What a day in store at Santa Anita as nine Grade 1 races make the Saturday of the Breeders’ Cup one of the best days of racing all year. Our international expert Laura King guides you through the big day
VINO ROSSO (Breedeers’ Cup Classic, 12.44am)
The official feature is the $6million Classic, which lacks a superstar this time, although ten of the 11-strong field are Grade 1 winners.
The tentative favourite is Bob Baffert’s four-time Grade 1 winner McKinzie who heads here after a shock defeat at the hands of the re-opposing Mongolian Storm in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes. Failing to let him bowl along on that occasion cost Mike Smith the ride and Joel Rosario takes over this time.
Another question hanging over McKinzie is his ability to see out ten furlongs. Impressive when beating Yoshida and Vino Rosso in the G1 Whitney at Saratoga in August, that was over nine furlongs and he failed to catch Gift Box, albeit it only by a nose, in the 1m2f Santa Anita Handicap in April. With Mckinzie, a lot may depend on how the race unfolds; given an easy lead, he is undoubtedly dangerous.
That means the pace of the race could well be crucial, which brings Vino Rosso very much into play. Winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Gold Cup when he was ridden forward, Todd Pletcher’s charge adopted similar tactics when beating Code Of Honor in the Jockey Club Gold Cup last time, only to then lose the race in the stewards’ room. While Code Of Honor is the ‘now’ horse, and receives weight from his elders, statistics of 0-22 about East Coast-based three-year-olds shipping in for this race are a little off-putting.
At his best, dual-surface Grade 1 winner Yoshida is capable of causing an upset, particularly if there’s a fast pace, but it’s Vino Rosso who just gets the verdict in an open race.
BRICKS AND MORTAR (Breeders’ Cup Turf 11.40pm)
The Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf is guaranteed to attract plenty of European attention, thanks to the presence of Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck, although he needs to bounce back from three below-par runs since, including when third to Magical in the Irish Champion Stakes in September. He at least has proven stamina for the mile and a half test, something which isn’t guaranteed for favourite Bricks And Mortar, who is yet to try 12 furlongs. However, the Chad Brown-trained five-year-old has won all five of his starts this year and his closing style of running suggests that getting this extra distance won’t be a problem, provided they go a good gallop.
That could in part be ensured by Godolphin’s Old Persian, the only runner on the card for Charlie Appleby. At his best when beating a top-class field in the Group 1 Sheema Classic in Dubai in March, he won for the first time in three starts since when landing a poor renewal of the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf in Canada in September. If overcoming a wide draw in stall ten, then his ability to sit up with the pace, along with the addition of Lasix which he benefited from in Canada, make him a serious contender here. However, Bricks And Mortar is still taken to emerge victorious and give Brown an overdue first win in this race.
WOW CAT (each-way, Breeders’ Cup Distaff, 11.00pm)
The fillies’ feature is the Distaff, in which hot favourite Midnight Bisou tops a field of 11. She is unbeaten this year, having won all six of her starts and is also three-from-three at Santa Anita, which is a further strength to her armory. In short, she will be very hard to oppose, but Wow Cat, second to Midnight Bisou when bumped in the G2 Beldame last time, stays further than this and may still be building towards her best. She has plenty of each way appeal at 16/1.
GOT STORMY (Breeders’ Cup Mile, 10.20pm)
Aidan O’Brien is yet to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile but has a strong chance of doing so when Circus Maximus lines up as the favourite in a field of 14. Winner of the St James’s Palace Stakes and Prix du Moulin, the three-year-old should be suited by conditions at Santa Anita, although there is a small concern that the best of his form is on ground with some cut in it.
This race lacks depth but it might be worth taking the favourite on with one of the fillies, Got Stormy who comes here after a win in the Grade 1 Fourstardave at Saratoga and a second in the Woodbine Mile. He trainer, Mark Casse, has likened her to his 2015 winner of this, Tepin, and she can topple the favourite here.
Got Stormy finished three spots in front of the demoted fourth Lucallan in Canada last time, but Kiaran McLaughlin’s charge has since romped to a Grade 2 victory at Belmont. He’s exciting, unexposed at this level and looks overpriced at 16/1.
SHANCELOT (Breeders’ Cup Sprint, 9.36pm)
The six-furlong Sprint is the race of the weekend, in which any one of Mitole, Imperial Hint or Catalina Cruiser would be clear favourite in another year. That honour goes to Mitole, whose only defeat in six starts came at the hooves of Imperial Hint in the Grade 1 Alfred Vanderbilt at Saratoga. He’s bounced back since then, winning the Forego in a much more impressive style than Imperial Hint managed when winning his prep. He’ll be hard to beat, but a chance is taken on Shancelot whose trainer Jorge Navarro is very confident of his chances.
The three-year-old produced a spellbinding effort when winning the Grade 2 Amsterdam at Saratoga in July and has had mitigating circumstances for his two narrow defeats since, the second of which came at the hands of dirt mile favourite Omaha Beach. He’ll be spot on for this, receives weight, and looks the value at 4/1.
SISTERCHARLIE (Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, 8.54pm)
The Filly & Mare Turf has seven Europeans among the field of 12; the best of which is probably Joseph O’Brien’s multiple Grade 1 winner Iridessa. She will appreciate returning to ten furlongs but still has Sistercharlie to beat. Chad Brown’s five-year-old has won all three starts in a light campaign this season and should be too good here. At 12/1, John Gosden’s rapidly-improving, but quirky Fanny Logan, the only runner of the meeting for the master trainer, makes some appeal if able to handle the atmosphere of her first international assignment.
BEST OF THE REST
Of the earlier races, the aforementioned Omaha Beach should be too strong in the Dirt Mile, although Korean runner Blue Chipper maybe overpriced for a place at 33/1. The Turf Sprint sees the exciting Final Frontier interest at at 10/1, while the Filly & Mare Sprint looks at the mercy of favourite Covfefe.