Smith Extends Lead in Breeders’ Cup Victories
Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, 49, extended his lead for Breeders’ Cup victories with one win to bring his total to 21. His victory came in the DraftKings Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint with Judy the Beauty.
Three jockeys won their first Breeders’ Cup races with Stephane Pasquier capturing the Breeders’ Cup Mile aboard Karakontie, Florent Geroux scoring with Work All Week in the Xpressbet Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Irad Ortiz Jr. taking the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with Lady Eli.
Pasquier and Geroux won with their first mounts.
Four Trainers Get First Breeders’ Cup Wins
Four winners of the 13 Breeders’ Cup races over the weekend were greeted by trainers winning their first Championships test, two of them with their first starter.
Winning with their first starters were Roger Brueggemann (Work All Week – Xpressbet Breeders’ Cup Sprint) and Leandro Mora (Goldencents – Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile). Other first-time winners in 2014 were Keith Desormeaux (Texas Red – Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile) and Wesley Ward, who won twice with Judy the Beauty (Filly & Mare Sprint) and Hootenanny (Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf).
The leader board for victories among trainers underwent only minor changes with only D. Wayne Lukas and Bob Baffert adding to their totals. Lukas earned his record 20th Championship win with Take Charge Brandi in the 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies while Baffert picked up his 11th tally with Bayern in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Breeders’ Cup Repeat Winners
W.C. Racing’s 4yo Goldencents went into the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Championships as one of five previous winners of a Breeders’ Cup race to compete and emerged as the lone winner when he went wire-to-wire to win the Dirt Mile Friday under regular jockey Rafael Bejarano.
The son of Into Mischief scored by 1¾ lengths to give trainer Leandro Moro his first Breeders’ Cup winner after serving as assistant to Doug O’Neill when the colt scored last year over the same Santa Anita track and distance.
Also Friday, Christopher Dunn and partners’ 3yo filly Ria Antonio, winner of the Juvenile Fillies last year (on disqualification of She’s a Tiger), stepped up to the Longines Distaff and finished a respectable fourth behind favorite Untapable
Mike Pegram and partners’ 5yo Secret Circle finished second to longshot Work All Week Saturday after capturing that race last year for trainer Bob Baffert. The son of Eddington also won the 2011 edition of the short-lived Juvenile Sprint at Churchill Downs.
Two former Breeders’ Cup winners went to the post for the Filly & Mare Turf. James Wigan’s 5yo mare Dank won the race here last year for trainer Sir Michael Stoute and ran well to finish third Saturday behind Dayatthespa. Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s 5yo mare Stephanie’s Kitten won the 2011 edition of the Juvenile Fillies when trained Wayne Catalano and finished a game second Saturday to give trainer Chad Brown a one-two sweep.
A possible sixth returning champion was Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s 4yo Magician, who was set to defend his title in the Longines Turf for trainer Aidan O’Brien, but was forced to miss his chance after being withdrawn early last week because of lameness. The son of Galileo will now take up stud duty at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Lexington, Ky.
Breeders’ Cup Stars from Coast-to-Coast and World Wide
The 13 Breeders’ Cup World Championships winners Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita converged from major racing centers from coast-to-coast and Europe. The three resident California trainee winners were led by Classic hero Bayern, preceded by Goldenscents in theDirt Mile Friday and Texas Red earlier Saturday in the Sentient Jet Juvenile.
Five winners trained and/or raced in New York for the most part, led by trainer Chad Brown’s triple tally with Lady Eli (Juvenile Fillies Turf), Dayatthespa (Filly & Mare Turf) and Bobby’s Kitten (Turf Sprint).
Trainer Graham Motion sent out 5yo gelding Main Sequence to post his fourth straight Grade 1 score, one at Monmouth Park and two in New York, while based at Fair Hill training center in northern Maryland.
The outstanding 3yo filly Untapable began her campaign with two victories at Fair Grounds in New Orleans before capturing the Kentucky Oaks for trainer Steve Asmussen and spent the late spring and summer training at Saratoga. She shipped to Santa Anita early after victory in the Cotillion Stakes at Parx on Sept. 20.
Trainer Wesley Ward’s two winners (Hootenanny (Juvenile Turf) and Judy the Beauty (Filly & Mare Sprint) spent the bulk of the season at Keeneland in Kentucky while D. Wayne Lukas had Take Charge Brandi (Juvenile Fillies) at Churchill Downs with the exception of some time at Saratoga during the summer. Sprint winner Work All Week was based at Arlington International Racecourse.
The European team near 30-strong had another successful foray to Santa Anita with French-trained Karakontie, the first Japanese-bred to win a Breeders’ Cup race, leading a one-two-three finish in the Mile and a solid showing by England’s Toast of New York as runner-up in the Classic behind Bayern for trainer Jamie Osborne and Flintshire second in the Turf for French legend Andre Fabre.
More Breeders’ Cup World Championships Odds and Ends
The highest priced winner this year was Take Charge Brandi (61.70-1) in the Juvenile Fillies.
Breeders’ Cup World Championships Leading Jockeys (by earnings) Jockey Earnings Mike Smith* $26,904,260 Pat Day $23,033,360 John Velazquez* $22,467,930 Jerry Bailey $22,006,440 Garrett Gomez $20,365,600 Gary Stevens* $18,758,910 *Denotes Active Jockey
Breeders’ Cup World Championships Leading Jockeys (by wins) Jockey Wins Mike Smith* 21 Jerry Bailey 15 Garrett Gomez 13 John Velazquez* 13 Pat Day 12 Frankie Dettori* 11 Corey Nakatani* 10 Gary Stevens* 10 *Denotes Active Jockey
Breeders’ Cup World Championships Leading Trainers (by earnings) Trainer Earnings D. Wayne Lukas* $22,580,520 Bob Baffert* $17,375,000 Bill Mott* $16,556,210 Aidan O’Brien* $14,873,520 Todd Pletcher* $14,309,650 Bobby Frankel $13,242,050 *Denotes Active Trainer
Breeders’ Cup World Championships Leading Trainers (by win) Trainer Wins D. Wayne Lukas* 20 Bob Baffert* 11 Shug McGaughey* 9 Bill Mott* 9 Richard Mandella* 8 Aidan O’Brien* 8 Todd Pletcher* 7 Neil Drysdale* 6 Bobby Frankel 6 Sir Michael Stoute* 6 *Denotes Active Trainer
Jockeys Who Won Their First Breeders’ Cup World Championships race in 2014 Jockey Horse Race Florent Geroux* Work All Week Sprint Stephane Pasquier* Karakontie (JPN) Turf Irad Ortiz Jr. Lady Eli Juvenile Fillies Turf
*Denotes First Breeders’ Cup Mount
Trainers Who Won Their First Breeders’ Cup World Championships race in 2014 Trainer Horse Race Roger Brueggemann Work All Week Sprint Leandro Mora Goldencents Dirt Mile Keith Desormeaux Texas Red Juvenile Wesley Ward Hootenanny Juvenile Turf *Denotes First Breeders’ Cup Starter
Next year
The 32nd Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be held Friday-Saturday, Oct. 30-31, 2015 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky.
