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Breeders’ Cup Delights
- Tom Dawson onsite for SureBet
Nov. 8, 2011 - In my capacity as location producer for ESPN, it was once again
my privileged to witness the Breeders’ Cup from the winner’s circle. It’s a
tough job, but….well, you know the rest.
Two of the scenes stand out to me, and they occurred back-to-back on Saturday.
The first was the Emirates Airline Turf, won by the Aiden O’Brien trained St.
Nicholas Abbey and ridden by O’Brien’s 18-year-old son Joseph. The lad has
recorded a few important victories in Europe, but nothing on a world stage like
this.
Aiden and his wife, Annemarie O’Brien, are two of the most composed people you
could ever meet. But this time, father, mother and son were posing for as many
pictures as anyone wanted to take as their unabashed joy and pride ruled the
day.
There is also the reality that this scene will not be often repeated. While
clearly talented, Joseph is already pushing 5’ 11” in height and even under the
higher weight limits allowed in Europe, his career as a flat racing jockey
doesn’t figure to be lengthy. But it has already been memorable.
Next came Hansen’s desperate victory in the Grey Goose Juvenile. The colt is
named for owner Kendall
Hansen, a physician from northern Kentucky who always wanted a fast horse as a
namesake. Dr. Hansen brought along about 100 or so of his closest friends who
were dancing, chanting and otherwise reveling in the occasion. For his part, Dr.
Hansen knelt down and kissed the rubberized brick surface of the winner’s
circle.
You should understand that Hansen the horse was the ninth to have his picture
taken on the day. The area is scooped out after every race, but still. Let’s
just say that I’m glad that all I had to do was shake hands.
Hansen may be a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender but there is no question
that Juvenile runner-up Union Rags heads the list. Analysis on the ESPN show
revealed than the colt ran several lengths farther than the winner, and he has
the look of a real classic prospect.
This Breeders’ cup should also be remembered for the lack of a major
controversy. The Santa Anita versions of 2008 and 2009 lived in the shadow of
the synthetic track’s effect on the “dirt” races. Last year, fallout from the
Life at Ten episode was inescapable.
That’s not to say there were no anxious moments, mostly involving weather. It
rained on Thursday into Friday afternoon but then remained completely clear and
bright. Some trainers were concerned that the main track remained very sticky
throughout the Saturday card. Two horses in the Marathon lost shoes walking on
it while coming to the paddock.
Several European trainers were upset that their scheduled turf training time on
Thursday was cancelled by Churchill Downs as rain first began to fall about 9
a.m. They already play an extreme road game with an unfamiliar course, left hand
turns, a long plane flight and quarantine. Now, their routine is disrupted.
They were all fit enough but no trainer likes a disturbance that close to a
major race, particularly one they felt could have been avoided with better
communication. The rain had been forecast for days, and those affected felt that
alternatives should have been put forth.
The one time that the Life at Ten aftermath may have played a part was in the
swiftly made decision to scratch Announce from the Emirates Airline Filly and
Mare Turf just minutes before post. She was being well backed at the time but if
you saw the warm up, you couldn’t miss how difficult she was for French Jockey
Maxime Guyon to control. The filly bumped into the rail and the horse ambulance,
sustaining a laceration and hematoma on her hock. We never got to find out if
she would actually go into the starting gate.
Initially, her connections were very upset with the scratch. But on Saturday
evening, I talked to respected French journalist Fanny Salmon who told me that
once they saw Announce back at the barn, they realized the scratch was the
proper action.
Ms. Salmon also told me that Announce was notorious for such behavior in France.
She is to stay in this country with Juddmonte’s U.S. trainer Bill Mott.
Apparently the reaction of her French handlers was “good riddance”.
The Breeders’ Cup Mile was the farewell race of the event with three notable
retirees. The winner Court Vision
is off to stand in Canada. Gio Ponte will take his and four Breeders’ Cup
appearances$6 million in earnings and enter stud at Castleton Lyons in
Lexington.
And then there is Goldikova who is to be bred in 2012. Her remarkable run of
three straight Mile victories paralleled the Zenyatta phenomenon, and because of
that, I don’t think she ever got all the love she deserved. That would have
changed had she pulled off her fourth but it wasn’t to be. Truth is, she could
easily have been disqualified for causing a chain reaction when she came off the
rail to go after the lead.
Sunland Park has every reason to be proud of its 2011 alums. Together, Ruler On
Ice and Plum Pretty have accounted for over $2.5 million in earnings since they
left New Mexico.
Sunland Park Oaks winner Plum Pretty took the Ladies’ Classic as far as she
could go before dropping to fifth. Trainer Bob Baffert told me right after the
race that he’ll look to run her at 1-1/16 miles as much as
possible.
Ruler On Ice ran a very credible third in the Classic, especially considering
that he finished with just three shoes. Trainer Kelly Breen recognizes that the
year-end Eclipse Award picture is suddenly very unsettled and may consider
another major engagement for Ruler On Ice to try to strengthen his case for a
title.
An Eclipse Award would give Sunland something that even Kentucky Derby Winner
Mine That Bird couldn’t provide.
Is there room in the clubhouse for another statue?
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