Breeders' Cup coverage supplied by Thoroughbred Daily News America
Grand mare does it again
Star English galloper Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {IRE}) completed an historic double when she added the G1 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf to her decorated record.
It completed a phenomenal double for the mare, who had successfully defended her G1 Prix de l’Arc Triomphe crown at her previous appearance at Longchamp.
“We were going pretty fast for a mile and a-half on soft ground,” said Frankie Dettori, riding his second winner of the afternoon and his 14th Breeders’ Cup winner overall.
“Then I knew that pace couldn’t keep up. So then I was just waiting for her to give me the message she was ready to go.
“I said to myself just wait, let her fill herself up with oxygen, then we’ll wait until the straight. Obviously Magical took me on pretty early, and then after a while is a punch up now, she was the best.”
Despite winner’s circle pleadings from both winning jockey and trainer John Gosden, Juddmonte Racing Manager Teddy Grimthorpe deferred a decision on Enable’s future to the boss.
“I think the sort of most important thing is to at least sit back and just enjoy this." - Teddy Grimthorpe
“I think the sort of most important thing is to at least sit back and just enjoy this,” he said. “We tend to sort of move on far too quickly. Really the enormity of this, for the whole team, it’s been so emotional.
“She has created those emotions within us all, especially within Juddmonte. I’m sure Prince Khalid will want to at least sit back and enjoy this. There’s no great hurry.“
Pedigree Notes
A fourth-generation Juddmonte homebred, Enable is out of a stakes-winning and Group 3-placed full-sister to Dance Routine (GB), a two-time winner at Group level.
Nathaniel
Enable’s third dam produced the Group winner Daring Miss (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) as well as Shining Bright (GB), a daughter of Arc winner Rainbow Quest (USA) (Blushing Grrom {FR}) whose son Spanish Moon (El Prado {Ire}) won the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, was second in the Hong Kong Vase and placed in two Sheema Classics.
The latter’s full-sister Spanish Sun won the G2 Ribblesdale S. at the Royal meeting in 2003.
Sadler celebrates first title
John Sadler has broken his drought at the Championships with Accelerate (USA) (Lookin At Lucky {USA}) claiming the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“Yeah, I’m thrilled, no doubt,” Sadler said. “I mean, this is what I do every day, every year for my whole career, so to really get the big one, I couldn’t ask for a better day.”
"This is what I do every day, every year for my whole career, so to really get the big one, I couldn’t ask for a better day.” - John Sadler
Accelerate jumped well and secured a good spot and set his sights on the front-runner pacesetting Mendelssohn (USA) (Scat Daddy {USA}) at the top of the stretch and rallied strongly for his fifth Grade I victory of the season.
The win by Accelerate capped a tremendous weekend for Joel Rosario, who also guided home Friday's Juvenile dirt winners Jay Walk (Cross Traffic) and Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}).
"That was about as good as it gets," Rosario said. "That horse is simply unbelievable. I'm so happy for the owners and John. It was a great performance. He has so much heart."
Accelerate is slated to stand at Lane's End Farm upon the conclusion of his racing career.
"We have an option to run him in the Pegasus," Sadler said. "The plan right now is he'll probably go up to Lane's End Farm in Lexington tomorrow, and they'll show him there as a stallion this week, we'll bring him back to California, and if all is good, will probably go in the Pegasus, kind of our all-out Gun Runner of last year, and then he'll go off to stud."
Pedigree Notes
Accelerate, a $380,000 KEESEP yearling graduate, becomes the first Breeders’ Cup winner for sire Lookin At Lucky, who finished an unlucky second in the 2009 Juvenile at Santa Anita.
Accelerate’s dam went two-for-two to begin her career and was claimed out of both starts en route to four wins in eight tries with a stakes placing.
Second dam Darlin Echo (USA) (Eastern Echo (USA}) is a half-sister to Group 1 winner sire Wagon Limit (Conquistador Cielo), as well as Taine (USA) (Sir Ivor {USA}), the dam of black type performer Puzzlement (USA) (Pine Bluff {USA}).
