Hard-hitting Elope in soft spot. Elope, a lightly raced 4-year old filly who has shown uncommon promise in three starts, takes a sharp drop in class after finishing a clear second to Indian Blessing in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom Handicap and is strictly the one to beat in Thursday’s eighth race.

Elope drew the rail, and will take on six other fillies and mares in a $47,000 optional claimer with second-level allowance conditions.

Elope began her career last fall with a win over Polytrack at Turfway Park for trainer Eddie Kenneally. She was then sidelined by ankle problems for just over 10 months, and returned for new trainer Bruce Levine with an eye-catching performance at Saratoga. She tracked a fast pace and drew off to win by nearly a dozen lengths with a 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

Elope ran a strong race in the Gallant Bloom against the far more experienced Indian Blessing, finishing well in front of stakes winners Port Bonheur and Zada Belle. A Peter Blum homebred, Elope has had three workouts in the ensuing 40 days.

Thursday’s six-furlong sprint also attracted Ready for Fortune, the runner-up in the Grade 2 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct’s spring meet and winner of the Dearly Precious Stakes here last winter.

Ready for Fortune’s trainer, Gary Contessa, won Aqueduct’s 2008 spring meet title with 15 wins, over Levine with 14, and he also won the title at the Belmont fall meet that ended Sunday, 16-15, over Richard Dutrow Jr.

Dutrow on Thursday will send out Ididntmeantoo, who was a come-again winner over preliminary allowance sprinters at Monmouth Park in her last start on Sept. 3.

Loving Vindication, who, like Elope, won an allowance sprint with a triple-digit Beyer on a wet track at Saratoga, was second in her first attempt at this level, and makes her first start off a layoff of nearly 11 weeks for trainer Bobby Frankel.

Also entered are Sumwhrovrtherainbw, who makes her first start on this circuit for new trainer Bill Badgett Jr.; Waytotheleft, the 2007 winner of the Broadway Handicap who is in for the optional $50,000 claiming price in her first start for trainer Joe Aquilino; and Just Zip It, who has been freshened by trainer Billy Turner Jr. since a tough-trip third in the Schenectady Handicap opening weekend at Belmont’s fall meet. That was Just Zip It’s 10th in-the-money finish in 10 career starts.

Casino at Belmont again on the table. The possibility of opening a casino at Belmont Park is back in play politically just days after senate Republicans agreed to the selection of a company to operate a casino at Aqueduct racetrack in Queens.

Sen. Dean Skelos, the majority leader of the New York Senate, called for the installation of slot machines at Belmont Park on Monday in a statement he released through his office. The statement called for Gov. David Paterson, the legislature, and the New York Racing Association – the franchised operator of Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga – to develop a plan by Jan. 1 to incorporate slot machines at Belmont.

“I have met with a number of individuals with unique and exciting economic development proposals for Belmont Park,” Skelos said in the statement. “In these challenging economic times, it is even more important to sell the development rights to Belmont Park and seize this valuable opportunity for state and local taxpayers and community residents.”

Last week, Skelos and other Republican legislators – who face losing the majority in the senate in elections this year for the first time in four decades – agreed with the selection of Delaware North Companies as the operator of the Aqueduct casino after initially balking at the recommendation. Delaware North, which promised the state a $370 million upfront payment, had already been endorsed over two other companies by Paterson and the assembly’s Democratic-led leadership.

All three companies had employed scores of lobbyists to pitch their development proposals for Aqueduct. The two companies that lost out in the bidding – a partnership of SL Green Realty and Hard Rock Entertainment, and a partnership of Capital Play Pty and Mohegan Sun – have consistently stated that they supported the installation of slot machines at Belmont Park.

Paterson said in a statement that he supported redeveloping Belmont Park, but the statement did not specifically mention a casino. In the statement, Paterson said that he had asked Marisa Lago, the president of the Empire State Development Corporation, and John Sabini, the chairman of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, to work with legislators to develop a plan for the track by Jan. 1.

Assembly Democrats, including speaker Sheldon Silver, have consistently opposed a casino at Belmont.

The Aqueduct casino, which is not expected to open until early in 2010, will likely become one of the highest-grossing casinos on the East Coast, given its location. Most budget analysts have estimated that the 4,500 slot machines at the casino will generate $500 million in revenue annually. A Belmont casino would be expected to generate comparable revenues.

As part of a deal with NYRA to extend the association’s franchise 25 years, the state has taken title to the racetracks and the property. NYRA and its horsemen will receive approximately 15 percent of the net revenues from the Aqueduct casino.

Charles Hayward, the president of NYRA, said on Tuesday that the association would have no comment on the likelihood of development of Belmont.

“Right now we are focusing on the installation of at Aqueduct,” Hayward said.

Race team co-founder McClure indicted. Larry McClure, a founding member of Morgan-McClure Motorsports, was indicted Tuesday on charges of federal tax law violations.

An indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Abingdon on Tuesday charged McClure with multiple counts of mail fraud, filing a false tax return, obstructing a tax investigation, money laundering and one count of wire fraud.

McLure faces up to 115 years in prison and a $2.75 million fine if convicted.

According to the indictment, McClure filed federal tax returns in 2002, 2003 and 2004 that he knew were false because he failed to specify large payments from an unnamed individual in each of those years. The individual allegedly paid McClure for the use of cars in ARCA series races.

The indictment said that during a June 2006 interview with IRS investigators, McClure falsely stated he had borrowed money from the individual and had repaid the loan with a $325,000 check.

The indictment also said that between January 2003 and March 2003, McClure fraudulently claimed he spent $59,852 for the painting of four new show car trailers.

Three Morgan-McClure drivers won the Daytona 500, including Sterlin Marlin in 1994 and 1995. The Abingdon-based race team was formed in 1983 by McClure, his brothers, Ed, Jerry, and Teddy, and business partner Tim Morgan.

The team ran last season with Ward Burton as the driver and finished 47th in pointsa far cry from its heyday when Marlin and Ernie Irvan were running up front and collecting wins.

As the sport grew, however, Morgan-McClure struggled to compete with the multi-car organizations. Marlin moved on to a bigger team, sponsor Kodak left and it became impossible for the team to keep up.

The team laid off 28 employees in January and failed to compete in its 26th Daytona 500 in February.

Scratch one and count on the other. Everyone should have such capable backup. When the undefeated Euroears had to be scratched from his long-awaited comeback in a turf allowance Thursday at Churchill Downs, trainer Bret Calhoun still was left with one of the main contenders in Chamberlain Bridge.

Euroears, sidelined since suffering a non-displaced condylar fracture in a hind leg shortly after running his career record to 6 for 6 with a March 8 victory at the Fair Grounds, “had healed perfectly, and everything was going great,” said Calhoun. That is until the 4-year-old colt suffered severe muscle cramps, or “tied up,” and had to be medicated Tuesday morning.

“He’s fine,” said Calhoun. “I had him all ready to run, so I guess we’re just going to have to look for another spot.”

Euroears was one of eight horses, including two listed for the main track only, entered in race 9 on Thursday, a $56,000 allowance scheduled for five furlongs on the turf.

Chamberlain Bridge, who starts Thursday from post 1 with Jamie Theriot to ride, won the $150,000 Woodford Stakes on the Keeneland turf in his last start. Chamberlain Bridge has “been thriving” since the Oct. 4 Woodford, Calhoun said.

High-class turf-sprint specialists clearly are in abundance in the Calhoun barn these days. Mr. Nightlinger had won five straight turf sprints when he was sent off at only 7-1 for the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Saturday at Santa Anita, where he finished 11th. “Nightlinger came back fine,” said Calhoun. “He’ll have a full physical done on him before we make a decision on how much time off we’re going to give him.”

As for the Thursday challengers to Chamberlain Bridge – and there can only be as many as four, assuming the race stays on the grass – Junior College has shown versatility and class under a variety of circumstances in amassing more than $400,000 in earnings, while Kingship exits several tough races, most recently the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland.

Carnacks Choice and Piratesonthelake round out the starters if the race stays on the grass, while Knights Cross and Truelyonbroadway will run only if it is shifted to the main track.

Kentucky racing authorities have postponed possible action. On trainer Rick Dutrow over a drug test on one of his horses.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Monday said it wanted more information. This summer, the commission found Dutrow in violation and suspended him for 15 days, but the trainer appealed.

Dutrows horse Salute the Count had an excessive amount of the legal drug clenbuterol in his blood. That decision came one day before the Dutrow-trained Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby.

Clenbuterol allows horses to breathe easier while exercising. Its use is legal at low levels but considered a performance enhancer at higher doses.

—-
This Week in Harness Racing History – October 27- November 2.

October 27, 1984 Mr. Escort sets the world record for 3-year-old gelding pacers on a half-mile track by winning in 1:56.4 at Roosevelt Raceway in New York.

October 28, 1994 Jennas Beach Boy equals the world record for 2-year-old male pacers by winning the Breeders Crown in 1:51.4 at Woodbine Racetrack near Toronto.

October 29, 1966 Romeo Hanover wins the Messenger Stakes in 2:01 over Good Time Boy and becomes the third pacer to capture the Triple Crown.

October 30, 1994 Village Jiffy wins the Stewart Fraser Memorial Pace in 1:53.2 at Northlands Park in Edmonton.

October 31, 1986 Halcyon wins the Breeders Crown for 2-year-old filly pacers at Rosecroft Raceway in Maryland.

November 1, 1996 Michelles Jackpot wins the Three Diamonds in 1:54.4 at Garden State Park in New Jersey.

November 2, 1990 Peace Corps sets the world record for female trotters on a five-eighths track by winning the Breeders Crown for mare trotters in 1:54.2 at Pompano Park in Florida.

