Dyck from Europe's most prestigious race, the Gr.1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, in order to go postward in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita Park. So really O'Brien is beyond keen to have his horse win this one.
Owned by Godolphin and trained by Charlie Appleby, the son of Dubawi,
Old Persian will attempt to take his place among the world’s best middle-distance grass horses when the Gr.1 Dubai Sheema Classic winner is pitted against the world's best in this category.
The most awaited race of the day, is headlined by Bob Baffert trained-
McKinzie as his favorite. While top east coast invaders as the Gr.1 Jockey Club Gold Cup 1-2 finishers
Vino Rosso and
Code of Honor are stuck side by side on the outside. Of the two, William Farish’s homebred colt Code of Honor is really the one to beat in this test of the best. He will be ridden for the eighth consecutive time by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.Trainer Shug McGaughey said in an interview with Horseracingnation.com that he feels good about his chances of finally getting his Classic with Code of Honor. “There are two really major races in the United States that I haven’t won, the Preakness and the Breeders’ Cup Classic,” he said. “I’ve been close in both of them, so they’re both on my list. I hope that maybe this year we can get the one behind us.”
Best of luck to all the horses and their connections. Lining up is the most important part of the race. Hope everyone else enjoys the raceday!