Tarnawa Seeks to Become Third Repeat BC Turf Winner

Since the inception of the Breeders' Cup in 1984, just two horses have scored back-to-back victories in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), with High Chaparral  the first to do so in 2002-03 and Conduit  repeating in 2008-09. High Chaparral even had to share victory the second time when dead-heating with Johar  in 2003.

Now His Highness The Aga Khan's Tarnawa (IRE), trained by Dermot Weld, will seek to join this select company when she defends her Longines Breeders' Cup Turf title in the $4 million race going 1 1/2 miles at Del Mar Nov. 6. She faces a stacked field, including top-class Americans Gufo , Domestic Spending , and United , and a high-performing group of fellow international runners.

A further hurdle exists for the 9-5 morning-line favorite. In winning the Turf last fall at Keeneland, she scored over ground officially rated as firm but with some give following rain earlier in the week. Del Mar's grass in sunny Southern California is expected to be firmer than Keeneland's course.

"I think this is what makes (them) a really, true champion if they can go and defend their crown over different surfaces, you know what I mean, a year apart," trainer Dermot Weld said on a media teleconference Oct. 27. "That will be the big challenge. This will actually be a bigger challenge for her this coming year than last year, mostly because of the ground, which I expect will be firmer than ideal for her. But equally, she is a really, really good race mare that responds to every challenge that she gets."

The 5-year-old homebred Shamardal  mare has started just three times this year. She won her seasonal debut in the Aug. 5 Grant Thornton Ballyroan Stakes (G3) before runner-up finishes in the Sept. 11 Irish Champion Stakes (G1) and Oct. 3 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1). Both losses—each coming by three-quarters of a length—came with excuses: She was carried out in the final furlong in the Irish Champion Stakes and raced over heavy turf in the Arc. She'll start from Post 13 Saturday in the expected field of 14.

"She fought like a lioness and unfortunately she came up short on ground that was extremely testing," Weld said of the Arc.

The Arc is one of the few major international races the Irish-based Weld hasn't won. His list of accomplishments includes having trained the winners of more than two dozen European classics, two winners of the Melbourne Cup (G1), and a winner of the Belmont Stakes (G1).

"She's a brave filly, very tough, very genuine," Weld said. "She gives it 110% every time she runs. So naturally when she came back from Paris, she was tired for a week. We let her have a nice easy time, freshened her up, took my time bringing her back, and am very happy with her work over the past week. I think she's come right back."

Weld said this is her final season of racing, with a start in Hong Kong under consideration, pending her performance and condition following the Breeders' Cup.

Colin Keane, who rode Tarnawa to victory last year at Keeneland, giving the rider and Weld their first Breeders' Cup victories, is back aboard.

Leading the U.S. charge is Klaravich Stables' Domestic Spending. The strong-finishing turf horse won three consecutive grade 1s for trainer Chad Brown before running second behind a loose-on-the-lead longshot Two Emmys  in the Mr. D Stakes (G1T), formerly the Arlington Million, at Arlington International Racecourse Aug. 14.

Brown, a 15-time Breeders' Cup winner who won the 2019 Turf with William Lawrence and Klaravich Stables' Bricks and Mortar , has prepped Domestic Spending similarly for his first attempt at 1 1/2 miles, starting him fresh, straight out of the Arlington race.

Flavien Prat sticks with Domestic Spending, forgoing his usual seat aboard LNJ Foxwoods' United, whom he rode for 16 consecutive races dating back to May 25, 2019.

Domestic Spending is one of three Brown entries, along with fellow 2021 grade 1 winners Rockemperor  and Tribhuvan .

A 6-year-old Giant's Causeway  gelding trained by trainer Richard Mandella, United has been California's top grass horse for the past two years. He is three-for-five this year, narrowly winning the John Henry Turf Championship (G2T) at Santa Anita Park Oct. 2 after a troubled fourth in the Del Mar Handicap (G2T) this summer when he was stymied by traffic.

"He's doing as good as he can do. I'm sure it's a tough race, but I think he'll be giving 'em hell," said Mandella.

A Hall of Famer, Mandella won a record four Breeders' Cup races in 2003 when it was a one-day event with fewer races. He has nine Breeders' Cup victories overall.

Fellow Hall of Famer John Velazquez replaces Prat in the irons.

Both Domestic Spending and United are stakes winners over the Del Mar course, though the breaks have not always fallen United's way there. He is 3-2-0 in six local turf starts. All three of his losses have come by margins of less than a length, with his defeats often following challenging trips.

"He's as good as he can be right now," Mandella said. "We've had a little bad luck in a few of the races, but if we win the Breeders' Cup, I'll give that bad luck up from those other races."

OFFICIAL: Post Positions for the $4 Million @LonginesEq #BreedersCup Turf at @DelMarRacing.

ℹ️: https://t.co/TM688Rnmvg #BC21 pic.twitter.com/cVk6wOHfzU

— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 1, 2021

Entries: Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T)

Del Mar, Saturday, November 06, 2021, Race 11

• Grade IT
• 1 1/2m
• Turf
• $4,000,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 4:40 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Rockemperor (IRE)	Javier Castellano	126	Chad C. Brown	15/1
2	2United (KY)	John R. Velazquez	126	Richard E. Mandella	20/1
3	3Domestic Spending (GB)	Flavien Prat	126	Chad C. Brown	4/1
4	4Astronaut (KY)	Victor Espinoza	126	John A. Shirreffs	20/1
5	5Tribhuvan (FR)	Jose L. Ortiz	126	Chad C. Brown	20/1
6	6Acclimate (CA)	Ricardo Gonzalez	126	Philip D'Amato	20/1
7	7Walton Street (GB)	James Doyle	126	Charles Appleby	8/1
8	8Broome (IRE)	Lanfranco Dettori	126	Aidan P. O'Brien	20/1
9	9Sisfahan (FR)	Cristian Demuro	122	Henk Grewe	12/1
10	10Yibir (GB)	William T. Buick	122	Charles Appleby	12/1
11	11Gufo (KY)	Joel Rosario	126	Christophe Clement	8/1
12	12Teona (IRE)	David Egan	119	Roger Varian	6/1
13	13Tarnawa (IRE)	Colin Keane	123	Dermot K. Weld	9/5
14	14Japan (GB)	Ryan L. Moore	126	Aidan P. O'Brien	20/1
15	15Bolshoi Ballet (IRE)	Ryan L. Moore	122	Aidan P. O'Brien	15/1
16	16Channel Maker (ON)	Luis Saez	126	William I. Mott	20/1
17	17Mogul (GB)	Lanfranco Dettori	126	Aidan P. O'Brien	30/1
18	18Friar's Road (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	126	Michael W. McCarthy	30/1