2020 breeders' cup | Horse Racing Free Tips

Versatility ‘Never Hurts’: United Could Be The Early Leader Or Could Stalk Pace In The Turf

United will be back this weekend to contest his second Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf, and his connections will no doubt be hoping he can turn around last year's painfully-close second-place finish behind Bricks and Mortar.

This year, trainer Richard Mandella said he'll be coming in with a new weapon: a running style discovered in his win in the G2 John Henry Turf Championship last time out.

“We decided to just jump him out, put him on the lead, and stay out of trouble,” said Mandella. “He'd been in trouble the race before and it may have cost him winning. We thought we'd let him jump out there and he really liked it. It gives us the feeling that we have options now to do whatever feels best.”

Previously, United had been prone to stalk an early leader going at a slow or moderate pace, and wait farther back off a hot pace. It's possible the newfound versatility could give him an edge over the many European invaders in the race, including formidable foes in Magical (IRE) and Mehdaayih (GB), but Mandella wasn't tipping his hand when it came to race strategy on Thursday.

“It never hurts to have the versatility option to go either way,” Mandella said. “But it's too early — I haven't seen enough of the field yet to handicap and figure out what our best strategy is. I'll pretty much leave that up to Flavien Prat, a great jockey.”

United has been first or second in all his starts going back to the 2019 John Henry, and Mandella said he feels good about the gelding coming into the weekend. He does anticipate a challenger in Channel Maker, the Bill Mott trainee who won this year's Sword Dancer by an impressive 5 3/4 lengths, but he doesn't focus too much on other horses, preferring to keep eyes on his own work.

Since he's a gelding, Mandella said it's likely United will be back for a 6-year-old campaign. He'd tried to take the horse to this year's G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, but evolving travel lockdowns due to COVID-19 meant he brought the horse to Dubai, schooled him in the paddock, and promptly learned they had to head home. It might be nice to try again, Mandella said in a press conference Thursday, depending upon what international travel protocols are by March 2021.

“I fully intend to keep him around as long as he's healthy and happy,” said Mandella.

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Stall: The 3-Year-Olds Are The X Factor In This Year’s Classic

The Breeders' Cup will be one of the few major events in American racing taking place at its normal place in the calendar this year, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Tom's d'Etat trainer Al Stall Jr., said that we shouldn't forget that the schedule disruptions from earlier this year could still have an impact on the Classic.

“I don't think anyone's ever gone into the Classic and said it's a soft field,” Stall said. “There are a lot of superlatives talking about these horses and I agree. I think the X factor is the 3-year-olds. Because of the way the Triple Crown laid out these year, they've had a nice progression into the race. There are two 3-year-olds that really got my attention — obviously, Tiz the Law and Authentic — and that's a little bit different than in years past. Sometimes you'll get a 3-year-old who's a little bit down and out. Obviously Pharoah was the exception to that.

“It's all about the trip and the luck from here on out.”

Stall does not expect any one horse will be allowed to take an uncontested easy lead, and much of the race will come down to strategy. He's hopeful Tom's d'Etat can sit off the early going, but it will come down to how the traffic plays out.

Perhaps surprisingly, Stall said there's no one horse in this field that intimidates him more than any other, or even a handful. Stall said there are eight contenders (though he did not name them) he thinks could pull off a win.

If he were to win the Classic, Tom's d'Etat will have done it off one of the longest layoffs since Invasor (ARG) in 2006. Stall said the break from the Aug. 1 Grade 1 Whitney to the Classic was a combination of design and circumstance. He considered sending the horse to the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup but when the stakes schedule was released, he realized that gave him 28 days to get the horse from one effort to the next. Stall's gut told him to bring the 7-year-old in fresh. He let the horse relax for a little while, the began ramping up his breezes in mid-September and sent him out for an easy four-furlong work Oct. 31, which reminded him of the final work from Blame in 2010.

“He just went out there by himself and was looking around and stretching his legs,” said Stall. “He seems to have benefitted from that because he has seemed very, very comfortable all week.”

Much of the media attention (and likely, eventually, wagering) will be on Tiz the Law and the Baffert trio. It isn't the first time Stall has come into the Classic hoping to steal the spotlight. Zenyatta's loss to Blame was a heartbreaker for many in racing, but Stall has happy memories of that strange, quiet night at Churchill Downs.

“I just remember afterwards it was a perfectly clear, crisp, Kentucky fall evening and the sky was coral and the black was coming in. We were so happy for all the connections, everybody involved, the horse himself,” Stall remembered. “Our little pocket celebrated quite loudly while the rest of the grandstand was silent but we didn't notice that.”

Stall confirmed Tom's d'Etat will be retired after Saturday's races. Earlier this year, it was announced he will take up stud duties at WinStar farm.

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Breeders’ Cup Updates App with Virtual Fashions and More

The official Breeders’ Cup mobile app has been updated to add augmented reality filters, allowing fans to try on virtual fashions, including virtual hats, or ride a virtual Thoroughbred. Fans can also pose for photos or videos inside a flower garland frame as confetti rains down. Available on iOS and Android devices, the newest version of the app was designed so that fans following along from home can have some extra fun. Spectators are not allowed at the Breeders’ Cup this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originally launched in 2017 in partnership with YinzCam, a mobile app and software developer, the Breeders’ Cup mobile app provides racing fans with in-depth coverage, including breaking news, real-time results, and live streaming of all the Breeders’ Cup races.

“Over the past few years working with YinzCam, we’ve continuously evolved our app experience to deliver the best of the Breeders’ Cup right to our fans’ mobile devices,” said Justin McDonald, Senior Vice President, Marketing at Breeders’ Cup. “This year, with more fans interacting with our event from home, it has been more important than ever to introduce engaging features and capabilities that still allow them to enjoy the quintessential experiences inherent of the Thoroughbred lifestyle.”

The 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be held at Keeneland this weekend, Nov. 6-7.

The post Breeders’ Cup Updates App with Virtual Fashions and More appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Global Campaign’s Classic Will Mark The End Of Racing For Plank, Sagamore Farm

The start of Global Campaign in this weekend's Breeders' Cup Classic will bookend co-owner Sagamore Farm's involvement in horse racing under current farm owner Kevin Plank. Plank told The Baltimore Sun this week that the farm in Maryland's horse country will sell most of its remaining horses by the end of the year and be shifted to the production of corn and rye to support Sagamore Spirit's rye whiskey.

A few retired horses will remain on the property as a tribute to its long history as a cradle of top Thoroughbreds.

Sagamore Farm was once the main base for racing and breeding operations of Alfred Vanderbilt, Jr., and home to Discovery, Native Dancer, and Bed o' Roses — all of whom are buried there. Read more about the history of Sagamore Farm from this 2018 Paulick Report feature.

Plank, former CEO of the fitness apparel company Under Armour, purchased the property in 2007, at which point it had fallen into disrepair. Vanderbilt had sold the property to developer James Ward in the late 1980s and Ward quickly became overwhelmed by the costs of a commercial breeding operation and shuttered it. Plank spent considerable funds restoring the barns and fence lines to their former glory.

Under Plank's watch, Sagamore won the 2010 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf with Shared Account and is breeder of last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Sharing.

Plank told the Sun his departure from the sport was nothing to do with racing, but due more to a lack of time to put into the operation. Under Armour's stock has taken a hit in recent years following an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department into some of its accounting practices.

Sagamore co-owns Global Campaign with WinStar Farm. Plank told media he plans to be at the races this weekend to watch the Classic.