Top honor may be close call. Now that all the debates have taken place, the final electioneering will ramp up from supporters of both camps. Ultimately, voters will have to decide if the country supports the status quo of the past year, or will move in a new direction and embrace change.

So, who should be Horse of the Year: Curlin or Zenyatta?

That is the choice Eclipse Award voters will face following the 25th Breeders’ Cup this past weekend at Santa Anita’s Oak Tree meeting.

Curlin, the 2007 Horse of the Year, has been ranked as the best horse in the world for a year. Although Curlin, in what might have been his final career start, finished fourth in the BC Classic on Saturday behind the European colt Raven’s Pass, his body of work for the calendar year is stunning in its ambition. Curlin in 2008 won major races on two continents half a world apart, and was taken out of his comfort zone for races on both turf and Pro-Ride, in which he turned in respectable, though losing, efforts.

Zenyatta completed a perfect season with a victory in the BC Ladies’ Classic on Friday. Seven times to the post in 2008, seven wins. It’s hard to argue with perfection. But Zenyatta raced exclusively in races restricted to female horses, and only once left her home state of California, for a race in Arkansas. She never tried turf. She never raced against males.

It’s like comparing two other candidates on which voters will soon cast ballots. Their attributes could not be more different.

“I have such a sense of pride and accomplishment with Curlin, second to nothing,” Steve Asmussen, the trainer of Curlin, said Monday from Churchill Downs. “He’s amazing. He never blinked. You have to look at the totality of the year.

“I’m proud as hell as to who he is. His losing Saturday doesn’t change how I feel about him. He’s the only horse in history to earn $5 million in back-to-back years. As great as he was last year, he had a better year this year.”

Even though Curlin was defeated as the heavy favorite on Saturday, the crowd gave him a heartfelt ovation after the race.

“It was very touching the ovation that he got,” Asmussen said.

Curlin traveled from California to Kentucky on Monday and was scheduled to join Asmussen’s barn at Churchill Downs. Asmussen said Jess Jackson, the majority owner of Curlin, had yet to announce whether Curlin would race next year or go to stud.

“Nothing has been decided,” he said. But Asmussen several times since the Classic lapsed into past tense when speaking of Curlin’s career.

“It’s been a remarkable run,” Asmussen said at Santa Anita on Sunday morning. “He’s been a throwback from the beginning, and he’s a durable and special horse.”

Zenyatta is also a special horse, and she beat an outstanding field in the Ladies’ Classic to put the fitting end to her 2008 campaign.

“I think because Zenyatta is undefeated and beat such a strong field, she should strongly be considered for Horse of the Year,” her trainer, John Shirreffs, said at his Hollywood Park barn on Sunday morning.

Unlike Curlin, Zenyatta never ventured outside her wheelhouse, two-turn races on the main track for fillies and mares. Asked if Zenyatta should have been in the Classic in order to state her case for Horse of the Year against the best in the world, Shirreffs made reference to the breakdown of Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby.

“On the heels of some of the things that happened earlier in the year, it was in the best interest of Zenyatta, and in the best interest of racing, to run in the Ladies’ Classic against the best fillies in the world, and they all showed up,” Shirreffs said.

“It’s always in your mind when fillies cross over, not just Eight Belles,” he said. “I just didn’t feel it was the right thing to do. I felt it was important for her to win a Breeders’ Cup race and be a champion. That was more important than racing in the Classic.”

Shirreffs rarely gets in winner’s circle photos, preferring to watch the scene from the side. He made a rare appearance in the winner’s circle after the Ladies’ Classic, the first time he had done so since Giacomo won the Kentucky Derby in 2005.

“Some things you just have to do,” he said, laughing. “It certainly was satisfying. Between the Lady’s Secret and the Breeders’ Cup, there was mounting pressure. It was great to see her perform so well on the most important day of her life.”

Shirreffs said owners Jerry and Ann Moss have not said whether they intend to retire Zenyatta or race her next year at age 5, though he said, “They really enjoy racing their horses.”

Shirreffs said Zenyatta would be walked for a number of days, then return to light training.

“It’s tough to just keep her in the barn,” he said. “After a couple of weeks, I’m sure we’ll want to do something or she’ll kick the walls down.”

Shirreffs said that Tiago, who was third in the Classic, also would remain in training next year.

Raven’s Pass, the Classic winner, is also scheduled to race next year, and he will be pointed to a repeat attempt in the Classic, according to published reports in England.

John Gosden, the trainer of Raven’s Pass, opined that the Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita better suited his horse than Curlin.

“Curlin has a phenomenal high-cruising speed and he gallops them into the ground,” Gosden said. “On that surface, he’s vulnerable to a horse with a tremendous burst of speed.”

Raven’s Pass was one of five European-based horses to win on Saturday.

The Breeders’ Cup was adjudged an overwhelming success by most involved. The biggest relief for the sport might have been that 14 races were run on national television, and no catastrophic injuries occurred, unlike at this year’s Kentucky Derby or last year’s Breeders’ Cup. The Pro-Ride surface produced fast times, but Ian Pearse, the head of Pro-Ride, said that was not unexpected.

