There was some mention of the Breeders’ Cup after City Of Troy lit up Newmarket at the weekend – just not the 2023 event in under three weeks’ time. Here’s our latest update on matters arising
As this slot is designed to provide a Breeders’ Cup update and matters arising pertinent to the two-day extravaganza just under three weeks hence, it might seem rather perverse to begin this week’s offering with a horse who won’t be appearing at Santa Anita on November 3-4.
But we’re no slaves to convention here – so please step forward City Of Troy, the brilliant Aidan O’Brien-trained colt who took his unbeaten record to three in the Dewhurst Stakes, the highlight of Newmarket’s ‘Future Champions Weekend’ on Saturday [Oct 14].
The son of Triple Crown winner Justify is finished for the season after a 3½-length victory on soft ground he clearly disliked – a performance greeted with a blizzard of gushing hype and enough to ensure he is short-priced favourite for next year’s British Classics. They’re even talking about City Of Troy attempting his own Triple Crown in the UK – a feat not achieved (and rarely attempted) since Nijinsky in 1970.
All well and good, I hear you cry, but what on earth has this got to do with the Breeders’ Cup? Not much as far as 2023 is concerned, as Santa Anita was never on the cards for City Of Troy – but such is the draw of the US championship that his owners are already mentioning the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar as a long-range target.
“I think maybe, the way he is bred, the Breeders’ Cup Classic next year or the year after would be a dream,” said joint-owner Michael Tabor.
Admittedly, Tabor wasn’t making any noticeable attempt at measured comment in the post-race debriefs: “He really is our Frankel,” he said. “Maybe down the line we'll have egg on our face, but I like to talk before the event and I really feel this horse could be anything.”
And fair play to him for that. Even allowing for Coolmore’s long-term fondness for the BC Classic, it is rare indeed to hear connections of a leading European turf juvenile looking at such a long-range ambition.
Of course, there’s a lot of water to cross the Atlantic before City Of Troy crosses the Atlantic – let’s get him to the 2000 Guineas and the Derby in one piece first. But still worth knowing that people are going seriously mad in Europe about this animal.
‘The best two-year-old I’ve trained’ – Aidan O’Brien on European rankings leader City Of Troy
Latest smoke signals from Ballydoyle, by the way, suggest that River Tiber and Unquestionable will be among the two-year-olds on the plane to California – presumably alongside leading juvenile filly Opera Singer.
“River Tiber came out of the Middle Park well, but we just feel there is more to come from him,” said O’Brien, speaking to the Racing Post. “If he runs again this year it could be in America for the Breeders' Cup. It's the same story with Unquestionable. We were delighted with the way he ran in France."
Now then, while we’re on the subject of horses who won’t be appearing at Santa Anita, can’t let this week go by without mention of the wonderful veteran US turfer Channel Maker. The front-running nine-year-old will be breaking the habit of a lifetime by not running at Santa Anita, as he has been retired – after 56 races, four G1 wins and a record six runs at the Breeders’ Cup.
The show will go on, of course – but also without two of its potential leading ladies in Echo Zulu and Highfield Princess, both of whom were at the forefront of markets for their respective races.
Echo Zulu, winner of nine of her 11 career starts, has undergone surgery to repair two broken sesamoids in her near foreleg. “As long as she stays alive, I'll be OK,” said trainer Steve Asmussen, speaking to the Blood Horse.
There’s nothing amiss with BC Turf Sprint market leader Highfield Princess but connections of the Prix de l’Abbaye winner prefer a trip to Sha Tin for the Hong Kong Sprint in December. “We thought about it long and hard and there were a number of things,” said trainer John Quinn, speaking to the Daily Mirror. “The Breeders’ Cup is round a sharp turn and Hong Kong also gives us some extra time.”
After all this, it is probably time we got to a horse who is actually likely to run. Godolphin’s 1000 Guineas heroine Mawj is in line for Santa Anita after a winning comeback in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland.
The Godolphin homebred hadn’t been seen since her Newmarket Classic success in early May, so this was decent effort to make all under Oisin Murphy, thereby providing trainer Saeed Bin Suroor with his 500th Group/Graded-stakes victory.
Mind you, it has been a long time between drinks at the Breeders’ Cup for Bin Suroor, whose most recent winner was Vale of York in 2009. Then again, it is hard to get a drink if you rarely visit the bar – and the trainer has saddled only one runner in the last decade.
As for Mawj, she is set to run in the BC Mile rather than the Filly & Mare Turf and the Mile. “If she stayed against the fillies it would be a mile and a quarter and a mile is the best trip for her, she’s proved that,” explained Bin Suroor, speaking to Attheraces.com
“Because she’s a tough filly she stayed nine furlongs at the weekend but the Mile is for her. She’s a top-class filly – she’s not very big so the two turns over a mile will suit her.”
QEII runner-up Lindy, who was running down the leader in the final furlong, is also being considered for the Filly & Mare Turf. Trainer Brendan Walsh is also pointing Kentucky Oaks victress Pretty Mischievous to the Distaff; according to the Daily Racing Form, barnmate Austere goes for the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Brad Cox says defending champ Caravel is still in line for the BC Turf Sprint after an odds-on defeat to Tony Ann at Keeneland in the G2 Franklin. “Good run – just came up a touch short,” he said. “Breeders’ Cup is definitely still something we are pointing towards. We’ll see how she comes out of this race and go from there.”
The Japanese BC contingent continues to grow on a daily basis as they bid to supplement the gains of that historic double the last time the BC was held on the west coast in 2021.
Five-year-old Meikel Yell (Hidenori Take/Kenichi Ikezoe) will run in either the Filly & Mare Sprint (on dirt) or the Turf Sprint. Summer Sprint Series champion Jasper Krone (Hideyuki Mori/Yuga Kawada) is headed for the BC Sprint, with stablemate Ecoro Neo set for the Juvenile.
A big weekend at Newmarket did not produce much of BC significance, although useful three-year-old filly Matilda Picotte is still in the mix after winning the G2 Challenge Stakes. She is speedy and trainer Kieran Cotter has described her as a “Group 1 winner in waiting” but this wasn’t a strong race for the grade, run on soft ground as well.
“She is a horse of a lifetime,” said Cotter. “Without a doubt this is my biggest winner, but it is hard to get horses when you have a small yard. There is the Breeders’ Cup, but who knows we will go home and have a think about it.”
Reports of workouts for various US-based contenders – and future stud plans – have dominated the domestic news scene in the last few days. Not least involving BC Classic favourite Arcangelo, who had a roll in the sand at Santa Anita – plus a five-furlong solo spin – and will go Lane’s End upon his retirement.
In other BC Classic news, Saudi Crown’s connections confirmed the Penn Derby winner will take his chance in the $6m event rather than the Dirt Mile (or indeed, missing out altogether). Lukas Classic winner Clapton also has the green light – though with so many names being bandied about for America’s richest race, whether he gets in the main body of a potential overflow field is another matter.
• Visit the Breeders’ Cup website and the Breeders’ Cup Challenge web page
Keep your eyes peeled: it’s all about to happen on the Breeders’ Cup front – across three continents
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Watch out world! Aidan’s already after the Breeders’ Cup Turf with dual Derby hero Auguste Rodin
View the latest TRC Global Rankings for horses / jockeys / trainers