Arcangelo Faces Toughest Test in 40th BC Classic

It all started Nov. 10, 1984 at Hollywood Park.

A beautiful, warm fall afternoon in Southern California with the kind of sunshine that can portend a bright future.

The very first Breeders' Cup was contested that day. Seven races. All of them grade 1 stakes worth at least $1 million with a total purse of $10 million. An unprecedented four hours of network television coverage.

The richest of them all, the $3 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), attracted a field of seven, featuring the sport's top dirt horse and Horse of the Year favorite, Slew o' Gold.

It turned out to be a gem. A thrilling and bumpy three-horse battle to the wire, with Slew o' Gold battling fiercely between horses but the victory going to 31-1 Wild Again by a head. The drama was highlighted by a post-race inquiry that saw Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Gate Dancer, who was second by a half-length over Slew o' Gold, disqualified and placed third behind the 3-5 favorite.

The Breeders' Cup was born and safely nestled in its crib to grow and mature.

This weekend, the 40th edition of the World Championships will bring the Breeders' Cup back to Southern California. Only this time to Santa Anita Park, with Hollywood Park long gone and now the site of the sparkling $5 billion SoFi Stadium. There will be 14 grade 1 races, spread over two days, Nov. 3-4, with combined purses of more than $31 million and extensive national television coverage—and streaming.

Once again, the richest prize of them all, the now $6 million Classic, will feature classic-winning 3-year-old Arcangelo , the pro-tem leader for Horse of the Year honors, in an intriguing battle against a deep and evenly matched array of 12 international rivals in the mile-and-a-quarter test.

"It's a good race top to bottom. It's a tough race but that's how it's supposed to be for $6 million," said Bob Baffert, trainer of the 3-year-old Arabian Knight , who won the Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) at Del Mar. "When you get that many good horses together, you can throw all the numbers out. Everything has to go right."

In order to keep a Horse of the Year and the 3-year-old male championship bid on track, Arcangelo will have to fend off an array of challenges from a top-class assortment of older grade 1 winners, fellow grade 1-winning 3-year-olds, and two rivals from Japan, topped by Dubai World Cup (G1) victor Ushba Tesoro . A winner of six straight starts for Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings and trained by Noboru Takagi, the son of Orfevre  is seeking to become the first horse to win the Classic and Dubai World Cup in the same year.

"It's a solid field without a clear standout like Flightline was last year," said Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who will send out Bright Future  and Dreamlike . "It's a deep race, but to me, an open race."

Blue Rose Farm's Arcangelo rates top billing among a field of 13 that was drawn Oct. 30 for the Classic, carrying a résumé that includes consecutive stakes victories in the Peter Pan Stakes (G3), Belmont Stakes (G1), and most recently, the Aug. 26 Travers Stakes (G1).

Not a bad resume for a 3-year-old who enabled Jena Antonucci to become the first female trainer to capture a Triple Crown race and the first since 1938 to capture the Travers.

As for Antonucci, she has handled the pressure of competing in the sport's top events for the first time with an amazing level of proficiency. A winner of just 151 races and a single grade 3 stakes from 2012-22, she was unfazed by Triple Crown stress in preparing Arcangelo for the Belmont and then had him in even better form for the Travers despite 11 weeks without a race.

Even now, with the Breeders' Cup Classic approaching, she remains as cool and focused as ever.

"Obviously the noise has been turned up, but all of that stuff about pressure is secondary," said Antonucci, who will bring the ridgling son of 2016 Classic winner Arrogate into this year's race with 10 weeks between races. "The key is to stay focused on the present and do our work. All that stuff is amazing to have under your belt as an accomplishment, but being an athlete all of my life and understanding what that takes, you need to stay in the pocket. You can't plan too far into the future. Our big focus is to stay in the present and do everything we're supposed to do to steward this horse."

While Arcangelo has not raced since August, he has been working at Santa Anita throughout October. Antonucci believes he has taken some steps forward since the Midsummer Derby.

"He's doing well and has trained well. He's definitely matured and moved forward mentally. It's go time," Antonucci said about the multiple grade 1 winner bred by Don Alberto Corporation and bought for $35,000 from the Gainesway consignment at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. "There's nothing to complain about. It's kinda boring, to be honest. We've tried to keep him in the same routine throughout the summer and we have been able to replicate some of that for him. He's handled everything great and he's gone to the paddock a lot. It's pretty straightforward, thankfully. Hopefully the greater gods have things in our favor."

There should be a quick pace in the Classic with Arabian Knight, Saudi Crown , Bright Future, and White Abarrio  possessing keen early speed, which should create a target for Arcangelo as well as the deep closers in the race. The gray or roan ridgling was fourth and sixth, respectively, in the early stages of the 1 1/4-mile Travers and 1 1/2-mile Belmont.

"He's so diverse and versatile. What it's going to be, it's going to be," Antonucci said about the pace. "If there's not a lot of speed, he'll be a little bit closer. That's (jockey Javier Castellano)'s job. It's above my paygrade."

Zedan Racing Stables' Arabian Knight figures to be a prime player in the early furlongs. Bought for $2.3 million from the Top Line Sales consignment at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, the son of Uncle Mo   bred by Corser Thoroughbreds fulfilled his promise by leading throughout in the 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic and hanging on to win by a neck over Geaux Rocket Ride .

"We always thought he was super talented and this is his chance to prove it," Baffert said. "I'm happy how he's coming in. He's come a long way. I can see more maturity and he'll get better with age. He's improved since Del Mar and he'll have to be better than that in this field. He looks healthy and is a beautiful horse who moves great."

FMQ Stables' Saudi Crown is also coming off a grade 1 gate-to-wire win. The Brad Cox-trained 3-year-old son of Always Dreaming   led throughout in the Sept. 23 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) for his initial graded stakes score.

C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio became a leader of the older horse division with a convincing 6 1/4-length win in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In Whitney Stakes (G1) over Classic entrant Zandon   and Cody's Wish  . Winner of the 2022 Florida Derby (G1), the Race Day  4-year-old has not raced since the Aug. 5 Whitney but has been working at Santa Anita for Rick Dutrow, who resumed training in May after serving a 10-year suspension.

"Not only did he run big in the Whitney, but the horses he beat came back to win graded stakes. That was a key race," said Dutrow, who won the 2005 Classic with Saint Liam . "If he runs like the way he did last time and the way he's training, he's going to be tough to beat. He is on it. He's better now than we've ever seen him."

Jeff Drown's Zandon (Upstart  ) won the Woodward Stakes (G2) in his next start for trainer Chad Brown.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables' Bright Future (Curlin  ) inched out a nose victory over Godolphin homebred Proxy   (Tapit  ) in the Sept. 2 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1).

"That was his breakthrough performance that we knew he was capable of," Pletcher said.

Grade 1 winner Proxy returns to Santa Anita where he was second by a neck in the March 4 Santa Anita Handicap (G1).

"We ran in the Santa Anita Handicap because our intentions were to be healthy and happy for the Breeders' Cup. It was a good time to go out there and handle the track and see if he runs well on it," trainer Michael Stidham said about Proxy, who will likely be retired to stud after the race. "He ran a huge race on it, so we know he likes it. This race has a ton of speed which should help his closing kick. We're happy with where we are at."

RRR Racing's Clapton  (Brethren  ), winner of the Lukas Classic Stakes (G2) for trainer Chad Summers, moved into the field when Geaux Rocket Ride was injured Oct. 28.

Japan also will be represented by Derma Sotogake , a 3-year-old Mind Your Biscuits  colt who has not raced since finishing sixth in the Kentucky Derby (G1).