Breeders’ Cup Presents The News Minute: Horsemen’s Interest In World Championships Undeterred By Pandemic

Earlier this year there were concerns about how the coronavirus pandemic would affect the 37th running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, specifically whether the interest level would be as high among horsemen, especially those from overseas.

Those concerns were cast aside today when Breeders' Cup unveiled the lists of pre-entered horses for the 14 championship races to be run at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 6-7. The 201 horses pre-entered represents the second highest number ever and the 38 international horses pre-entered is second only to the 41 pre-entered in 2018 when the Breeders' Cup was at Churchill Downs.

Paulick Report publisher Ray Paulick reviews the pre-entries, race schedules and long-range weather forecast in today's Breeders' Cup News Minute.

Watch the Breeders' Cup News Minute below:

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New Brand Campaign Launched for 2020 Breeders’ Cup

The Breeders’ Cup announced Tuesday details of a new brand awareness campaign to promote the 2020 World Championships, which will be held this year at Keeneland Nov. 6-7. The campaign, representing Breeders’ Cup’s largest-ever digital advertising initiative with a multi-million dollar digital and broadcast media buy, is entitled “A Breed Apart” and targets sports bettors, daily fantasy players, and casual fans.

Launched earlier this month, the media plan projects an estimated 170+ million impressions throughout the five-week promotion period leading up to the Breeders’ Cup with the campaign running across influential national media and advertising platforms.

“The quality of racing and excitement of the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships is unmatched and A Breed Apart is our way of inviting sports fans, and reminding racing fans, to watch and bet on this great international event from home,” said Justin McDonald, Senior Vice-President of Marketing at Breeders’ Cup. “The campaign is built off consumer research that indicates there is substantial opportunity for us to build a bigger audience for Breeders’ Cup. Our planning began well in advance of the COVID-19 pandemic and, while clearly consumer appetites for sports and wagering content have been affected, we are fortunate to be able to bring it to market despite the challenges.”

Featuring a total of $31 million in purses and awards this year, the Breeders’ Cup will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. This year’s live broadcast will have the biggest on-site production ever for a horse racing event, with NBC having access to 80 cameras for its coverage as opposed to last year’s 45. The feed will incorporate live streams from a number of advanced technologies, including the all-new Contender Cam, which allows fans to watch up to 14 of their favorite horses at once.

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Baffert Said He Can’t Separate His Classic Triple Threat

Authentic, Improbable and Maximum Security had important workouts over the weekend at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., two weeks before their engagement for trainer Bob Baffert in the $6-million, Grade 1  Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Authentic, winner of the G1 Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 and second most recently to the filly Swiss Skydiver in the G1 Preakness on Oct. 3, worked Saturday, going seven furlongs in a blazing 1:24.40.

On Sunday, Improbable, who goes into the Nov. 7 Classic off three consecutive Grade 1 victories – most recently defeating Maximum Security in the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 26 – worked seven furlongs in 1:25 flat. Maximum Security, the reigning champion 3-year-old male of 2019 when trained by Jason Servis, went five furlongs in :59.80 for Baffert. Authentic and Improbable were the only horses working seven furlongs each day, but Maximum Security's breeze was the fastest of 72 horses working five furlongs at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Juan Ochoa was aboard for all three workouts.

XBTV VIDEO: Authentic work. Improbable work. Maximum Security work.

Baffert goes into the Classic with one of the strongest hands ever seen in a Breeders' Cup race, with Improbable likely to be favored over his stablemates and the top guns from the East Coast: Florida Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers (all G1) winner Tiz the Law; G2 Stephen Foster winner Tom's d'Etat; and multiple G2 winner By My Standards.

The Hall of Fame trainer said he couldn't separate the three – all with different owners.

“I'm not being politically correct, but all three of these horses are at the top of their game right now,” Baffert said. “Authentic looks just as good as he did going into the Kentucky Derby. Maximum Security is doing the best he's ever done for me, and Improbable is also doing very well.”

Baffert said he worked Maximum Security a shorter distance and in company because the 4-year-old colt by New Year's Day “is only going to give you so much. I don't want to overtrain him. He's a big, heavy, strong horse, but one thing I've noticed is I have to train him differently. His lung capacity is pretty big. He never blows when he comes back.”

