Racing! The Breeders’ Cup is here

Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome to our horse racing newsletter as we ready for the first five Breeders’ Cup races.

It’s Breeders’ Cup Day One. It’s for nothing but 2-year-olds, so I won’t be mentioning that again. Let’s get right to the previews.

$1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint (post 1:12 p.m.): This five-furlong race was originally scheduled at 6 ½ furlongs on the downhill turf course. But, when sprint racing was canceled on this course earlier in the year, it was moved to the shorter distance.

The favorite, at 3-1, is Four Wheel Drive for trainer Wesley Ward and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. He has won both his races on the turf course at sprint distances. He won at Colonial Downs by 3 ¼ and at Belmont by three lengths. The second favorite is Kimari st 7-2. He is also trained by Ward and will be ridden by John Velazquez. He won his last two races at Saratoga and Keeneland and finished second in the Queen Mary Stakes at Ascot. It’s a 12-horse field.

$1 million Juvenile Turf (1:52 p.m.): Arizona, at 5-2, is the favorite for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore in this one-mile race. This is his first race in the U.S., having previously run in Britain, Ireland and France. He is 6-2-2-1 this year. His two wins came in May and June. He was second last out in the Grade 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

The second favorite, at 4-1, is Decorated Invader for Christophe Clement and Irad Ortiz, Jr. He is two-for-three this year having won his last two at Saratoga and Woodbine. It’s a 14-horse field.

$2 million Juvenile Fillies (2:32 p.m.): Morning-line maker Jon White had trouble separating out the top of the field in the 1 1/16-mile race. He installed Donna Veloce as the favorite at 3-1. She runs for Simon Callaghan and Flavien Prat. She’s run only once, winning by 9 ¼ lengths over six furlongs at Santa Anita.

There are three fllies at 7-2: British Idiom (Brad Cox, Javier Castellano), Bast (Baffert, Velazquez), Wicked Whisper (Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario). British Idiom has won bot her races at Saratoga and Keeneland, including the Grade 1 Alcibiad. Bast has won her last two both Grade 1s at Del Mar (DM Futurity) and Santa Anita (Chandelier). Wicked Whisper is also undefeated in two starts, winning at Saratoga and Belmont, the latter being the Grade 1 Frizette. It’s a nine-horse race.

$1 million Juvenille Fillies Turf (3:12 p.m.): The favorite in this one-mile race is Albigna at 9-2 for Mrs. John Harrington and Shane Foley. She has won three of her four races incuding a Grade 1 and 2. This is her first U.S. start havng run three times in Ireland and once in France. It’s a field of 14.

Both Daahyeh (Roger Varian, William Buick) and Sweet Melania (Todd Pletcher, Jose Ortiz) are 4-1. Daahyeh has won three of four including a Grade 2 and 3 while running in Britain and Ireland. Sweet Melania has won of her last three with a maiden win at Saratoga and a Grade 2 at Keeneland. She is two for five this year.

$2 million Juvenile (4:03 p.m.): This is the marquee race of the day at 1 1/16 miles. The race was even tougher until Maxfield scratched with a minor problem. The favorite, at 8-5, is Dennis’ Moment for Dale Romans and Irad Ortiz, Jr. He won his last two races by 19 ¼ and 1 ¾ lengths. He lost his rider in his first race. His last win was a Grade 3.

Close behind is Eight Rings at 2-1 for Baffert and Velazquez. He has also won two races by 6 ¼ and 6 lengths and he too lost his rider in his only loss. His won in the Grade 1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita. It’s a field of eight.

Santa Anita review

On Thursday, there was one stakes race, the $70,000 Lure Stakes for horses going a mile on the turf. Ronald R stayed back early and then came wide in mid-stretch to win by half-a-length.

Ronald R paid $29.40, $9.40 and $6.20. Ritzy A.P. was second and favorite River Boyne finished third.

Here’s what the winning connections had to say.

Ron Ellis (winning trainer): “When we claimed this horse, I told [part-owner] Jim [Harrison], that if we give the horse some time, he’d come back 100 percent. I give Jim the credit, because he went along with what I suggested and the horse is doing very well. It looked like there was a lot of speed in the race and [jockey] Drayden [Van Dyke] was confident he’d run well.�

Drayden Van Dyke (winning jockey): “I told Ron [Ellis] that there is plenty of speed in here and it sets up well for us on paper. I had a rather smooth trip and I had a lot of horse. I had to back him up a little when we got to the inside, but once we peeled outside he made it easy and he had a nice turn of foot. He did the same thing in his last two races at Del Mar.�

Santa Anita preview

There are three stakes on non-Breeders cup races at Santa Anita. First post is a sleepy-eyed 10:45 a.m.

