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Breeders' Cup opens Friday

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (UPI) -- While most attention focuses on Zenyatta's effort to extend her undefeated streak to 14 in Saturday's $5 million Classic, the 26th running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships kicks off Friday with six challenging races, five of them restricted to fillies and mares.

The championships return to Santa Anita for a second straight year. In 2008, the artificial "Pro-Ride" surface of the main track played a pivotal role in the outcome of some races and handicappers are looking for a similar impact this year.

Many horsemen feel the track plays more like turf than the traditional dirt tracks still in use at many tracks outside California. That impression gained credence as grass-trained Europeans finished 1-2 in the Classic and horses accustomed to the East Coast dirt tracks appeared to be at a disadvantage on the unfamiliar surface.

Rachel Alexandra, the 3-year-old filly whose tour de force East Coast campaign may already have locked up "Horse of the Year" honors, will not compete at Santa Anita. Her owner and trainer refused to run her on the artificial surface.

Despite the surface questions, deep and contentious fields will line up for most of the races, including Friday's marquee event, the $2 million Ladies Classic. While this race could have been a showdown between Zenyatta, who won it last year, and Rachel Alexandra, their defections leave a more competitive field.

The morning-line favorite in the Ladies Classic at odds of 9-5 is Music Note, who finished third in the event last year and won her last two starts – both Grade I events on New York tracks. Second choice at 2-1 is the 3-year-old filly Careless Jewel, who has reeled off five straight wins. Two European-raced grass specialists, Proviso and Rainbow View, also figure in the 1 1/8-mile event.

With the better Europeans opting to run on the main track, the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf is headlined by East Coast-based Forever Together, who shipped in to win last year's running, and local favorite Magical Fantasy, who has won four straight California races.

In the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint, defending champion Ventura again will face Informed Decision, who narrowly defeated her at Keeneland last spring.

The $2 million Juvenile Fillies and the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf are wide open, with contenders from around North America and Europe.

The championship program kicks off with the $500,000 Marathon, a 1 3/4-mile, main-track event. That event could get the Breeders' Cup off to a good start for the powerful, Dubai-based Godolphin Stable, which sends out Mastery. Mastery won his last start at the same distance in the Group I St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster in England and the 3-year-old Sulamani colt appears to be peaking at just the right time. With several other Europeans in the field, the race also could preview how well those horses will perform during the balance of the championship schedule.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 11/05/2009

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