All the action from Churchill Downs, Kentucky, on the first afternoon of the world's richest race meeting
Good afternoon/evening from Louisville in Kentucky, according to whether you're on ET, GMT or something else, where the opening day of Breeders' Cup 2011 has finally arrived, even if the promised high-60s heat has not. That, apparently, will be with us tomorrow, although the rasping chill on the wind this morning suggested otherwise.
As yet, there are no reported scratching in any of the six Breeders' Cup events, and it also seems that Shared Account, last year's winner of the Filly & Mare Turf, is a definite runner in tonight's renewal having been erroneously reported a non-runner in some parts.
Apologies for the late start to this live blog, that's due to some irritating (and ongoing) technical issues which I'm still trying to resolve. The air has been turning blue in the Bluegrass State, I can tell you. But if/when we're up and live, I'll be trying to get the results online faster than anyone else on the WWW, and keeping you all up to date with developing news stories etc. All comments welcome, and I'll be reading them all just as soon as I can.
4.39pm I'm in! Hurrah. Hopefully that's the end of the tech issues and we can concentrate on the racing, though I'll be tweeting results asap too on @Greg_Wood_, feel free to follow me..
At the moment Bob Baffert is talking about Secret Circle's impressive success in the opening race, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint, which was particularly notable given that he was always close to a very strong early pace.
It's 11 minutes to post for the second race, the Juvenile Fillies' Turf, where my fancy is for Somali Lemonade, though with a full field she will need some luck from stall 14. Her win last time out is worth checking on YouTube though, don't often seen horses come from last to first as impressively as that.
4.43pm: Timings are going to be local, by the way, as the powers that be reckon it's the easiest way. Kentucky is four hours behind GMT.
The vid of Somali Lemonade last time is here: http://youtu.be/6S0W2KwF8KM
4.45pm: Stopshoppingmaria is also in the next, the Juvenile Fillies' Turf. Hopefully Maria will indeed stop shopping for long enough to watch the race, before starting again with renewed vigour if the horse named after her picks up the $600k or so first prize.
Elusive Kate has looked well all week and will surely go well, though was one of those who was barred from the turf track due to rain yesterday morning. "It didn't help because I had to take her out this morning," John Gosden, her trainer, says, "which isn't ideal on the morning of the race."
4.55pm: Juvenile Fillies' Turf: 1. Stephanie's Kitten, 2. Stopshoppingmaria, 3. Sweet Cat, 4. Up.
4.57pm: Stopshoppingmaria looked to have kicked into a winning lead there but Stephanie's Kitten ran her down well inside the final furlong. Somali Lemonade looked to take a slight bump about three out, but never looked likely to pick up the leaders. Up ran well for Aidan O'Brien to finish fourth, but very few really got into the race on the tight track.
One of the major stars of the first day is up next. Turbulent Descent will be a very warm favourite for the Filly & Mare Sprint (though it's not really a sprint as it's over seven furlongs, but hey ho).
Back to the first race, here's the ever-quotable Bob Baffert's take on it: "After I saw those fractions, I thought, "Oh, boy", but he was doing it easy.He's just a very gifted horse, he has unbelievable speed. I was a little worried about him coming down the liane, he kind of lost focus, but he's just young. We're one-for-one now. The pressure's on. I thought going in that if he didn't run well, I might be in for a bad weekend.
Brian Meehan on the excellent run of Shumoos, a big outsider for the opening Juvenile Sprint but a very impressive second.
"I thought she was going to get there. Never mind, she's run really well, though. Getting beat is always hard, but she ran a great race, so we're delighted with her. She's going to remain in the US with Ben Cecil."
Fifteen minutes to post for the Filly & Mare Sprint, Turbulent Descent is a very solid favourite here at 9-5 on course. Switch, the subject of plenty of positive reports from good judges over the last couple of days, is next best at 7-2.
Tidying up from the last race, Elusive Kate finished eighth, with John Gosden suggesting that she was beaten by her wide draw.
Bookmakers are a somewhat prickly subject here in Kentucky, as they are in much of the United States, but the reps from Britain are unabashed. Boylesports have just put round a slip to say that Up has been introduced to the 1,000 Guineas betting at 25-1.
Late scratching: Shotgun Gulch is out on vet's orders.
Filly & Mare Sprint result: 1. Musical Romance, 2, photo.
Turbulent Descent got stopped in her tracks down the back, but still came back to hit the front in the stretch. It had taken too much out of her, though, and Musical Romance stayed on along the rail to win. Switch finished second, edging out Her Smile.
Post-race quotes from John Velazquez, winning jockey of Stephanie's Kitten in the Juvenile Fillies' Turf: "She was amazing. As soon as I asked her to go in between those other two horses, she responded right away. It's nice when you can ride horses like that. She's game for anything I ask her to do. That's what I like about her."
On we go to the top of the first-day card, with $2m in the pot for the next three events.
First up, the Juvenile Fillies'. Very impressive candidates in Grace Hall, My Miss Aurelia and Weemissfrankie, who have had three races each and never tasted defeat. I'm going to have an each-way stab at Candrea, though. She was touched off by Weemissfrankie last time, but had raced hard from the front and might just be able to reverse the form with a little more restraint. At around 11-1, I reckon it's an each-way chance worth taking.
Another interesting point with regard to Candrea is that she's drawn two, with Questing, who is far from certain to hit the ground running, on her inside. My Miss Aurelia and Weemissfrankie are both out wide, and evidence of the first two races on the dirt track is that the rail is the place to be in the stretch.
