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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP & Staff) — The Breeders’ Cup Classic, which was won by Drosselmeyer in an upset fashion, has scrambled the Horse of the Year race picture. Drosselmeyer’s upset victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic scrambled the picture for Horse of the Year, an award that went to Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta the last two years. Filly Havre de Grace (HA’-vur-duh-grays) would have wrapped up the honor with a victory in the $5 million Classic at Churchill Downs on Saturday. She finished fourth. “She sure didn’t do anything to tarnish her reputation,” trainer Larry Jones said. Havre de Grace had already beaten the boys this year in the Woodward at Saratoga. Owner Rick Porter knew his filly could have run in the Ladies’ Classic on Friday as the favorite and likely won. But he wanted to make an aggressive push for Horse of the Year. It was the first time in 15 starts that Havre de Grace didn’t finish in the money. Game On Dude, who led most of the way in the Classic before getting beat by 1 1/2 lengths, could have his supporters among the voters. “He has been kind of under the radar,” his jockey Chantal Sutherland said. “I think it would be fair and honorable and I think he’s deserving.” Uncle Mo was close to pacesetter Game On Dude early before fading to 10th in the 12-horse field. “He looked like he was kind of struggling with the surface,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. Goldikova was another of Saturday’s upset victims, finishing third in the Mile after winning it the three previous years. The French mare, who is set to retire, was third in Horse of the Year voting last year. “Maybe she’s lost a little bit of what she had that made her so great,” trainer Freddy Head said. “But that’s life. That’s racing.” The Classic typically plays a major role in deciding the top Eclipse Award. Last year, Blame won the Classic by a head over Zenyatta only to have voters give the award to the superstar mare whose popularity exceeded the sport’s niche audience. In 2009, Rachel Alexandra beat the boys in the Preakness and won the award, while Zenyatta finished second. Drosselmeyer added the Classic to his resume that includes winning the 2010 Belmont Stakes. “Drosselmeyer showed up again on a big day,” Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. The 4-year-old [...]
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP & Staff) — Flat Out is taking Scooter Dickey places the 70-year-old trainer has never been. He’s hoping their next trip is to the winner’s circle after the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Flat Out is the best horse of Dickey’s nearly 50-year career and the first to win a Grade 1 stakes for him. He came to Dickey as a promising 2-year-old in 2008, and the trainer has seen Flat Out through a history of foot problems to reach North America’s richest race. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Dickey said, standing inside a stall piled with bags of feed. “Come Saturday, I’ll get nervous about the time we start putting the saddle on.” Dickey will have family and friends on hand Saturday at Churchill Downs, where he’s based. Dana, his wife of 48 years who has an incurable liver disease and has waited years to receive a transplant, will gather her strength to attend. At 6-1 on the morning line, Flat Out earned a spot in the Classic by winning the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont last month over Drosselmeyer and Stay Thirsty, two of the 11 horses he’ll face in the 1¼-mile race. Flat Out has been one of the most consistent handicap horses in the country this year, finishing first or second in five of his six starts. He lost to filly Havre de Grace (another Classic contender) in the Woodward Stakes and finished second to Tizway in the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga. It’s obvious the affection Dickey has for the horse that has gotten him to some of the biggest races at Belmont, Saratoga, Churchill Downs and Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. Like a proud parent, he shows visitors a cell phone photo of Flat Out in his stall holding a newspaper in his mouth with the horse’s picture on the front from Saratoga. “He’s younger today than he’s been in 10 years,” trainer and longtime friend Larry Jones said. “He has more bounce in his step. He’s got the bigger smile. I am so tickled for Scooter.” In a sport rife with jealousy, Dickey is well-regarded for his perseverance and hard work during a career in which he’s never had a horse in the Triple Crown races and only now has one in the season-ending Breeders’ Cup. “I told him, ‘Enjoy the ride and have your wife dress you so [...]
