Racing News

Godolphin Racing's Imperia, winner of the Pilgrim Stakes (gr. IIIT) in his previous start, drew post 11 in a field of 14 2-year-olds entered for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT) Oct. 31 at Santa Anita Park.

Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Imperia just missed winning a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race on the grass at Saratoga Race Course in his debut in August. But he returned to win the Pilgrim at Belmont Park with a nice off-the-pace run while racing on furosemide for the first time. Javier Castellano gets a return call on the Medaglia d'Oro   colt.

Neal McLaughlin, assistant to the trainer, noted Imperia and Sayaad, who races in the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT), drew post 11.

W. C. Racing's Goldencents   has been remarkably consistent this season, finishing first or second in his four starts. The winner of last year's $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) leads a group of 10 entered for the 2014 edition as he aims to become the first two-time victor in the race's seven-year history Oct. 31 at Santa Anita Park.

Goldencents, a 4-year-old son of Into Mischief  , drew post 1 under Rafael Bejarano and will start under the name of Leandro Mora. Trainer Doug O'Neill is serving a 45-day suspension and has been barred from entering horses in the Breeders' Cup under the World Championships' convicted trainer rule.

"With his style, the post position will fit him fine," Mora said. "Last year we had post 12 and we got very lucky because at one mile, it's very close to the first turn. So we're hoping we get out well from the inside position this time." 

You just can't keep Gary Stevens down. It seems like just yesterday Stevens looked to have little or no shot to make the Breeders' Cup following knee reconstruction surgery.

But if there is one thing we have learned about Stevens, it is to never count him out when it comes to riding horses. Stevens obviously needs to be riding horses as much as he needs blood flowing through his veins.

So when a somewhat unusual mount became available in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT), Stevens naturally jumped at the chance. He was offered the mount on a French import named Sivoliere by Chad Brown, who had taken over the filly's training following her purchase by Martin Schwartz.

Monday, Oct. 27, was another busy work day at Santa Anita Park for horses pointing toward the Oct. 31-Nov.1 Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Meanwhile, the connections of horses entered in the World Championships were awaiting the post-position draw that was to take place later in the day.

Posts for 11 races will be drawn at 1 p.m. PDT (4 p.m. EDT) and will be posted promptly at bloodhorse.com. Those races (all grade I) are: Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, DraftKings Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Longines Breeders' Cup Turf, Xpressbet Breeders' Cup Sprint, Breeders' Cup Mile.

When trainer Conor Murphy acquiredDimension from Great Britain in 2012, he believed the gelded son of Medicean would make a good miler in North America.

Instead, the now-6-year-old has proven to be more of an accomplished sprinter and he will be seeking his second straight stakes win at 6 1/2 furlongs on grass when he lines up in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT) at Santa Anita Park Nov. 1.

"He is showing a lot more speed as he gets older, which is surprising," Murphy said of Dimension, who finished fifth, only three lengths behind champion Mizdirection, in last year's Turf Sprint. "I was delighted with his (Breeders' Cup) run last year. I was expecting him to run well as he had run well in England at places like Goodwood and Newmarket over courses that were pretty undulating."

An oversubscribed field for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) includes last year's champion Dank.

James Wigan's 5-year-old homebred daughter of Dansili is trying to become the second female to capture two Filly & Mare Turf titles but the first to accomplish back-to-back victories. Ouija Board completed the feat in 2004 and 2006.

Dank will have plenty of competition considering the 17 horses pre-entered in the 1 1/4-mile race at Santa Anita Park includes eight other grade or group I winners. The race will be the second Breeders' Cup race to be run Nov. 1, with a post time of approximately 12:43 p.m. PT.

Three automatic qualifiers are among the 15 2-year-old fillies pre-entered in the $2 million 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) set for Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park.

The "Win and You're In" Challenge fillies are Siena Farm's Angela Renee, winner of the Chandelier Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita; Jay Em Ess Stable's By the Moon, who captured the Frizette Stakes (gr. I) atBelmont Park; and GSN Racing'sCristina's Journey, winner of the Pocahontas Stakes (gr. II) at Churchill Downs.

The only other pre-entrant with a graded-stakes victory is Stonestreet Stables' Cavorting, who won the Adirondack Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga Race Course before her seventh-place finish in the Frizette, which was run on a muddy surface. Cavorting is 2-for-2 on tracks rated fast.

Horseman Frank Brothers will become the first trainer ever inducted in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame when he joins LSU's three-time Super Bowl champion Kevin Faulk, UL-Lafayette and Super Bowl quarterback Jake Delhome, former NBA champion point guard and coach of the year Avery Johnson, and four others chosen for the class of 2015.