Grade 2 $200,000 Marathon Stakes: You can guess by the name it’s a long race, 1 ¾ miles to be exact. Campaign is the 4-5 favorite for John Sadler and Rosario. He generally runs about 1 ½ miles on either turf or dirt. He’s won three-of-seven races this year and is five-for-12 lifetime. He was fifth in the Pacific Classic and fourth in the Santa Anita Handicap this year.

Second favorite at 5-2 in Itsinthepost for Jeff Mullins and Van Dyke. The 7-year-old gelding has mostly been a turf horse and is 10-of-40 lifetime. His last win came in the Charlie Whittingham at Del Mar in May, 2018. It’s the first race, so get there early.

$200,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies: The Golden State, juvenile and fillies should give a big hint about what this race is about. All you need is the distance, which is seven furlongs. Been Studying Her for Dan Ward (which means it was a Jerry Hollendorfer horse) and Mike Smith. She won her first two races and then finished fourth in the Chandelier. Cutting back the distance should help.

At 3-1 is Bulletproof One for Peter Miller and Javier Castellano. She won her first three races before finishing sixth and second in her last two races, both lower-level stakes. This has a field of 12.

$200,000 Golden State Juvenile: This race is ditto the fillies races except for boys. Square Deal for Callaghan and Prat is the favorite at 7-2. He has crossed the finish line first in five of his races, which means I’m leading up to one of those races being a disqualification.

The second favorite, at 4-1, is Cali Dude for Sadler and Ruben Fuentes. He won his only race by 1 ¼ lengths. It’s a field of 13.

Ciaran Thornton’s SA pick of the day

RACE EIGHT: No. 7 Crystalle (8-1)

Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf: This is a very tough race. American horses, East Coasters, dominate this race, winning nine of 11 with California horses stinking the joint up, never being first or second. Trainer Chad Brown has also won 5 of 11 times. Crystalle ran second behind the Chad Brown Selflessly in the Miss Grillo with a devastating late kick last out. The horse has the top back speed in this race and that second in the ‘Grillo satisfies an interesting race criteria. The Belmont Miss Grillo has resulted in five-of-11 winners of this race including two of the last three. I am placing this horse above Selflessly because he should have won that race easily had jockey Joel Rosario not been in California into the turn. The race prior when closer to the pace he won. 8-1 is fantastic value for this race. Top Play and value in this race.

As a special for readers, my Breeders Cup package includes all of Santa Anita free for the weekend, a 50% savings for only $35.

Thursday’s result: Impossible Task was bet down to 5/2 and looked a little green despite not being a debut horse. Tracking third throughout Joel Rosario made a nice late move to run second. Make a note of this horse next out if they send longer. Impossible paid $4.40.

Ciaran Thornton is the handicapper for Californiapick4.com, which offers daily full card picks, longshots of the day, best bets of the day.

Big races preview

A look at graded stakes or races worth $100,000 or more on Friday. All times PST.

10:45 Santa Anita (1): Grade 2 $200,000 Marathon Stakes, 3 and up, 1 ¾ miles. Favorite: Campaign (4-5)

11:55 Santa Anita (3): $200,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies, Cal-bred fillies 2-years-old, 7 furlongs. Favorite: Been Studying Her (5-2)

12:32 Santa Anita (4): $200,000 Golden State Juvenile, Cal-bred colts and geldings 2-years-old, 7 furlongs. Favorite: Rookie Mistake (7-2)

1:12 Santa Anita (5): Grade 2 $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, 2-year-olds, 5 furlongs on turf. Favorite: Four Wheel Drive (3-1)

1:24 Aqueduct (9): $150,000 Tempted Stakes, fillies 2-years-old, 1 mile. Favorite: Power Move (8-5)

1:52 Santa Anita (6): Grade 1 $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, 2-year-old colts and geldings, 1 mile on turf. Favorite: Arizona (5-2)

2:32 Santa Anita (7): Grade 1 $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, fillies 2-years-old, 1 1/16 miles. Favorite: Donna Veloce (3-1)

