“We’re all up against it (against California Chrome) but we don’t know how good Arrogate is”.
Advertisement
As if Found wasn’t enough firepower, O’Brien will also send out Highland Reel, the Arc runner-up.
CHROME, Tepin and the rest may be playing catch-up when they appear on Saturday as some believe the real star of this year’s Breeders’ Cup is in action in the Distaff on Friday night.
A formidable challenge to California Chrome should come from the late-developing 3-year-old Arrogate, who stormed to victory by a staggering 13 1/2 lengths in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in August after setting a track record.
“As you can see, he loves to play”, the 79-year-old trainer said Wednesday.
In celebration of the Breeders’ Cup, NYRA Bets is offering an exclusive $300 “Bet & Get” sign-up bonus for all new sign ups between October 24 and November 6. “If given the opportunity to do that, I think we’re going to see something special”. He’s a superstar right now.
“It’s quite a thing that we both wind up with the best horses in the country”, Sherman said.
Not in dispute is the fact that Chrome is certainly on top of career earnings for active horses on almost $17.5m.
A win in the Classic, where he is the even-money morning-line favorite, could bring his career earnings just over $17 million.
One of the blank spots on the California-bred’s sterling resume involves the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Bob Baffert, who trained Pharoah, could spoil the show with second-choice Arrogate, who won the Travers by 13 1/2 lengths.
Likely favourite Spain Burg is now trained in America by Kathy Ritvo, having won the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket for Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte when ridden by Frankie Dettori. 1-Lancaster Bomber (6-1), another son of War Front, has faced stiff competition over the pond suffering three straight losses to the highly regarded Churchill. Joseph O’Brien could become the youngest trainer of a Cup victor. He calls Los Alamitos, the track just on the fringe of Orange County, home. “He should appreciate firm turf. It’s for (US) $4m”. “I already know pretty much how all the horses in the Classic run”. He’s ideal going 1 ¼-mile, and he’s flawless at Santa Anita.
“They’re straightforward both of them”, O’Brien said.
“That said, Rodaini didn’t really get the chance to show what he’s capable of in his last outing so I’d be willing to look beyond that run and hope for a better performance this time around”.
“She’s doing really terrific”, Brown said. Prat was unavailable to ride and John Velazquez took the assignment in the Grade I race.
So are most jockeys, when it comes to chasing “Big Money Mike”. There have been more wire-to-wire winners at Santa Anita than any other Breeders’ Cup site.
First Breeders’ Cup race 5:25 p.m.
The gaudiest record on display this weekend belongs to Songbird.
California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) will go postward as a deserved short-priced favorite in Saturday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, but connections of nine rivals are hoping to spoil the chestnut champion’s ideal season in the $6-million race. “She’s ready for something like this”. Top female Beholder (winner of 2013’s Breeder’s Cup Distaff) is facing off against fellow Eclipse Award winners Songbird (undefeated in her career) and Stellar Wind, who bested Beholder in July’s Clement L. Hirsch Stakes. “The race will be dictated by pace, as all races are”.
Asked if he wanted to weigh in on the debate, O’Brien said: “No”.
“He’s straightforward and, tactically, he’s a great horse”. Still, Songbird could be an all-time great.
Advertisement
As the traditional Thanksgiving Day feature, the Grade 3, $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap for sprinters 3-and-up will get the holiday week’s racing action underway on Thursday, November 24.