Brothers will be enshrined June 27,2015, as part of a ceremony to culminate the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame's induction celebration June 25-27 in Natchitoches, La.

Also entering the Hall of Fame are coaching legends Pat Collins, Yvette Girouard and Otis Washington, along with College Football Hall of Fame member Leonard Smith.

Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's Departing headlines a field of eight horses entered for the $200,000 Hagyard Fayette (gr. II) to be run Oct. 25, closing day of the fall meet at Keeneland.

Run at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, the Fayette will go as the ninth on Saturday's 10-race program with an approximate post time of 5:13 p.m. EDT.

ive-time Olympic skiing champion Bode Miller plans to follow his friend, Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, into the training ranks when he retires.

In an interview with Graham Bensinger, host of the syndicated sports show "In Depth with Graham Bensinger," Miller said he was in the process of purchasing property near Lexington that has a training facility.

Miller, 36, has been a regular attendee at major horse races with Baffert, who named his son Bode. Also, Baffert trained Bodemeister, winner of the 2012 Arkansas Derby (gr. I) who finished second in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I).

Bourbon Lane Stable's XpressBet Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) contenderBourbon Courage had a good Oct. 27 blowout for the Nov. 1 event, breezing three furlongs in :34 1/5 at Keeneland for trainer Kellyn Gorder. 

The 5-year-old Lion Heart runner comes off a strong Oct. 3 allowance win sprinting for the first time since his 3-year-old year, and will be in search of his first grade I victory when he arrives at Santa Anita Park. He won the 2012 Super Derby (gr. II) for his lone graded score.

Working after the morning renovation break and with jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. up, Bourbon Courage galloped out four furlongs in :46.

A half-length loss in the Hambletonian Stakes prevents Nuncio from a chance at history, but the 3-year-old male trotter can add to his credentials with a win in Saturday’s $500,000 Yonkers Trot at Yonkers Raceway.

The Yonkers Trot is the third jewel in harness racing’s Trotting Triple Crown. Nuncio finished second to stablemate Trixton in the first leg, the Hambletonian, and defeated stablemate Father Patrick by 1-1/4 lengths in the second leg, the Kentucky Futurity.

While the lone start for California Chrome since the Triple Crown didn't go as planned, trainer Art Sherman likes what he sees since his dual classic winner has arrived back at his Los Alamitos Racecourse base.

Following a sixth-place finish in the Pennsylvania Derby (gr. II) Sept. 20 atParx Racing, California Chrome has worked each October Saturday at Los Alamitos. He started with a handy four-furlong bullet move in :47 2/5 Oct. 4, fastest of 34 works at the distance, before stretching out to a five-furlong move in :59 3/5 Oct. 11, and to six furlongs in 1:12 1/5 Oct. 18.

Sherman will send out Steve Coburn and Perry Martin's homebred for one more workout Saturday, Oct. 25, before shipping the 3-year-oldLucky Pulpit   colt to Santa Anita Park in the following day or two in advance of the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) there Nov. 1.

One of the most exciting World Championships races, the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT) is also one of the most popular with horsemen, drawing 29 pre-entries for this year's third consecutive renewal over the unique downhill turf course at Santa Anita Park.

With Mizdirection, who won the 6 1/2-furlong race the past two years now retired, the two horses who finished in a dead-heat for second behind the popular California-based mare in 2013—Reneesgotzip and Tightend Touchdown—head the list

A 5-year-old daughter of City Zip   trained by Peter Miller for the Lanni Family Trust, Reneesgotzip comes into the race off her second victory (following 2012) in the C.E.R.F. Stakes Sept. 3 at Del Mar. In her only other start this year, she was third in the Rancho Bernardo Handicap (gr. III) the previous month at the seaside track.

Creatine, trained by Bob Stewart for owner Diamond Creek Racing, is on a roll.

The 4-year-old trotter has won the $173,000 Allerage Stake at The Red Mile in a career best 1:51.2 on Oct. 5, followed by a three length win in the $166,300 American-National at Balmoral on Oct. 11.

This Friday, he’s headed to the $160,000 Dayton Trotting Derby at Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway, where he has post six in the nine horse field. Dan Noble will drive, as he has in two of Creatine’s last three starts.

The Breeders' Cup unveiled its pre-entrants for the 31st annual World Championships the morning of Oct. 22 atSanta Anita Park, with 201 horses named for the 13-race festival Friday and Saturday, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.