3:12 Santa Anita (8): Grade 1 $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, fillies 2-years-old, 1 mile on turf. Favorite: Albigna (9-2)

3:37 Churchill (9) $120,000 Dream Supreme Stakes, fillies and mares 3 and up, 6 furlongs. Favorite: Mia Mischief (6-5)

4:03 Santa Anita (9): Grade 1 $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, colts and geldings 2-years-old, 1 1/16 miles. Favorite: Dennis’ Moment (8-5)

7:27 Remington (6): $100,000 Clever Trevor Stakes, 2-year-olds, 7 furlongs. Favorite: Jungle Runner (2-1)

Los Alamitos weekend preview

It’s time to turn things over to marketing and meda guru Orlando Gutierrez, who will tell us about the upcoming weekend at Los Alamitos. Orlando, the floor is yours.

“Los Alamitos Race Course will open its gates at 9 a.m. on Friday and at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday for simulcast of the Breeders’ Cup. Advance wagering on Saturday’s card will be available all day and night on Friday.

“On Friday night, A Political Spell, a solid sixth-place finisher in the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity, returns for the first time since the trials to the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity when she headlines a strong seven-horse field in the $12,125 allowance feature for 2-year-olds at 330 yards. The eight-race card will start at 7 p.m. and will feature a Pick 6 Carryover of $6,123. The sequence will start in the third.

“A Political Spell was impressive in her career debut cruising to a ¾-length win in a Kindergarten trial. She did not have the sharpest of breaks in the final, but at the midway point she was still in the top four early before settling for sixth. She did not have a great outing in the Ed Burke trials, as she was far back the entire way. Trainer Juan Aleman will look for a return to form from the Rancho El Cabresto-bred filly, as she’s eligible to race in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity trials at the end of the month. It would give Newcomb a strong trio for those trials, as he also owns Sacred Nation, who was second by a nose in the Grade 2 Hobbs American Futurity in early October, and Cattail Cove, the third-place finisher in the Governor’s Cup Futurity.

“Conquering Marie will go after her second stakes win of the year when she heads a field of 3-year-old fillies in the $15,000 Jaimie Jay Handicap at 350 yards on Saturday. Nine races are on tap with the first race scheduled shortly after the final Breeders’ Cup race at Santa Anita at approximately 6:35 p.m.

“Conquering Marie had racing luck on her side when winning the Grade 2, $211,000 Golden State Derby by a head on Aug 18. While several of the top contenders got interfered with at the start after a rival broke in sharply from an outside post, Conquering Marie, who left the gate from post three, broke alertly and ran beautifully, while avoiding trouble on the way to victory at 38-1 odds. Conquering Marie sailed away from there, on the way to a winning 400-yard time of 19.66 seconds. A sharp filly all season, she also ran fourth in the Grade 3 PCQHRA Breeders Derby and was third in the Adequan Ruidoso Derby Challenge also at 400 yards. Ruben Castro will pilot her from post six.

“The richest race of the weekend at Los Alamitos will take place on Sunday with the $1,072,850 Golden State Million Futurity for 2-year-olds. Up And Atem, who posted the fastest qualifying time in the trials on Oct. 20, will start from post nine, while stablemate Circle City, who posted a daylight win in the trials, will race from the six. The Ed Allred-owned duo will take on a field headed by Governor’s Cup Futurity runner-up Runforyourlife and Ed Burke Million third place finisher Geothermal. Runforyourlife and Geothermal will start from post 1-2, respectively. A total of 10 juveniles will be start in the Golden State Million final at 400 yards.�

Ed Burgart’s LA pick of the day

SEVENTH RACE: No. 2 Fdd Texas Tea (7-2)

This 2-year-old filly hails from the strong Justin Joiner barn and could have gone much faster than her solid 12.3 workout clocking for 220 yards from the gate on Oct. 12. Working on the inside of a three-team set, she quickly assumed command while under a big hold and was never asked for her best in defeating her two workmates before galloping out with smooth strides. Two of her main rivals, Trents Toys and Black Jack MV, look beatable. Trents Toys hasn’t come away alertly in three starts and Black Jack MV, the 2-1 morning-line favorite, failed to improve when fourth in his second start two weeks ago.

Final thought

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Now, the stars of the show, Thursday’s results and Friday’s entries.