Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic and Dirt Mile Top Contenders
by Patricia Woo | Oct 18 2010
The Breeders' Cup World Championships will be held at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5-6 - less than a month away - which means it's time to start looking at some of the exciting contenders in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic and the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
Even with Zenyatta earmarked to start in the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic, held this year on Nov. 5, boasts a strong lineup of fillies and mares 3 years old and up willing to go 1 1/8 miles over dirt. Winner of the 2010 Kentucky Oaks, 3-year-old Blind Luck will be competing against a more experienced field for the first time. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, this daughter of Pollard's Vision has been consistent all year in a campaign that has seen her go coast-to-coast; she has won five of eight races this year. Other notable victories include the Gr. 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga in August and the Gr. 2 Delaware Oaks at Del Mar. She will likely meet rival Havre de Grace in the Ladies' Classic, another up-and-coming 3-year-old. Trained by Anthony Dutrow, Havre de Grace had to settle for runner-up twice in their three meetings this year but finally bested Blind Luck in the Gr. 2 Fitz Dixon Cotillion at Parx Racing on Oct. 2.
Among the top mares in contention for the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic title is Life at Ten, Todd Pletcher's 5-year-old trainee who has strung together a near-perfect record in 2010. Winner of the Gr. 1 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park on Oct. 2, this Malibu Moon mare's only blemish was a third-place finish in the Gr. 1 Personal Ensign Invitational at Saratoga on Aug. 29. Other horses to keep an eye on include Unrivaled Belle, runner-up in her last three races; Zardana, who defeated 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes in March; and Evening Jewel, winner of the Gr. 1 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 21.
The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, set to run on Nov. 6, has the potential to be a thrilling race, too. Topping the list of contenders is 4-year-old Here Comes Ben, a son of Street Cry trained by Charles Lopresti. He went straight from winning an ungraded stakes race – the Kelly's Landing – on June 25 to trumping a loaded lineup in the Gr. 1 Forego Stakes on Sept. 4 that included sprint star Big Drama. Another horse to watch is Tizway, who has started to find his stride as a 5-year-old. Trained by Harold Bond, this son of Tiznow won the Gr. 2 Kelso Stakes at 1 mile on Oct. 3 at Belmont Park. And Jeff Thornbury's Mad Flatter, a 5-year-old son of Flatter, earned an automatic berth into this race on Oct. 16 with 6 ¼ length romp in the Gr. 3 Spend A Buck Stakes. Vineyard Haven and Gayego, both trained by Saeed bin Suroor for Godolphin Racing, could also factor into the top three.
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