Matt Brocklebank kicks off our coverage of the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita with an early look at the long-range favourites for all 14 races.
We’re heading deep into Breeders’ Cup prep territory with a little over a month until the two-day festival which returns to Santa Anita for a record 10th time this season.
Some of the greatest thoroughbreds from all over the world will converge in Arcadia, California, on November 1 and 2 to race for north of $30,000,000 dollars in prize money.
We’ll have comprehensive coverage as we build towards the meeting and to get things started Matt Brocklebank, who is heading to California to cover the event for us, introduces you to the candidates who currently head the antepost markets.
Juvenile Turf Sprint
Kimari (11/2) – Wesley Ward
Just three starts to her name but Kimari is a familiar figure already on both sides of the pond, with the daughter of Munnings well touted for Royal Ascot following a blistering, 15-length debut win on on the Keeneland dirt back in April.
She put up a very brave show in the Queen Mary Stakes when going down just a head on rain-soaked going to Raffle Prize, who has since won at at Newmarket and finished a close second to Earthlight in the Prix Morny.
Kimari was a 2/9 shot back on home turf (Firm) in the Listed Bolton Landing Stakes in mid-August and didn’t disappoint with a four-length defeat of Abscond, who went on to beat Walk In Marrakesh a nose in the Group One Natalma Stakes at Woodbine.
This is clearly one very fast filly.
Juvenile Fillies Turf
Daahyeh (6/1) – Roger Varian
Chad Brown has bossed this contest since its inception in 2008, winning five times including the last three editions.
He’s got a couple of once-raced fillies lurking on the periphery but for the time being it’s the three Euros – namely Daahyeh, Love and Living In The Past – who dominate the antepost book.
Daahyeh just about edges favouritism at this stage, primarily due to the fact Roger Varian nominated this event as her likely target following a creditable second to Love in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh over Irish Champions Weekend.
That could all change if Aidan O’Brien confirms Love an intended starter, but Daahyeh does have some very strong sprint form in the book already and the move up to seven furlongs didn’t hurt her progression at the Curragh.
Genuinely fast ground, almost guaranteed in California at this time of year, might be a slight negative for the daughter of Bated Breath.
Juvenile
Dennis’ Moment (5/1) – Dale Romans
Dennis’ Moment has made great strides since unseating his rider Robby Albarado on debut at Churchill Downs in June. He clipped heels there in a nasty incident that saw the jockey ruled out with a broken wrist.
There was no such trouble for the son of Tiznow on his second start when romping away with an Ellis Park maiden, after which his trainer Dale Romans was already drawing comparisons with the yard’s 2016 BC Juvenile runner-up Not This Time.
Dennis’ Moment took in the same prep race as Not This Time – the Grade Three Iroquois Stakes – and the result was the same too, a convincing victory.
He’s a fascinating shipper from Louisville but will no doubt face some fearsome local hopes including Bob Baffert’s Eight Rings, who himself has to recover from unseating his rider when last seen on September 3. No doubt that one will be running again before the big day, with Saturday's American Pharoah Stakes a distinct possibility.
Juvenile Fillies
Bast (4/1) – Bob Baffert
On the subject of Baffert, it’s 12 years since his most recent winner of the Juvenile Fillies with Indian Blessing, but he holds a couple of aces heading into this year’s edition of the main Future Stars Friday event for the females.
Immediate Impact made a big impression at a small price when winning her maiden special weight at Del Mar at the back end of July, but there is more flesh on the bones of Bast’s Santa Anita credentials.
She’s a daughter of 2010 Juvenile hero Uncle Mo and evidently improved for the move up from five and a half furlongs and fitting of blinkers when steaming to victory in the Del Mar Debutant.
That triumph came over seven furlongs where she promised to handle a mile comfortably, so there’s loads to look forward to ahead of her crack at Friday's Chandelier Stakes over a mile and half a furlongs.
All being well there and in her subsequent work, she’s the kind of filly you’ll see shorten up significantly in the betting over the coming weeks.
Juvenile Turf
Arizona (8/1) – Aidan O’Brien
It has paid to focus on the Europeans in this event – from the 12 runnings only three have gone to American trainers.
No man has bettered Aidan O’Brien’s four victories and he’ll no doubt be strongly represented once again (subsequent Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck was his sole runner last year).
There are any number of potential candidates from Ballydoyle but Arizona makes a good deal of sense having been campaigned at a very high level and won the Group Two Coventry Stakes.
He’s perhaps not quite been in the same form in two starts since then but it would be quite typical of O’Brien to ease off ever so slightly with a horse like him, especially if Santa Anita in early-November has been on the agenda for a while.
There’s every chance it has been for the son of No Nay Never, a horse cruelly denied when second to Bobby’s Kitten in the 2014 Turf Sprint at the same course.