No trouble for Monomoy Girl
What was billed as a match-up of the last two G1 Kentucky Oaks winners turned out to be more or less a one-horse race as sophomore Monomoy Girl (USA) (Tapizar {USA}) stalked and pounced to a one-length victory in Saturday’s G1 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
“It was a great trip,” said winning rider Florent Geroux, who had won four prior Breeders’ Cups, including last year’s Classic with Gun Runner (USA)(Candy Ride {ARG}).
“She was super-sharp. I was able to lay second off Wonder Gadot. I went to the lead past the three-furlong mark and from there she just kept on going all the way to the wire.
“This is a filly with great tactical speed and she loves to win. She’s just unbelievable.”
Pedigree Notes
Monomoy Girl is the first Breeders’ Cup winner for young sire Tapizar, himself the winner of the 2012 G1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
She is the first filly to complete the Oaks-Distaff double since Untapable (USA) (Tapit {USA}) completed the feat in 2014.
A $75,000 in utero purchase at KEENOV ’14, Monomoy Girl is out of a half-sister to Group winner Drum Major (USA) (Dynaformer {USA}). Her unraced 2-year-old full-brother Cowboy Diplomacy was a $175,000 FTKOCT yearling last season, while her Palace Malice now yearling half-brother was a $60,000 Keeneland November weanling.
Expert has his eye in
Juddmonte home-bred Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) finished with a flourish to provide Khalid Abdullah’s powerhouse operation with a first G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile and sixth Breeders’ Cup victory overall.
Expert Eye settled in the body of the field and got home strongly to down the John Sadler-trained Catapult (USA) (Kitten’s Joy {USA}).
“I’m thrilled with the win,” rider Frankie Dettori said. “Trainer Sir Michael Stoute deserves the credit for the training of the horse. He finished his race off so strongly.”
Pedigree Notes
Expert Eye is the first Breeders’ Cup winner for Acclamation (GB).
His second dam is a full-sister to stakes winner Sightseek (USA) (Distant View {USA}) and produced Europe’s champion 2-year-old filly Special Duty (GB) (Hennessy).
Expert Eye has an unraced 2-year-old half-sister named Clerisy (GB) (Kingman {GB}), a yearling half-brother by Dark Angel (IRE) and a weanling colt by Kingman (GB).
Roy’s the top boy
Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen’s reigning Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Roy H (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}) easily defended his G1 Twin Spires Breeders’ Cup Sprint title.
He was quickly into stride to race close to the speed and had no trouble asserting his superiority for a dominant victory.
“I loved my position early,” said jockey Paco Lopez, winning his first Breeders’ Cup event. “I let him go a little early and he started a big move.
“I knew they were going fast up front. I just had a really good ride from him.”
Pedigree Notes
Roy H, one of 23 worldwide Grade I-Group 1 winners and one of 190 black-type winners for his WinStar-based sire.
More Than Ready, standing at WinStar in the US and Vinery in Australia
His dam Elusive Diva (USA) (Elusive Quality {USA}) is a half-sister to Tropics (USA) (Speightstown {USA}) was a Group 3 winner and twice runner-up in the prestigious G1 Darley July Cup.
A $110,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $310,000 Keeneland April 2-Year-Old, Roy H dam was purchased for $75,000 by Calumet Farm in foal to Algorithms (USA) (Bernardini {USA}) at Keeneland November in 2013, was most recently bred to Mr. Z (USA) (Malibu Moon {USA}).
One sharp sister
Chad Brown saddled five horses in Saturday's GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup F/M Turf, and the adage strength in numbers proved accurate as Peter Brant's Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) out-kicked favoured European invader Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and her stablemate A Raving Beauty (Ger) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) to provide Brown with a record fourth victory in this event.
"We broke well and got a good position," said winning Hall of Fame pilot John Velazquez, who was celebrating his 16th Breeders' Cup win (behind only Mike Smith with 26).
Chad Brown, still only 39, is now tied for third all time with Aidan O'Brien with 12 Breeders' Cup wins.
"[Velazquez] showed once again why he's one of the all-time great riders," Brown said. "And he was aboard one of the great fillies that I've trained, for sure, up to this point."
Purchased from Mme Jacques Cygler before finishing second in last June's G1 Prix de Diane, Sistercharlie was soon transferred to Brown to finish a neck second behind stablemate and Breeders' Cup winner New Money Honey (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GI Belmont Oaks that July.