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP & Staff) — Uncle Mo was supposed to return to Churchill Downs for the Breeders’ Cup as a conquering hero. He was the buzz horse coming into the Kentucky Derby, having won the first four races of his career and earning top 2-year-old honors. But he never made it to the starting gate. Uncle Mo was knocked out on Derby eve by a serious liver disease. When owner Mike Repole left Louisville in May, he didn’t know if he would ever see his best horse again. The colt was sidelined for four months because of the illness, leaving Repole, trainer Todd Pletcher and others around Uncle Mo to wonder if it was a race he could win. Now he appears back on his game. Uncle Mo got nosed out for the win in the King’s Bishop in August, leaving Repole bummed out. “I was down because I’ve been on such an emotional ride with this horse,” he said Wednesday. “I wanted that win so bad for Uncle Mo. That was a tough loss.” The colt bounced back to win the Kelso Handicap by three lengths in his last start, a race Repole called Uncle Mo’s redemption. He’s the 5-2 early favorite for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday even though he’s never run 1 1-4 miles and faces challengers like filly Havre de Grace, Flat Out and European import So You Think. “This is Mo’s Kentucky Derby,” Repole said. “Uncle Mo is the most talented horse in the race. There’s no doubt in my mind.” He also owns another contender in the 12-horse field — Belmont runner-up Stay Thirsty at 12-1. “They’re both going to run big races,” Repole said. They sure did last year. Uncle Mo won the BC Juvenile and Stay Thirsty finished fifth, giving Repole a huge taste of success in his first trip to thoroughbred racing’s richest two days. “He went into the winter with about as much buzz as you can have with a 2-year-old,” Pletcher said of Uncle Mo. “He started off the year well, unfortunately, the liver infection cost us a big chunk of the spring and summer. But we’re back in excellent shape now.” Initially, Uncle Mo was treated for a gastrointestinal infection, but he didn’t respond before the Derby, in which he was the second favorite, and was scratched the day before the race. He wasn’t [...]
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ASCOT, England (AP & Staff) — Unbeaten Frankel won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes by four lengths Saturday, giving the world’s top-ranked thoroughbred a ninth straight victory on the inaugural British Champions Day. With Queen Elizabeth II watching at Ascot, Frankel bolstered his reputation on the richest day in the history of British horse racing. “He’s the horse of a lifetime for the public, let alone the jockey,” rider Tom Queally said after being cheered by a crowd of 27,000. Saudi Arabian owner Prince Khalid Abdullah added: “Many people think he is the best horse they have ever seen.” The 3-year-old colt won in 1 minute, 39.45 seconds, beating 6-1 shot Excelebration. The French filly Immortal Verse was third. “He was as good as ever and is getting more professional with every run,” Queally said. “He’s getting stronger and he’s the real deal — not that he wasn’t before.” Henry Cecil’s Frankel is named after Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, who died in 2009. “He’s a terrific horse,” Cecil said. “He’s done everything we asked of him, and next year he will easily get a mile and a quarter. “It’s been a long year and I’m looking forward to getting a winter over him. He’s a champion, he’s out of the ordinary and hopefully he will continue to prove himself next year.” But Cecil ruled out taking Frankel to the Breeders’ Cup next month at Churchill Downs. “He won’t run again,” he said. “He’ll be put away for the winter.” British Champions Day is the culmination of a new 35-race program sponsored by members of the Qatari royal family through the investment vehicle QIPCO. It is intended to secure horse racing’s long-term future in Britain. Frankel’s success only partially diverted attention from a growing feud over new whip rules that has led one top jockey, Richard Hughes, to quit the sport Thursday. Belgian-born jockey Christophe Soumillon received a five-day ban Saturday for breaching the new whip regulations during his winning ride on Cirrus Des Aigles in the Champion Stakes. Soumillon was ruled to have used his whip six times in the last furlong. As well as his ban he also forfeited his riding fee and percentage of prize money, amounting to about $79,000. “I’m very embarrassed for English racing today,” Soumillon said. “You have a lot of problems but the whip is not one of them. “Jockeys are not [...]
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ASCOT, England (AP & Staff) — Unbeaten Frankel galloped to a ninth straight victory, easily winning the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on the inaugural British Champions Day — the richest day in British horse racing. With Queen Elizabeth II watching at Ascot, the 3-year-old colt won by four lengths Saturday in bolstering his reputation as one of the best horses around. The 4-11 favorite was ridden by Tom Queally, who called the victory “as good as ever.” Frankel was timed in 1 minute, 39.45 seconds and was followed by 6-1 shot Excelebration. Frankel is named for Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, who died in 2009. He has commanded interest in Britain with a breakthrough year and could now be positioned for a possible start in the Breeders’ Cup next month.
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