“When you have a resilient surface and the best horses in the world running on it, you’re going to have fast times,” he said.

Said Gosden: “It was tremendous to have two great days of racing, to have it go so cleanly, so good for all the horses. Even Bob Baffert can’t complain about the track after winning two Grade 1′s.”

Trainer Eoin Harty, who is based at Santa Anita, praised the surface, and offered constructive criticism on improvements the Breeders’ Cup could make when it returns to Santa Anita next year.

“They’re probably going to have to build another barn for the Europeans. There will be a huge European presence next year,” Harty said. “I like it here. If you’re going to have an international event, it should be fair for everybody. On dirt, or the slop we had at Monmouth last year, it’s not fair for anybody. There’s no kickback on this surface. I think, by and large, the best horses won.”

Forget the 14 races, the $25 million in purses and the tens of millions in wagering. The biggest number to come out of the Breeders Cup may be zeroas in zero breakdowns on Santa Anitas new synthetic Pro-Ride surface during two electrifying days of racing that gave the sport a much-needed image boost following a long, scrutiny-filled summer.

More than 150 horses headed to the post looking for their share at horse racings richest event. Only 14 won, but the entire field made it around the sun-dappled track intact.

There was no carnage, said trainer Eoin Harty.

Thats a victory in itself for an industry trying to move past the high-profile breakdown of filly Eight Belles moments after this years Kentucky Derby, and Derby winner Big Browns controversial run at a Triple Crown.

All in all it was a real celebration of racing and the best of racing, said trainer John Gosden, who saddled Ravens Pass to an upset win over Curlin in the $5 million Classic. Thats what American racing needed from the Breeders Cup and they got it.

Gosden said before the Breeders Cup began that the new surface would level the playing field between North American and European horses.

Did it ever.

Five European horses reached the winners circle Saturday, led by Gosdens brilliant 3-year-old. Ravens Pass, a turf horse making his first start on a synthetic surface, looked right at home on the mixture of fiber, rubber and sand. He surged by the reigning Horse of the Year down the stretch for a convincing 1 3/4 lengths win.

Gosden didnt rule out bringing his star back to defend his title. If he does, he wont be alone. After watching so many Euros run so well, expect the road back to Santa Anita for next years Breeders Cup to be packed.

I should think it will be tough getting in the races next year, Gosden said. There will be a lot of people disappointed on the also eligible list.

Breeders Cup president Greg Avioli acknowledged he was worried about his decision to bring the event to Santa Anita when the tracks first try at an artificial surface proved disastrous. Pro-Ride was installed in July, and Avioli said hes gotten nothing but rave reviews.

We havent been vindicated but Santa Anita has and Pro-Ride has, Avioli said. They said they would get this right and they got this right and my hats off to them.

Gosden, who began his career training in California before moving his operations to England in 1988, said he was so impressed by the surface that hed consider running on it full-time.

If I was told I could only train on one surface for the rest of my career, I wouldnt be far off picking that main track there, he said. I really wouldnt.

Even some of the naysayers seemed to find success. Bob Baffert, who has never been a fan of synthetics, picked up two victories over the weekend, including the second Juvenile title of his career with Midshipman.

All the skeptics seemed to win races, Harty said.

Baffert doesnt consider himself a convert yet, but knows the surface is no excuse not to come to one of racings most high-profile events.

Its a Breeders Cup, and you have to run in it, Baffert said. All the good horses should show up, and thats what its all about.
One horse who almost certainly wont be back is Curlin. Looking for a second straight win in the Classic to cement his status as one of the sports all-time greats, Curlin made his patented surge to the front before fading in the final yards to finish out of the money for the first time in his career.

Trainer Steve Asmussen offered no excuses for the loss, but was among those not won over by the surface.

He works harder to go through it than he does off the dirt, Asmussen said.

Curlin was scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs late Sunday night and his racing future is uncertain. Asmussen said he and majority owner Jess Jackson would sit down in the next few days to determine which path the 4-year-old will take.

Nothing at all has been said about whats the next step, Asmussen said.

Racing, meanwhile, hopes for a quiet winter. After months of talking about steroids, medication and long awaited reform, if the last image the masses see this year is Ravens Pass dashing to the wire with the field scrambling after, thats not a bad thing.

(It is) the perception that we have to be so careful of, Gosden said. To have a great Breeders Cup is important. We need positive news and it was a positive news weekend.

Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum has made no secret about his desire to win the Kentucky Derby with a horse from Dubai. The country that he rules. That’s why it is highly likely, though not official, that Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Midshipman will be headed to Dubai in the coming weeks.

As of Monday, however, Midshipman was still in the Santa Anita barn of Bob Baffert, who hopes his status as a three-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer has an impact on Sheikh Mohammed.