Pedigree Notes
Sistercharlie is the first Breeders' Cup winner for Myboycharlie. She is out of a placed daughter of 2000 GI Del Mar Oaks third placegetter Premiere Creation.
2-year-old Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a €340,000 Arqana August Yearling Sale who broke his maiden for Brant and Jean-Claude Rouget in France last week. Sistercharlie also has a yearling half brother by Charm Spirit (Ire), purchased for €400,000 at this year's August sale by Michel Zerolo's Oceanic Bloodstock, which also bought Sottsass, and a colt foal by Fastnet Rock.
Stormy Liberal in the Turf Sprint
Out to successfully defend his title in an interesting renewal of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen's Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic {USA}) clawed back favored World of Trouble (Kantharos) in the final few strides for back-to-back victories.
"He broke really sharp," said Drayden Van Dyke, riding his first Breeders' Cup winner. "I knew there were a few who were going to be a little bit faster than me. I bided my time and let them get by me. Stormy Liberal likes to hang on horses and not pass them, but he got him. It was awesome."
About a month after last year's Turf Sprint, many of Peter Miller's horses were caught up in the San Luis Rey wildfires, though Stormy Liberal had been sent to Hong Kong and was not among them.
Pedigree Notes
Stormy Liberal is one of seven Grade I winners and one of 105 black-type winners for his now 24-year-old sire Stormy Atlantic who resides at John Sikura's Hill 'n Dale Farm. Stormy Liberal's immediate female family has not only been successful at the track, with three siblings having earned black-type, but it has also been commercially appealing.
Stormy Liberal's G1 stakes placed full-brother Coast Guard was a $300,000 Keeneland September graduate in 2006, while Shimmering Moment, a stakes winner in Ireland and multiple graded-placed in this country, fetched $280,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. The stakes-placed Garifine was a $105,000 buy back at Keeneland September in 2005 before topping the 2006 OBS March Sale on a bid of $1.8 million from the late Buzz Chace.
Lighting up the Dirt Mile
City of Light (Quality Road) left the stalls running and never gave anybody else a chance posting a dominating performance, his third at the highest level, in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. It was 2 3/4 lengths back to Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}) in second. Bravazo (Awesome Again) was third.
"I let him break out of the gate a little bit with speed," Javier Castellano said. "He set the pace, and it worked out great for me today. He's a very special horse the way he did it today."
Pedigree Notes
City of Light, like Accelerate, slated to join on the Lane's End stallion roster upon retirement next year, becomes the third Breeders' Cup winner for leading young sire Quality Road off the heels of Caledonia Road (2017 Juvenile Fillies) and Hootenanny (2014 Juvenile Turf).
City of Light, a $710,000 KEESEP yearling and the most expensive of his sire's yearlings to sell in 2015, is bred on a similar cross to MGISW Abel Tasman (Quality Road).
City of Light is the final foal out of unraced Paris Notion, who was picked up for $52,000 by Ann Marie Farm as a Fasig-Tipton Summer yearling in 1999 and is a half-sister to 1997 GI Test S. heroine Fabulously Fast (Deputy Minister).
Winning Roses in the Filly & Mare Sprint
Shamrock Rose (First Dude), a late $130,000 Breeders' Cup supplement by Conrad Farms, unleashed a powerful, last-to-first stretch rally to reel in Chalon (Dialed In) in dramatic fashion by a head in the Filly & Mare Sprint.
Still with plenty left to do at the top of the stretch, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and Shamrock Rose began to knife their way through traffic and just got up in the final jump to pull off the upset.
"It was a tough race, but she's a good horse," said trainer Mark Casse after saddling his fifth career Breeders' Cup winner. "I told Irad I don't know if she's good enough, but she'll give you everything she has. And, she's good. It goes back to Allen Jerkens who always said 'Run them when they're good,' so we came back in two weeks."
Shamrock Rose is the first 3-year-old to defeat her elders in this race, which was inaugurated in 2007. This was the bay's first attempt versus older horses.
Pedigree Notes
Shamrock Rose, a $120,000 OBS April juvenile, became the first Grade I winner for First Dude in the F/M Sprint. Shamrock Rose is out of the unraced Elusive Quality mare Slew's Quality, a $35,000 KEENOV purchase in 2007 by Best A Luck Farm and a half-sister to French MGSW Slew the Red (Red Ransom).
