This year’s Breeder’s Cup World Championships lived up to all the expectations and drama. The two day event had its share of stories, many quite surprising. What was “billed” as a showcase for the ladies and “over hyped” three year old colt, fell somewhat short of expectations. Even my prediction of a “euro” sweep in the turf races was a little bit off. But, one thing is for sure…..if you had the “right” horse on either day, you were quite well rewarded.
The six races on Friday, started out very good in the recently added “new” race; the Juvenile Sprint with an “odds-on” favorite winning from well known connections. One of three “cold” exactas chosen by me came out with Secret Circle at 2-5, dusting a field of young runners sprinting. I tabbed the European filly for second; Shumoos at 15-1. It was a modest $28 exacta and got the day off to a good start. After the next two races with longshots that I didn’t figure, we saw great performance from the two year old filly star; My Miss Aurelia. She remained undefeated with a score over another classy two year old filly; Grace Hall. It look’s like again next year that the “girls” will be the highlight makers with this performance. We ended Friday with an impossible longshot winning and a champion three year old filly that could make a slight case for Horse of the Year honors. In the Filly and Mare Turf, once again this year we had a longshot in Perfect Shirl victorious. Winless in 2011, she was one of two Woodbine shippers to do well during the weekend. In the “Ladies” Classic, it was another “cold” exacta picked by myself when Royal Delta bested fellow three year old; It’s Tricky ($32). With that victory, Royal Delta wrapped up top three year & older filly and mare championship honors.
The card on Saturday was a lesson of the “hard to come up with” horses with a parade of longshot winners. It started with the Marathon , were another “winless” horse for 2011 won the race. Rank outsider; Afleet Again paid $85 to win and was the first of many high price runners to score on the second championship day. My top pick in the Juvenile Turf (Wrote $25.20) got the Europeans finally in the win column. If you told me that the winner of the Turf Sprint would have been the ONLY winning favorite on the card Saturday, I wouldn’t have believed you. But, Regally Ready got the job done at just over 2-1.
My big score of the day was in the Dirt Mile, where the two three year olds that I picked ran one/ two for a $112.80 exacta. Caleb’s Posse, the only two-time grade I three year old winner this year, defeated Preakness longshot; Shackleford going away in the stretch. His effort was the most impressive of any on the 15 race Breeder’s Cup card either day. It was quite the “feel good” story with St. Nicholas Abbey won the Turf with trainer Aidan O’Brien’s eighteen year old son; Joseph aboard. Upset in the Juvenile was in order when the nearly “white” colt; Hansen ran away from the field and held off the very wide late charge of the even money favorite; Union Rags.
But, the “out of left field” or no chance in my book winner of the day was in the Turf Mile. With Goldikova and Gio Ponti the headliners, it was 64-1 longshot; Court Vision scoring with the second biggest upset in Breeder’s Cup history. I wrote about this horse in my first column of 2009 and said that he would be a “future” champion on grass. He never panned out that year or last year and saved the “future” prediction for today, long after I gave up on him and scored at this monster price. The parade of longshots lead up to the main event; the Breeder’s Cup Classic. Here it was to be a showdown of Havre de Grace and Uncle Mo. Instead it was between former jockeys in a relationship. Drosselmeyer who won the 2010 Belmont Stakes ran down Game On Dude at the wire and gave Mike Smith the victory over his former girlfriend; Chantal Sutherland. Once again, I had the wrong Bill Mott horse, as I liked To Honor and Serve in the race. It was a fitting end to a very pricey racing day where the "illogical "longshots won the championship races.
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