“Right now I’m just training him like I’m going to keep him until something happens,” Baffert said. “They have to decide what they’re going to do. Sheikh Mohammed, I’ve always gotten along well with him. He’s asked what does it take to get to the Derby. Hopefully, it’s all fate that we finally hooked up. . . . If he respects my ability of getting to the Derby, should be an option.”

Midshipman became the property of Darley after Sheikh Mohammed purchased virtually all the racing related assets of Robert and Janice McNair’s Stonerside Stable a few weeks ago. Stonerside, which bred Midshipman, owned him for his first three starts. If Midshipman does go to Dubai, he will most likely be transferred to Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation, and transferred to trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

Baffert said Midshipman, who earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure for his victory, came out of the race stronger than he had any of his three prior races.

“I haven’t had a 2-year-old like that in years that had a legitimate chance to move on and think about the classics,” Baffert said Monday. “He’s still learning, he’s going to improve so much more. With his stride, I can’t see dirt being a problem for him at all. He’s very handy, he’s got speed, he’s got tactical speed.”

Cocoa Beach, Music Note in limbo

Cocoa Beach and Music Note, the second- and third-place finishers behind Zenyatta in last Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic, remained in Southern California awaiting a decision by Sheikh Mohammed on their future. Both ran under Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin banner.

“No decision’s been made on what’s going to happen with them,” said assistant trainer Rick Mettee, who oversaw the training of both fillies when they were in New York. “They will stay in California for at least the time being.”

For the past two winters, Mettee has overseen a Godolphin string at Payson Park, a training center in Florida. Mettee said Godolphin will not maintain a Florida string this year, and that he is likely headed to Dubai at the end of November.

Sheikh Mohammed does have a barn at Keeneland where he keeps horses that are on an extended break.- David Grening

Ginger Punch retired

Ginger Punch, the Eclipse Award-winning older filly or mare in 2007, has been retired after finishing sixth of eight in the Ladies’ Classic, trainer Bobby Frankel said Monday.

Ginger Punch, 5, won the Ladies’ Classic the previous year at Monmouth Park, when it was named the Distaff. She won 12 of 22 lifetime starts, including six Grade 1 races, and earned more than $3 million.

Frankel said Ginger Punch would remain in California for another week, then be sent to Kentucky to the farm of Frank Stronach, who bred and owns Ginger Punch. Frankel did not know to which stallion Ginger Punch would be bred next year.

Ginger Punch was one of Frankel’s favorite horses, ranking up there with Sightseek.

Asked if he was going to miss her, Frankel said, “For sure.”

- Jay Privman

Albertus Maximus will race next year

Albertus Maximus, the winner of the BC Dirt Mile, will remain in training next year at age 5, said Vladimir Cerin, who trains Albertus Maximus for Brandon and Marianne Chase.

“Mr. and Mrs. Chase asked me to plan for a campaign for next year,” Cerin said Monday. “What we still need to figure out is whether he will race exclusively in this country, and take the Santa Anita Handicap-Hollywood Gold Cup route, or point for Dubai.”

Cerin said Albertus Maximus would not race again in 2008. He will spend time recuperating at small farm Cerin has near Santa Anita. The facility has a hyperbaric chamber.

“He’s going to go to the hyperbaric chamber for a couple of weeks, get some oxygen and some grazing,” said Cerin, who said he thought Albertus Maximus still had room for improvement.

“He’s only had 15 races,” Cerin said. “He’s maturing.”

- Jay Privman

Plans for Midnight Lute uncertain

For the second year in a row, Midnight Lute wowed the crowd at the Breeders’ Cup, becoming the first horse to win the Sprint twice with his explosive last-to-first victory at Santa Anita on Saturday. Whether Midnight Lute will get the chance to wow them again is a question that remained unanswered as of Monday.

Trainer Bob Baffert said Midnight Lute came out of the Sprint in great shape but that no decision has been made on whether he might race again or be retired to stud next season, as co-owner Mike Pegram hinted at Saturday’s post-race press conference. Baffert said he and the owners would have to get together before making any decision on Midnight Lute’s future.

Midnight Lute is certainly fresh enough to compete again this season or next. The Sprint was only his second start in 2008 and third since he won the 2007 edition at Monmouth Park. A 5-year-old son of Real Quiet who has started just 13 times in his career, Midnight Lute missed most of the year due to a hock injury before finally launching his 2008 campaign in the Pat O’Brien Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 24. He was then forced to bypass a scheduled prep for the Sprint in the Grade 1 Ancient Title after coming out of the O’Brien with a severe quarter crack on his left front foot.

“I wish he hadn’t gotten hurt and I’d had him for the whole year,” said Baffert. “I was just lucky to have him ready for this. And after witnessing his performance I guess everybody who kept asking me if I was thinking about running Indian Blessing in the Sprint knows why I didn’t even consider it. He’s really special, an amazing animal, a physical specimen. I’ve been researching his pedigree and there’s Dr. Fager all over that thing. He’s just a throwback.”