Weemissfrankie, by the way, is named after the late American character actor and director Frank Alesia, who died in February.
Juvenile Fillies result: 1. My Miss Aurelia, 2. Grace Hall, 3. Weemissfrankie.
Very impressive performance there by My Miss Aurelia, remains unbeaten after a race in which the main contenders filled the first three places. Candrea got the lead, but My Miss Aurelia was stalking throughout and brushed her aside at the top of the stretch before staying on really well all the way to the post.
Now 19 minutes to post for the Filly & Mare Turf, and Stacelita is a solid favourite on the pari-mutuel at 2-1. Nahrain is 4-1 with Frankie Dettori up for his only ride at the meeting, since tomorrow he will become one of the few British-based jocks around who is serving a ban for something other than a whip offence. Misty For Me and Announce also well-fancied for the Europeans.
Some quotes from the Filly & Mare Sprint earlier.
Bill Kaplan, trainer of winner Musical Romance: "This filly's done everything I've asked of her and more. I don't care if she runs 13 or 14 times a year, she just gets better with every shot. This is it, this is the pinnacle."
Mike Puype, trainer of beaten favourite Turbulent Descent: "She got slammed leaving the gate. She got slammed leaving the backside. Then it made her eager and she pulled her way right up to the leader. Moved too early and then she flattened out after all that. She couldn't sustain a good run. It's her first bad race. Wrong day to have it, but it happens and we've just got to move on."
In the last race, by the way, Homecoming Queen and Ryan Moore finished last of 14. Questing did much better, coming home in fifth in a very hot renewal of the race, and she's now likely to stay in the US with Kiaran McLaughlin.
Victory for Stacelita here would ensure a clean sweep for the American horses on the first day of the Breeders' Cup, though as someone put it earlier on, Stacelita may be trained in the US now, but "she still has a French accent".
Announce is a late scratch.
Announce was injured in the pre-race parade when bumping into the on-track ambulance. She looks to be walking okay though.
The track vet tells a TV interviewer that "she has scrapes on her right leg" and it was too close to the off to check her fitness to race.
Big upset in the Filly & Mare Turf. 1. Perfect Shirl, 2. photo. Stacelita had a horrible run, going best on the turn but nowhere to go in the straight.
F&M Turf: 2. Nahrain, 3. Misty For Me, 4. Distorted Legacy.
And so to the Ladies' Classic, to be run under the floodlights. Now 16 minutes to post, and it's Royal Delta, rather than the "morning line" favourite Plum Pretty, who heads the market at 8-5. Plum Pretty next best at 7-2, with It's Tricky, from Godolphin's American arm, at 9-2.
Steve Asmussen, the trainer of My Miss Aurelia, has been talking about his winner of the Juvenile Fillies'. "She's extremely special. She's been everybody's pick at every stage, and she came through today with a great race."
For anyone who missed the Tweet yesterday - @Greg_Wood_ all followers most welcome - an odd snippet about Pachattack, one of the outsiders for the Ladies' Classic, is that when she won her maiden at Glorious Goodwood in July 2008, one of the also-rans was Midday, who won the Filly & Mare Turf two years ago and will be a leading player in the Turf tomorrow night.
Post time for the Ladies' Classic. Royal Delta will be favourite.
Ladies' Classic: 1. Royal Delta, 2. It's Tricky, 3. Pachattack.
Plum Pretty looked to have quite an easy lead there but she folded pretty tamely in the straight as Royal Delta and It's Tricky took her measure. Pachattack stayed on for third without ever looking like getting to the winner, and the consistent Ultra Blend was fourth. The winner is the first 3yo to take the race since 2004.
That result is a big positive for Havre De Grace in the Classic tomorrow night. Royal Delta was no match for her last time out.
Royal Delta paid $6.40 to a $2 stake, sending favourite-backers home happy ahead of the nine Breeders' Cup races on tomorrow's card.
Wrapping up the F&M Turf, here's the quotes from connections of first, second and third.
Roger Attfield, trainer of Perfect Shirl: "I had my doubts about running her. I was very concerned because she's never been able to handle a soft course. Once I saw how she was moving down the backside, I could see she was moving beautifully and I became very excited."
Roger Varian, trainer of Nahrain: "I'm really proud of her. She ran a great race. I thought we had it off the bend."
Frankie Dettori, jockey Nahrain: "She ran an absolutely fantastic race. Last night, when I dreamt about it, I won. I had the perfect trip. She was covered up, got clear at the quarter pole and kicked on. I have no complaints.
Ryan Moore, jockey, Misty For Me: "The ground knuckled out from under her [at the break]. She was having a little trouble handling the course and did not really start running until she got into the stretch."
That was a very smooth win by Royal Delta, who won with Jose Lezcano beginning to ease down. It's Tricky had every chance to get one on the board for Godolphin but was beaten by a really good filly.
The highlights of the first day were the race we've just seen and the memorable performance by My Miss Aurelia in the Juvenile Fillies'. No wins for Europe so far but that will hopefully change tomorrow when Goldikova goes for her fourth win in the Mile in the final race of her career.
Many of the 40,000 punters here today will be back tomorrow, and so will I. Really looking forward to it and I hope you'll be able to join me for nine of the best Flat races you'll find anywhere in the world.
Greg Wood, in Kentucky, signing off for now.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2011/nov/04/breeders-cup-live-blog
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