Ten Horses Trying to Become Double Breeders’ Cup Winners
By GREG MELIKOV
A surprising number horses pre-entered in this year’s 14 Breeders’ Cup races are looking to defend their titles or register their second victory in the 26th renewal of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Six of the 166 horses are defending their 2008 Breeders’ Cup titles, three are gunning for repeat victories in a different race and one hopes to triumph again after a three-year interval during the Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park meeting.
Thirty-seven thoroughbreds were pre-entered in two races during the two-day event, but a final choice must be made Tuesday when post positions are drawn.
All eyes will be on Zenyatta, one of nine Breeders’ Cup winners from last year. The 5-year-old daughter of Street Cry is pre-entered in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic on Friday, Nov. 6, and the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday, Nov. 7. But her camp’s first choice is the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which means the boys better look out.
The Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic has nine pre-entered horses, with only seven listed as first preference, including last year’s runner-up Cocoa Beach and third-place finisher Music Note.
There are 16 pre-entries in the Breeders’ Cup Classic with 13 first choices, The field of 14 will include the Kentucky Derby champ Mine That Bird, the Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, turf standout Gio Ponti, Quality Road and Rip Van Winkle.
There have been only eight double winners in 194 Breeders’ Cup races, including three in the mile: Miesque, ’87-88; Lure, ’92-93; and Da Hoss, ’96-98. Goldikova aims to make it a quartet. The daughter of Anabaa triumphed by 1 1/4 lengths as a 3-year-old over 10 others last year. This year’s field has 14.
Defending Breeders’ Cup Turf champ Conduit hopes to join two-time winner High Chaparral, ’02-03, although he dead-heated for first in his second score. Red Rocks, the ’06 winner, is also in the field of nine that has the fewest nine pre-entries along with the Turf.
Forever Together defends her Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf title with a chance to join Ouija Board, the ’04 and ’06 winner. Maram, who took the ’08 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, also is in the field of 10.
Several others thoroughbreds that could visit the winner’s circle again are:
Desert Code, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner.
Ventura, ’08 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint victor.
Muhannak, last year’s Breeder’s Cup Marathon champ.
Midshipman, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner that’s entered in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
Other past double winners are Bayakoa, ’89-90 Ladies Classic when it was known as the Distaff, and Tiznow, ’00-01 Classic.
Six races are oversubscribed, with the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint attracting the most pre-entries, 22. The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile was next with 21, but is one of the three contests limited to a dozen runners.
A maximum of 14 Breeders’ Cup starters are allowed in 11 of the 14 races except for three contests, including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, over subscribed by five, and with eight more than can get in.
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Tags: , Conduit, Desert Code, Forever Together, Gio Ponti, Goldikova, Midshipman, Mine That Bird, Muhannak, Quality Road, Rip Van Winkle, Summer Bird, Ventura, Zenyatta
"Ten Horses Trying to Become Double Breeders’ Cup Winners" was posted on 30 October 2009 2:05 PM under Breeders' Cup, Horse Racing News, Horses, Race Tracks, Stakes Races
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