As for next season, Mike Pegram, who owns Midnight Lute in partnership with Karl Watson and Paul Weitman commented, “None of our mares have been booked this year, so I think Midnight Lute will be happy in the support he’s going to get in the stud barn.”

“I would like to see him race until he’s 10,” said Baffert. “But it’s not my call.”- Mike Welsch

Conduit could defend Turf title in 2009

Conduit gave English trainer Michael Stoute a record third win in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Saturday. The same team could be back again next year for the BC Turf at Santa Anita.

“The plan is to keep this fellow in training for next year,” Stoute said.

Judging from the success the European travelers had in the BC Turf, and in the Breeders’ Cup overall, they could have more company from overseas.

Conduit rallied from fourth in the final furlong to catch Eagle Mountain and win by 1 1/2 lengths. Eagle Mountain was a stakes winner in England earlier this month. The best finish by an American-trained horse was the third-place finish by New York invader Dancing Forever.

Ridden by Ryan Moore, Conduit ($13.60) ran 1 1/2 miles on turf in 2:23.42, a stakes record.

“He keeps getting better and that’s the exciting thing about this horse,” Stoute said.

Conduit, 3, was already a Group 1 winner before the BC Turf, having won England’s longest classic race for 3-year-olds, the Group 1 St. Leger at Doncaster over 1 11/16 miles on Sept. 13.

Back in the spring, Conduit won a $98,500 handicap over 1 1/4 miles on turf by six lengths on the undercard of the English Derby at Epsom. He followed that with a second in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.

“I think he’s progressed a lot since Derby Day,” Stoute said.

Conduit was Stoute’s first BC Turf winner since Kalanisi at Churchill Downs in 2000. His first came with Pilsudski at Woodbine in 1996.

Conduit, owned by breeder Peter Reynolds’s Ballymacoll Stud of Ireland, and has won 5 of 9 starts and $2,487,823. The Ballymacoll-owned Tartan Bearer finished second in the English Derby in June.

“We thought we had the highlight when Tartan Bearer just got touched off on the Derby,” Reynolds said. “Then this guy comes along.”

- Steve Andersen

Matriarch next for Precious Kitten

Precious Kitten, fourth against males in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Saturday, will defend her title in the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Hollywood Park on Nov. 30, trainer Bobby Frankel said.

Owned by Roy and Gretchen Jackson’s Lael Stables, Precious Kitten finished 3 3/4 lengths behind the brilliant French 3-year-old filly Goldikova in the BC Mile. Precious Kitten was fifth early and led briefly in the stretch but could not sustain the bid.

The $500,000 Matriarch Stakes is run over a mile on turf for fillies and mares.

“She ran good enough to run in the Matriarch,” Frankel said.

As for 2009, Frankel said plans are unclear. Precious Kitten has won 8 of 24 starts and $1,812,543.

“She’s 5, and I haven’t talked to them about it,” he said, referring to the owners’ plans for the mare.

The Frankel-trained Champs Elysees finished eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, closing from last of 12 to finish 6 1/4 lengths behind Raven’s Pass.

Frankel said Sunday that Champs Elysees could be tried on a synthetic surface again in 2009. Champs Elysees was making his second start on a synthetic track, having finished third in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap here last March.

“We took a shot and he didn’t get beat far,” Frankel said. “I liked his race. If he stays in training, maybe we’ll try him again.”

- Steve Andersen

Well Armed, Colonel John will race again

Well Armed, who finished ninth of 12 in the Dirt Mile as the 6-5 favorite, came out of the race fine, trainer Eoin Harty said.

“He couldn’t keep up with a very fast pace,” Harty said. “He’ll go back to the track Wednesday, and we’ll come up with a game plan from there.”

Well Armed is a gelding, so he will continue to race.

Harty said Colonel John, who was sixth in the BC Classic on Saturday, will race in 2009, with his first major goal the Strub Series, exclusively for 4-year-olds of 2009, at Santa Anita’s main winter meeting.

“That seems like a natural progression. He should prove to be a nice 4-year-old next year,” Harty said. “I thought he ran a credible race on Saturday. He gave us a thrill at the top of the stretch.”

- Jay Privman

O’Neill a late scratch due to chicken pox

Juvenile runner-up Square Eddie will not run any more this year, owner Paul Reddam said. While Reddam was happy with his colt’s performance, he feels that since the horse has done so much shipping already this year, it’s best to give him the conventional time off before returning early next year.

“If he were to come back in the CashCall Futurity you might push him beyond his limits where he won’t be ready for the Kentucky Derby,” Reddam said. “We’ll do the conventional thing and give him some time off.”

Reddam thought there may have been a problem with Square Eddie on Saturday morning when his trainer, Doug O’Neill, called him and didn’t start the conversation with his usual greeting of “everything’s great.”

Turns out, everything was great with the horse, just not the trainer. O’Neill went to the hospital Friday night where he was diagnosed with chicken pox, a highly infectious illness usually seen in children.

O’Neill, who also ran five other horses on the card, is not allowed to be at his barn for at least one week, Reddam said.

