Buy TicketsBy Matt Shifman and Bob Ehalt
1st race – [OC 50k/N1X, 1 1/16mi TURF] – (12) Twirling Point drops in for a tag for the first time with a 2024 stakes victory showing along with a couple of starts in graded stakes. Blinkers go on. (6) Kansas Cat has a pair of allowance second-place finishes since a four-month layoff. (5) Monterey Bay ships west for Wesley Ward with a couple of strong performances at Woodbine during the summer since he is an Ontario-bred. (1) One of These Days won a starter allowance at Santa Anita three weeks ago.
2nd race – [OC 50k/N1X, 6F] – (1) Ghost of Midnight was claimed for $50,000 from a closing victory to give this 7-year-old his sixth win from nine starts. (12) Red Flag drops in for a tag where in the past he was a winner each time and gets significant class relief. (14) Bostontonian is undefeated in four career starts. Last year he won a New York-bred stakes and a starter allowance at Keeneland. (3) Wayne the Brain has raced only at Del Mar where he won a maiden special weight and an allowance.
3rd race – [The Goldikova (G3), 1 mi TURF] - (3) Special Wan won a pair of Grade 3s since March with a third in the Just A Game (G1) at Saratoga in June. (2) Deep Satin won the De La Rose at Saratoga and then was second in the Ballston Spa (G2) before getting fourth in the First Lady (G1) last month at Keeneland. (5) Medoro won a restricted stakes at Del Mar this summer after a seven month layoff. In September she was second in the Mabee (G2). (9) Breath Away won the Violet at Monmouth Park and the Dance Smartly (G2) at Woodbine last month.
4th race - [Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), 7F] – (6) Sweet Azteca is the winner of 7 out of 9 starts at distances ranging from six furlongs to a mile. She won both of her starts at Del Mar including the Rancho Bernardo (G3) in August. (8) Hope Road won the seven-furlong Ballerina (G1) at Saratoga and has only had two races where she missed the top three from 12 races. (4) Tamara returned from a long layoff to win the Chilingworth (G3) at Santa Anita. As a 2-year-old she won her first two races at Del Mar including the Debutante (G1). (10) Praying is in the best form of her career with two graded stakes wins with the Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) at Keeneland in her first start against older horses.
5th race – [Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1), 5F TURF] – (1) Motorious was last in a field of 12 after a troubled start at Del Mar in August and rallied boldly to miss by a neck but was moved up to first by disqualification. (2) Reef Runner was the one that got moved down from the win with the top choice. He came back to win the Eddie D (G2) at Santa Anita. (8) Ag Bullet continues to battle with the guys as she did last year in this race when she missed by a neck. She won her last two starts including the Jaipur (G1). (4) Khaadem is a Group 1 winner at Royal Ascot who also won the Woodford (G2) at Keeneland a few weeks ago.
6th race – [Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1),6F] - (7) Imagination impressed in his victory in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) following an eight-month layoff. Was that an outlier effort or can he take another step forward? (10) Bentornato was second in the Sprint last year and came back from 10 months off to win at Churchill Downs in September with a very fast performance. (1) Kopion will take on the guys in the Sprint which is probably a commentary on a division that has lacked any consistency this year. (12) Straight No Chaser defends his Sprint victory which was followed by a big money win in Saudi Arabia. He was third behind the top choice in his comeback start.
7th race – [Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), 1 1/8 mi] – (3) Clicquot is riding a four-race winning streak going from a maiden win at Keeneland in the spring to the Cotillion (G1). She finds a Distaff field missing its two expected stars. (8) Seismic Beauty won the Clement Hirsch (G1) at Del Mar in August which was her third victory in a row. (13) Regaled had a break-through performance when she won the Delaware Handicap (G3) and should be running late. (1) Nitrogen has six wins and only top three finishes in her 11 starts including a head defeat in the Spinster against older horses.
8th race – [Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), 1 ½ mi TURF] – (1) Rebel’s Romance will try and win the turf for the third time with Grade and Group 1 wins in his last two starts. He returns to Del Mar as the ninth ranked lifetime money winner in North America with $14.4 million. (8) Minnie Hauk is a 3-year-old filly that missed winning the Arc de Triomphe (G1) by a head after having the lead in the stretch. (4) Redistricting is the best American runner in the field for Chad Brown. He was second behind the top choice at Aqueduct in the Turf Classic (G1). (3) Amiloc won a Group 2 at Royal Ascot and then was second in the Irish St. Leger (G1) in September.
9th race – [Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), 1 ¼ mi] – (7) Sierra Leone will try and become only the second in history to win the Classic for the second time. Chad Brown has been pointing his horse for the Classic since he returned to the races in March. (1) Fierceness shipped out to Del Mar to win the Pacific Classic beating Journalism and was second in the Classic last year. (8) Mindframe has had a great year aside from his problems in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). He won the Churchill Downs (G1) and the Stephen Foster (G1) where he beat the top choice. (2) Baeza will have to take a step forward to win the Classic in his first try against older horses but should be full of run down the stretch. (6) Sovereignty is SCRATCHED after developing a fever.
10th race – [Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), 1 mi TURF] – (2) Notable Speech just missed winning a Group 1 at Deauville by a head and then won the Woodbine Mile (G1) after a wide trip. (3) Sahlan is in top career form with a pair of wins in France in Group 3 at Deauville and then a Group 1 at Longchamps both at a mile. (4) The Lion In Winter was second in the QE II (G1) at Ascot two weeks ago and was third by a neck in a Group 1 at Longchamp. (11) Rhetorical moved up the ladder with four races in a row from a pair of allowances, a NY-bred stakes, and a month ago in the Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland.
11th race – [Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), 1 mi] – (3) Nysos is a neck shy of being undefeated in six career starts with a 10 length debut and four graded stakes victories. In July he prepped at Del Mar and won the San Diego (G2) by almost three lengths. (4) Mystik Dan will head west for the first time after regaining his best form that won him the 2024 Kentucky Derby, the Blame (G3), and the Lukas Classic (G2). (6) Full Serrano defends his victory in this race last year at Del Mar. He shows the same race pattern as trainer John Sadler used last year. (10) White Abarrio won the BC Classic in 2023 and the Pegasus World Cup this year, but it has become hard to predict his performance but shows a series of very fast works in Florida.
12th race – [Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1), 1 3/8 mi TURF] – (13) She Feels Pretty has the best chance for an American horse to win one of the turf races on Saturday. She is a four-time Grade 1 winner and has never finished out of the top three. (5) Gezora is a 3-year-old filly that tried the Arc on a soft turf course but before that she had a second and a win in Group 1 races in France for American owner Peter Brant. (6) Diamond Rain finished a head behind the top choice in the EP Taylor (G1) at Woodbine in August for trainer Charlie Appleby. (9) Cinderella’s Dream was second in this Breeders’ Cup race last year as a 3-year-old. Since then, she is a Group 1 and 2 winner in England this year having faced much stronger competition.
Pick 3 Special:
In the Breeders’ Cup races 10-12 include the Mile, Dirt Mile, and the Filly & Mare Turf. $1 Pick 3 2, 3, 4, 11 with 3, 4, 6, 10 with 13 = $16.