Horse of the Year Road May Not Run Through BC Classic

In a year like no other in racing's long history, it's logical that there's an unusual karma surrounding the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

In most years, the battle for Horse of the Year honors culminates with the $6 million Classic, the richest race in the series. Even last year, while Justify  may have wrapped up the crown June 9 when he completed his Triple Crown sweep, his lone threat for the award was Accelerate , who won the Classic but still could not pry the award away from the undefeated 3-year-old.

But that will not be case Nov. 2 on day two of the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park.

In terms of historical significance, to find a previous year when the Classic was not central to the voting or featured the future Horse of the Year, it depends on how you viewed Game On Dude before his losses in the 2012 and 2013 Classic and whether you believed the title was turf star Wise Dan's to win or lose. Beyond that, you might have to go back to 2003 when Mineshaft  sat out the Breeders' Cup.

Yet judging by the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association poll, the key Breeders' Cup races this year are the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) with No. 1 Bricks and Mortar, who has 25 of the 40 first-place votes in the Oct. 21 poll, and the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) with No. 2 Midnight Bisou, who has 12 first-place votes. Both are undefeated in 2019.

As for the Classic, with McKinzie ranked highest of the 11 pre-entries at No. 5, it may need chaos in earlier races to have a major impact on Horse of the Year, showing that this is not your granddaddy's Breeders' Cup.

"I think Bricks and Mortar has put himself in position to have a good shot at Horse of the Year," said Chad Brown who trains the 5-year-old son of Giant's Causeway for Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence. "He's certainly in the conversation and ultimately it looks like this prestigious award will be decided on Breeders' Cup day, which it should be. I'd have to think he has the edge. He's been the leader for some time from all the rankings I've seen. I don't see how a win in this race can move him down. If he wins it would be remarkable and go down as one of the better campaigns by a male turf horse in a long time."

Bricks and Mortar, who was also pre-entered with a second preference in the TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), will bring a 5-for-5 record in 2019 into the 1 1/2-mile Turf, in which 14 horses were pre-entered. This year alone he's won over $4.5 million and four grade 1s, including the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1T) and Arlington Million XXXVII (G1T).

Leading the always formidable European contingent is the 4-year-old filly Magical. Owned by Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, and Derrick Smith, she was second to the mighty two-time Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) winner Enable in last year's Turf and won the QIPCO Champion Stakes (British Champions Middle Distance, G1) Oct. 19 in her last start.

Midnight Bisou, a daughter of Midnight Lute , will carry a perfect 7-for-7 record as a 4-year-old into the Distaff, with three grade 1 wins and a trio of wins over Elate, whose first preference is the Classic.

"If you look at the pool of horses in the discussion for Horse of the Year, you would have to say the Breeders' Cup Distaff and the Breeders' Cup Turf are the ones that will decide it. Obviously I'm biased but our filly has done nothing but win seven races and they were all graded, including three grade 1s at numerous racetracks and distances," said Jeff Bloom of Bloom Racing who owns the filly in a partnership with Madaket Stables and Allen Racing. "She's tackled the best in her division and if she could finish up undefeated those are Horse of the Year numbers. It's a rare thing to see a horse do what she did this year."

In the Classic, there's an evenly matched field of 11, topped by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman's Whitney Stakes (G1) winner McKinzie, who is trained by three-time Classic-winning trainer Bob Baffert, Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) and Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) winner Code of Honor, and Vino Rosso . 

Vino Rosso, trained by Todd Pletcher, finished a nose in front of William Farish's Code of Honor in the Jockey Club Gold Cup but was disqualified and placed second behind the Shug McGaughey-trained 3-year-old.

"There doesn't appear to be a clear-cut favorite," Pletcher said. "Like a lot of years there's a lot of top quality horses but maybe it lacks that clear, standout horse to beat."

While McKinzie is rated slightly above Code of Honor, who is No. 6 in the NTRA poll, a Classic win would most likely help Code of Honor more. McKinzie has won just two of six starts this year, and while Code of Honor has three losses in seven starts, a Classic win would give him four straight wins to close the year, including the glittering grade 1 trio of the Travers, Jockey Club Gold Cup, and Breeders' Cup Classic.

"The way he matured from the middle of summer to now is impressive," McGaughey said about his hope for a first Classic win. "He ran so good in the Travers and came out of it so good. Then he won the Jockey Club first time against older horses. I didn't know what to expect there. I had a lot of confidence he would run well but I didn't know if he'd step it up against older horses. Before the Travers I wasn't thinking about the Breeders' Cup but I watched how he came out of his races and thought he deserves the chance to run in it."

For McGaughey, a main worry is how the son of Noble Mission  will handle the switch from Eastern tracks to Santa Anita.

"It's a concern that Eastern horses haven't run well on the dirt in California but this horse has run well everywhere we've brought him, so he deserves a look," McGaughey said.

One New Yorker who should thrive in the Golden State is Repole Stable's and St. Elias Stable's Vino Rosso, a son of Curlin  who shipped west to win the Gold Cup at Santa Anita (G1) in May at the same 1 1/4-mile distance as the Classic.

"I can't say we were smart enough to look at the Santa Anita race as a dress rehearsal," Pletcher said. "We were looking for the best spot we could find to get him a grade 1 win. The added bonus was that he got a race over the track where they are holding the Breeders' Cup and he likes it."