“He said ‘They put me in a nice room with a TV, but it wasn’t until later that I realized they had quarantined me,’ ” Reddam recalled O’Neill telling him. “Talk about bad timing; you train all year for the Breeders’ Cup then you have to miss it. He’s home now, but he can’t come to the barn.”

Cup numbers hard to gauge. One featured 11 races being contested under an onslaught of rain on the Jersey Shore when money was being manufactured out of thin air. The other featured 14 races run under the warm Southern California sun when economic conditions were possibly the worst they had been in decades.

Those differences are making the wagering results of last year’s Breeders’ Cup at Monmouth Park in New Jersey and this year’s event at Santa Anita Park in Southern California impossible to compare on an apples-to-apples basis. For the record, total commingled handle this year was $132.6 million on 14 races, according to preliminary figures released by Breeders’ Cup on Sunday night, whereas total all-sources handle last year was $129.2 million on 11 races, a difference of 2.6 percent.

There is no question that the rapid deterioration in the economic environment both in the U.S. and abroad took its toll on the Breeders’ Cup, as it has on race meets across the U.S. over the past three months. The average handle on a Breeders’ Cup race this year was $9.5 million, compared with $11.7 million on each Breeders’ Cup race run in 2007 at Monmouth Park, a difference of 18.8 percent.

Those figures reflect both the lack of consumer confidence that has gripped the United States over the past three months and the reality that horseplayers have finite bankrolls when approaching big-event days. Even though the Breeders’ Cup expanded by three races – or 27 percent – wagering held steady.

“Overall, in light of all the variables, I have to be very pleased with where the numbers are,” said Ken Kirchner, the Breeders’ Cup’s simulcasting and wagering consultant. “The recession is knocking racetracks across the country by about 20 percent.”

This year’s Breeders’ Cup was the second to be held over two days. It was also the first to be held at a track with an artificial surface for its main track. Some handicappers have complained that they are less confident when wagering on races conducted over an artificial surface, but the muddy conditions of last year’s Breeders’ Cup complicates an analysis of how the different surfaces may have affected handle.

Field size was higher this year than last year, partly on the strength of a large European contingent eager to try their luck on the artificial going. The 14 races conducted this year attracted 156 horses, for an average field size of 11.14. Last year, the 11 races attracted 117 starters, for an average of 10.6.

Attendance held its own when compared to Breeders’ Cups conducted at Santa Anita in the past. On Friday, when five Breeders’ Cup races restricted to fillies and mares were held, attendance was 31,257. Attendance on Saturday, when nine Breeders’ Cup races were held, was 51,331. When the Breeders’ Cup was last held at Santa Anita was 2003, with a one-day card with eight races, attendance was 51,648.

Total handle over the two full days of racing was $155.5 million, with $47.9 million in wagering on Friday’s 10-race card and $107.6 million bet on Saturday’s 11-race card. Total handle last year at Monmouth Park over the two days of racing was $147.4 million, a difference of 5.5 percent.

The pick six offered on Saturday failed to hit its $3 million guarantee at $2,882,343 in handle, putting Breeders’ Cup on the line for $117,657. Kirchner said that in addition to the economic troubles, bettors’ preferences are shifting gradually in favor of pick four bets – especially in the two-day format, where bankrolls are being spread thinner – and that Breeders’ Cup may lower the guaranteed pool for the pick six next year.

“It’s not the end of the world,” Kirchner said, “but it’s something we are going to have to look at next year.”

Comparisons between television ratings for the 2007 and 2008 events are also complicated this year because of a split broadcast on Saturday among the family of television properties affiliated with ESPN. The Saturday event was first broadcast on ABC-TV from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern, with ESPN taking over until 7:15 p.m. The ESPN portion of the Saturday broadcast drew a 1.0 overnight rating, compared with a 0.8 last year when the entire Saturday broadcast was on ESPN, whereas the ABC portion drew a 1.3 rating, according to numbers provided by ABC.

The three-hour Friday broadcast on ESPN2 drew a 0.3 overnight rating, compared with a 0.3 rating last year for a two-hour broadcast on the same network, according to the figures.

Return of the fallen Kauto Star. The green and yellow rosette trampled into the mud of the winners enclosure at Cheltenham on Gold Cup day proved a decent metaphor for a fallen idol. While his stablemate Denman rightly and raucously received his due, the stampede to acclaim the new champion seemed vaguely insulting to Kauto Star, who until that day had been anointed as the heir apparent to Arkle, as talented and complete a chaser as any since the second world war. Kauto Star deserved more than the transient nod accorded yesterdays hero.

He returns to the track at Down Royal on Saturday to begin restoration work on his reputation, which was further dented by another defeat at Aintree a month after the Gold Cup. In the aftermath of those back-to-back losses, keeping faith with the former champion was hard but the publication of Timeforms Chasers and Hurdlers 2007-8, the definitive verdict on the jumping season, brought more than a little cheer to the loyal members of the Kauto Star fanclub.

