This race is for Three-Year-Olds and upward who are out to battle for a $5,000,000.00 purse.
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In addition to the $721.50 Korksa won on his bets on designated Breeders’ Cup prep races placed via TwinSpires.com on October 3-4, the veteran postal worker also won a $1,000 travel stipend to attend the World Championships October 30-31 at Keeneland in Lexington plus a $10,000 win bet on the Classic.
Baffert and the Zayats credit Espinoza with doing the little things that carried American Pharoah through a solid, consistent campaign that required multiple cross-country flights.
American racegoers will be sad to see him go – none more so than his trainer Bob Baffert.
The Breeders’ Cup, a 13-race meeting worth a total of more than $26 million, will be run on Friday and Saturday. Pre-race chatter has of course been dominated by American Pharoah and Beholder, and deservedly so. Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride the Dale Romans trained colt.
The Richard Mandella-trained 5-year-old mare, scheduled to be ridden by Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, was rated second at 3-1 in the morning line.
Ballydoyle youngster Hit It A Bomb breaks from stall 14 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Friday, with stablemate Shogun in stall four. Though the crush will be significant, she’s not bringing on extra staff to handle it. “You just do what you do normally, have fun with it and hope everyone enjoys the experience”.
European top miler Gleneagles will be Pharaoh’s main challenger, with Honor Code, Keen Ice and Tonalist also set to be competitive.
The five-year-old Beholden has won all five of her starts this season. He should be making a bid late down the stretch if he can stay just off the early pace. Beholder drew the far outside No.10 post for her second start against males. This would be the first defeat for American Pharoah since his debut as a two-year-old in August of 2014. If Beholder chooses to mount the initial challenge to Pharoah Frosted may be lurking and ready to take advantage of a tiring Pharoah who he has not yet been able to beat.
Ballydoyle’s prized asset will be up against an awesome foe in American Triple Crown victor American Pharoah, who has been draw in stall four in the 10-runner field.
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Assuming they make their respective races, Judy the Beauty, Bobby’s Kitten, Untapable, Twilight Eclipse, Private Zone and Artemis Agrotera will be running in their third straight Breeders’ Cup. Following a short van ride essentially across the road, American Pharoah was bedded down in Barn 62 of Keeneland’s Rice Road stabling area, where all the Breeders’ Cup horses are housed.