Luis Saez is scheduled to ride Maximum Security, with Irad Ortiz Jr. taking the call on Improbable (he rode the City Zip 4-year-old colt to a two-length victory over By My Standards and Tom's d'Etat in the G1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 1). John Velazquez will be back aboard Authentic, a 3-year-old by Into Mischief.

“They are a triple threat,” Baffert said. “It may come down to post position or the trip they get.”

They'll have one more work at Santa Anita next weekend before departing for Kentucky.

In other news, Baffert said he is not going to run the highly touted $1-million yearling purchase Spielberg in the Juvenile and will instead look for a maiden race after the horse finished second and third, respectively, in the G1 Del Mar Futurity and G1 American Pharoah Stakes.

Baffert said he will pre-enter Classier in the Juvenile. The Empire Maker colt won a maiden race on Saturday by four lengths at Santa Anita. He will also have unbeaten Princess Noor in the G1 Juvenile Fillies and Gamine in the G1 Filly & Mare Sprint.

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Mott Leaning Toward Running Frank’s Rockette Against Males In Sprint

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott worked a trio of Breeders' Cup contenders, including Tacitus, Channel Maker and Frank's Rockette at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., over the weekend, as well as Horologist on the Oklahoma training track on Friday at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York.

Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, R.A. Hill Stable and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's multiple Grade 1-winner Channel Maker worked inside of Juddmonte Farms' multiple graded-stakes winner Tacitus Saturday on Big Sandy though a half-mile in 48.71 seconds, reaching five eighths in 1:01.2 and out six furlongs in 1:15.

“They went well. It was a very useful work and I'm happy enough with them,” said Mott.

Channel Maker secured his fourth Grade 1 win last out with a stellar front-running performance in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on October 3. That performance matched the career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure earned by Channel Maker in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer on August 29 over soft going at Saratoga.

Channel Maker will be making his third attempt at the 12-furlong Grade 1 Breeders' Turf, and Mott said he is cautiously optimistic of his chances.

“There's a lot of them that don't get that,” said Mott with a laugh regarding a Breeders' Cup win. “His last couple of races have been good. We'll know a lot more after pre-entries tomorrow about how he looks in there.”

Channel Maker's other Grade 1 scores were secured in the 2018 Turf Classic Invitational and 2019 Man o' War at Belmont.

The regally bred Tacitus, a 4-year-old Tapit grey who boasts a record of 14-4-4-3 with more than $2.9 million in earnings, is out of the champion mare Close Hatches.

Tacitus captured the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby and Grade 2 Wood Memorial last year and added the Grade 2 Suburban to his ledger in July at Belmont. He will enter the Breeders' Cup Classic in search of a first Grade 1 win after hitting the board in the Kentucky Derby, Runhappy Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup as a sophomore and this year in the Woodward and Jockey Club Gold Cup where he was a last-out third.

Frank's Rockette, owned by Frank Fletcher Racing Operations, worked a half-mile Sunday in 49.42 in company with unraced 3-year-old filly Strings Attached on the Belmont dirt training track.

“It was a good, even work. We wanted to go in 49 and that's about what we did. It was a nice, useful work,” said Mott.

The Into Mischief filly posted a 7 3/4-length victory in the Grade 2, $150,000 Gallant Bloom last out at Belmont to mark her fourth consecutive triumph and third straight graded score following wins in the Grade 3 Victory Ride in July at Belmont and the Grade 2 Prioress in September at Saratoga.

While Frank's Rockette is under consideration for the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at seven furlongs on November 7 at Keeneland, Mott said he is more than like to enter the speedy filly against the boys in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint, which offers a potentially more favorable distance of six furlongs.

“Right now, were thinking about the Sprint,” said Mott.

There's A Chance Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Medallion Racing and Abbondanza Racing's New Jersey-bred Horologist breezed a bullet five-eighths Friday in 1:00.61 on the Oklahoma training track.

“She worked super,” said Mott. “She is coming around nicely. Her last win was good.”

The 4-year-old Gemologist bay captured the Grade 2 Beldame last out on October 4 at Belmont and is to be supplemented to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff.

A multiple graded-stakes winner, Horologist captured the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks last year and added Monmouth's Grade 3 Molly Pitcher to her ledger in July.

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