On the basis mainly of his imperious performances in the King George at Kempton and the Commercial First Chase at Ascot, Timeform rated Kauto Star above Denman in its list of top chasers. The footnote was that Denman, with a rating of 180 (to Kautos 182), was accorded a p, meaning he is still improving, a terrifying thought in itself, and was named Horse of the Year.

In terms of bare form, was marginally better than anything Denman has achieved so far, Timeform wrote. So it is understandable that Kauto Stars owner should be so keen for a rematch.
Kauto Star simply had an off day in the Gold Cup, Timeform added, a view echoed by Clive Smith, owner of Kauto Star and Master Minded, the chaser rated third in the land. It was not quite our day, Smith reflects, a summer on. Maybe he needs a longer break between races now and perhaps the going was not quite to his liking.

While Smith is hobbling around on crutches after breaking his ankle, his horse is blooming. Trainer Paul Nicholls said: Last autumn Kauto took time to get back to himself. Its possible that winning a Gold Cup took more out of him than we thought. Well see what happens on the day but I couldnt be happier with him going into a race.

To confirm Nicholls impression, Kauto Star, twice winner of the Tingle Creek over two miles, has been back working with Twist Magic, a top two-mile chaser. I thought last year he might have lost some of his natural speed, so I worked him with some of the slower ones to get his confidence back, said the champion trainer. Theres been no need to do that this time.

Yet lessons have been learnt from the 2007-08 campaign, notably that after 12 races in two seasons – and nine victories Kauto Stars programme needs to be geared more specifically to that one day in March. All being well in Northern Ireland, Kauto Star will go to the Betfair Chase at Haydock before the King George and will not run again until the Gold Cup. Kauto Star’s schedule this season will be remarkably similar to the one Henrietta Knight followed, against a rumble of criticism, for Best Mate, the three-time champion. The one nagging doubt is that Kauto Star, like most French-bred horses, has too many racing miles on the clock. While both he and Denman are eight years old, Kauto Star has had 27 races, almost twice as many as his rival.

Switch’s wish for a rematch with Denman on level terms – in other words on less tacky ground and with Kauto Star properly rested – might not be realised this year. If Kauto Star is flourishing, Denman is only now getting back to work after problems with an irregular heartbeat and, like Kauto Star the year before, a lingering speck of rust.

Hes cantering every other day now, Nicholls says. The pressure to run him before Christmas is off now, which is good, so were quietly, quietly, building him up. But hes really fresh and well now. Whether a tilt at the Aon, which he won so impressively a year ago, will be on the agenda is open to doubt. But a horse of Denmans size would certainly need at least one competitive outing if he is to mount a proper defence of his title in the Cotswolds in March. After Denmans Gold Cup victory, Harry Findlay, joint-owner with Paul Barber, suggested that a smart owner would not take his horse near Denman again. Who will want to take him on? asked Findlay.

Smith, always generous in defeat, has provided the garrulous Findlay with his answer. Denman has had a setback, says Smith. But we would like to meet him again fair and square. Those were home conditions for Denman last time and away conditions for us. To be honest, I was so proud of Kauto that day. I know his jumping wasnt right on the day and he was a bit lacklustre but he tried his heart out all the way to the line. People forgot about that. Id love to see him reverse the form with Denman. The sound of the gauntlet being laid down will echo through the season.

In the meantime, Kauto Star will be given a proper welcome at Down Royal, where they appreciate champion chasers to the full. Nicholls has set out his stall to win the trainers title on both sides of the Irish Sea, a matter of necessity, given the unprecedented riches in his yard, as much as ambition. There are simply not enough big races in England to satisfy the demands of his inmates at Ditcheat. A season of plunder on the flat by Aidan OBrien might be avenged by an English trainer during the winter.

That rosette, by the way, has been retrieved, washed and held in safe keeping until Gold Cup day in March.

Timeform Chasers and Hurdlers 2007/8 (70, available online at timeform.com or from specialist bookshops)

FIRST BLOOD TO BECKETT

ENGLISH trainer Ralph Beckett took first blood at Santa Anita when his 12-1 shot Muhannak won the Breeders Cup Marathon.

Held up in fourth place by jockey Pat Smullen through the early stages, Muhannak hit the front at the top of the home straight two furlongs from home before holding off a late challenge from Church Service and Edgar Prado. Sixties Icon, the favourite, finished fifth.

Bought by Beckett during the summer after he finished last of 12 in a York handicap, Muhannak showed his affinity for synthetic surfaces by winning on both his starts on Polytrack at Kempton and Dundalk.

Goldikova produced an impressive turn of foot under Olivier Peslier to land the Breeders Cup Mile and put the seal on a fine season for trainer Freddie Head.

The Dave Hofmans-trained Desert Code, ridden by Richard Migliore, got up in the shadow of the post to deny the Godolphin horse Diabolical and Frankie Dettori victory in the Breeders Cup Turf Sprint.