Tough Classic field awaits top horses

By RICHARD LINIHAN Horse Racing - 11/7/2009


IT'S BREEDERS' CUP Saturday for the 26th year in a row.

On horse racing's richest day, the leading candidate for Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra, is not in attendance.

If Zenyatta wins her 14th race in a row to win the Breeders' Cup Classic against some of the toughest male horses in the world at a distance she has never run before, voters should make her the champion not only for her record, but also to send a message to owners who sit on their laurels and don't run their horse on the sport's greatest day.

Having said that, I really don't think voters are going to have to worry about choosing between the great mare and the great filly.

This is the deepest, toughest field that Zenyatta has ever faced and she has never seen a mile and a quarter before. It reminds me of the Breeders' Cup held at Lone Star Park near Dallas in 2004 when 2002 Horse of the Year, the superstar mare Azeri, tried to take on such great males as 2003 Classic winner Pleasantly Perfect, 2004 Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone, 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper and nine horses in the field were millionaires. Azeri couldn't get the job done.

This year the Classic field includes 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine that Bird; Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird; America's toughest turf horse, Gio Ponti; Europe's second-best horse overall, Rip Van Winkle and nine millionaires.

So let's take a look at today's races with my picks, starting with:

Breeders' Cup Classic: No. 10 Rip Van Winkle. He was beaten only a length by Sea of Stars, the only horse in the history of racing to win the 2000 Guinneas, the Epsom Derby and the Arc. Best horse in Europe and he is already retired to stud. My favorite long shot in the race is another European, No. 5 Twice Over. All he has done is win three races in a row coming into this and could make this a 1-2 Euro finish just like last year on Santa Anita's Pro Ride synthetic dirt surface. America's top hope for me is No. 7 Gio Ponti simply because turf horses seem to take to this surface with aplomb.

Don't forget about Awesome Gem, who figures to be somewhere between 30-1 and 50-1. All he has done is run third at 28-1 in the 2007 Classic and finished in the top four of six of his last eight.

The Turf: No. 7 Spanish Moon. This looks like a two-horse race between this one and No. 2 Conduit, who won this race last year. I'll try Spanish Moon because he has won at this distance four of six times and comes in off a two-race win streak in France, including a Group 1 race, which is comparable to the same class as today. My third choice is No. 6 Presious Passion, who should be the controlling speed out front for quite a ways in this race. He has had 10- and 20-length early leads in two of his last three starts.

The Dirt Mile: No. 1 Mastercraftsman. He also was only one length behind Sea of Stars overseas. Looks like a solid single in multiple-race wagers today. Use long shots, No. 5 Neko Bay and No. 9 Chocolate Candy with him.

The Turf Mile: No. 11 Goldikova. Another that appears to be a solid single in the Pick 3, 4, 5, and 6's. She won last year and looks just as tough if not tougher in 2009. Behind her, try No. 10 Justenuffhumor and No. 3 Cowboy Cal.

The Juvenile: No. 4 Noble's Promise. Trainer Ken McPeek has a barn full of excellent 2-year-olds this year that could be prominent in next year's Kentucky Derby run. This is one of them. Even though second pick, No. 13 Lookin At Lucky is four for four in his career, posts 12 and 13 at Santa Anita are 0-for-28 at this distance the past two years. Third choice is No. 1 Alfred Nobel.

The Sprint: No. 5 Gayego is a sprinting record-setter, loves this track and has the nation's top jockey Garrett Gomez, who knows Santa Anita like he knows a dollar bill. No. 3 Fatal Bullet ran second last year to two-time Sprint winner Midnight Lute. Third pick Zensational is the morning line favorite at 7-5 and is five for six on synthetic surfaces.

The Turf Sprint: No. 1 Noble Court, No. 7 Gotta Have Her, and No. 3 California Flag.

The Juvenile Turf: No. 4 Pounced, No. 9 Kera's Kitten, and No. 8 King Ledley.



Richard Linihan is the marketing director for Fair Meadows in Tulsa.




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