Chomping at the Cup (Part I)

Assorted Breeders’ Cup Facts and Subplots

As with every Breeders’ Cup, there are a number of major storylines emerging in the last weeks before the 14-race, $27 million extravaganza. Who will be Horse of the Year? Can any of last year’s winners repeat? Will the Euros dominate the turf? Aren’t Wayne Lukas and Gary Stevens amazing?

Those will all be written about at great length. 

Every race, though, has a hundred sublots. Heck, every individual horse has a thousand stories that led it to this opportunity. Below are some miscellaneous facts I’ve culled from the charts, histories and past performances that could come into play in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Turf. I’ll post similar lists for other Breeders’ Cup races throughout the next 14 days and update these after pre-entries give us a clearer picture of the probable starters.

Breeders’ Cup Classic
Flat Out (5th, 2011; 3rd,  2012) and Game On Dude (2nd, 2011; 7th, 2012) will each make their third consecutive appearance in the BC Classic. Perfect Drift has the most BC Classic starts with five (2002-’06).

All-time leading Breeders’ Cup jockey Mike Smith, who will ride Game On Dude, is the only active rider with multiple BC Classic wins (Drosselmeyer, Zenyatta, Skip Away). Jerry Bailey and Chris McCarron each won the Classic five times.

All-time leading Breeders’ Cup trainer Wayne Lukas (19 wins), who will saddle Travers winner Will Take Charge, seeks his second win in the Classic to go with Cat Thief (1999).

Palace Malice, Moreno and Will Take Charge all seek to become the 10th 3-year-old to win the BC Classic, following Proud Truth (1985), Sunday Silence (1989), Unbridled (1990), A.P. Indy (1992), Concern (1994), Cat Thief (1999), Tiznow (2000), Curlin (2007) and Raven’s Pass (2008).

Ghostzapper, by 1998 BC Classic winner Awesome Again, is the only BC Classic winner that was sired by a BC Classic winner. Those that could become the second include Game On Dude and Paynter, both by Awesome Again, as well as Moreno, by 2004 BC Classic winner Ghostzapper, and Palace Malice, by 2007 BC Classic winner Curlin.

Gary Stevens seeks his first BC Classic win (three-time runner-up: Pleasant Tap, 1982, Bertrando, 1993, and Silver Charm, 1998)

Bill Mott could become the first trainer to win three BC Classics (Drosselmeyer, 2011, and Cigar, 1995). Other trainers with two BC Classic wins: Jay Robbins (Tiznow, 2000 and 2001) and Charlie Whittingham (Sunday Silence, 1989, and Ferdinand, 1987).

Aidan O’Brien seeks his first BC Classic win with Declaration of War. Career in BC Classic: 12-0-2-0. Starters: Black Minnaloushe, Duke of Marmalade, Galileo, George Washington (twice), Giant’s Causeway, Hawk Wing, Henrythenavigator, Hold That Tiger, Oratorio, Rip Van Winkle, So You Think. Best finishes: Giant’s Causeway, 2nd in 2000, and Henrythenavigator, 2nd in 2008.

Todd Pletcher seeks his first BC Classic win with Palace Malice and Graydar. Career in Classic: 11-0-1-0. Starters: Any Given Saturday, Fairbanks, Flower Alley (twice), Harlan’s Holiday, Lawyer Ron (twice), Newfoundland, Quality Road, Uncle Mo, Stay Thirsty. Best finish: Flower Alley, 2nd in 2005.

Bob Baffert seeks his first BC Classic win with Game On Dude and Paynter. Career in BC Classic: 10-0-2-1. Starters: Captain Steve, Congaree, General Challenge, Lookin At Lucky, Richard’s Kid, River Keen, Silver Charm, War Emblem, Game On Dude (twice). Best finishes: Silver Charm, 2nd in 1998, and Game On Dude, 2nd in 2011.

Breeders’ Cup Turf
Frankie Dettori is the leading jockey in the BC Turf with four wins – Dangerous Midge (2010), Red Rocks (2006), Fantastic Light (2001) and Daylami (1999).

Sir Michael Stoute is the leading trainer in the BC Turf with four wins – Conduit (2008 and 2009), Kalanisi (2000) and Pilsudski (1996).

Trainer Andre Fabre, who could enter Flintshire, has had a record 23 starters in the BC Turf, winning once with Shirocco in 2005.

Flintshire seeks to become the eighth 3-year-old to win the BC Turf, following Lashkari (1984), Manila (1986), Prized (1989), Tikkanen (1984), High Chaparral (2002), Red Rocks (2006) and Conduit (2008).

The Fugue seeks to become the third filly to win the BC Turf, following Pebbles (1985) and Miss Alleged (1991).

Four geldings have won the BC Turf: Great Communicator (1988), Buck’s Boy (1998), Better Talk Now (2004) and 2013 contender Little Mike (2012). Other geldings that could be under consideration include Grandeur, Huntsville and Temeraine.

Richard Mandella will start Indy Point in the BC Turf 10 years after the trainer had a record four wins in the 2003 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita. Ten years prior to that, in 1993, Mandella won four stakes on the Breeders’ Cup card at Santa Anita – two Breeders’ Cup stakes and two undercard stakes.

Two BC Turf winners had their final prep on the same course that the BC was run – Kotashaan in 1993 and Johar in 2003, both at Santa Anita for trainer Mandella. Possible entrants that made their last start on the Santa Anita turf include Huntsville, for trainer Barry Abrams; Indy Point, for Richard Mandella; and Vagabond Shoes for John Sadler.