Racing to the Breeders' Cup
Pete Monaco, The Eighth Pole
"Stakes" were on the menu last weekend throughout the country and there was no shortage of dramatic upsets and distilled winners.
Most of these Breeders' Cup prep races were "win-and-you're-in," meaning you are guaranteed a ticket to the Nov. 4-5 showcase with a winning performance.
• In the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, Hopportunity was among three horses vying for the lead at the eighth pole when he forged ahead to prevail by a half-length with John Velazquez aboard. This win pushed his earnings to nearly $3 million. It looks like this horse woke up a bit at this 1 ¼-mile distance and seems to understand the game a bit better now. Hoppertunity looks poised for a good performance on Breeders' Cup day.
• Lady Eli and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. emerged victorious in the Flower Bowl Stakes, also at Belmont Park. This was her second start after a very long layoff. After stepping on a nail, this poor girl suffered with laminitis for quite some time. This win was impressive, as she had a wide journey and was distracted in the stretch, but still managed a ¾-length score, over Sentiero Italia. Lady Eli paid $3.70 to win.
• Tepin had her eight-race winning streak snapped, getting beat by Photo Call and Kent Desormeax in the First Lady Stakes at Keeneland. It was the upset of the day. Like a thief in the night, Photo Call opened up an early lead and, at one point, was in front by 10 lengths! That left Tepin and Julian Leparoux with too much to do and not enough time to do it. She did close nicely for second place, but burned some serious win money going off as the 2-5 favorite. Photo Call paid $61.40 to win. Both Photo Call and Tepin are Breeders' Cup-bound.
Around the racetracks
• Exaggerator retired! The son of Culin has given his clues that he needs to rest and make babies. The Triple Crown path surely took its toll on this horse: 15 big-time starts in the past 16 months at 10 different tracks! He will now head to the breeding shed at Win Star Farm in Kentucky as a 3-year-old.
• Grand Tito, a stakes-winning 6-year-old, is dealing with a mild case of laminitis after a 'shoeing incident.' Trainer Gustavo Delgado said Grand Tito could be released from the clinic this week and return to the races in 2017.
• Jockey Rafael Hernandez rode his 2,000th winner on Oct. 8 at Woodbine racetrack, aboard a horse named Guy Caballero. Hernandez also has 1,490 second-place finishes and 1,262 thirds, with his mounts topping $23 million.
Horse Sense is what keeps horses from betting on humans!
Want to talk horse racing? Email Pete at eighthpolepete@yahoo.com.