40th Breeders' Cup World Championships | Horse Racing Free Tips

Long Weekend, Keeneland’s Haggin Turf Course Hosts A Trio Of Graded Races

Keeneland's lawn debuted during the 1985 Fall meet in an era when American turf courses were just coming into vogue.

According to a back issue of the track's media guide, through 2016 they had two names for their grass course. The Keeneland Course referred to the one with rail up, while the normal configuration with it down was called the Haggin Course.

Named for Louis Lee Haggin II, who was not only Keeneland's President from 1940-1956, but the decade before had purchased the 550-acre Sycamore Farm in Woodford County. Serving as board chairman of the Keeneland Association beginning in 1970, he was a decedent of the gold rusher and California stud farm innovator James Ben Ali Haggin.

As for the Keeneland turf course records, they recognized various distances and rail settings, but for the 2016 Fall meet, the inside rail was replaced on the Haggin Course with a portable fence that can be placed a variety of distances to protect the inside portion of the course. So, beginning with the 2017 Spring meet, Keeneland amalgamated records into one set based on distance.

Now that we mowed through a bit of turf history, the Haggin will take center stage starting on Friday, as the Association cards a trio of graded grass races which will headline another weekend of racing action.

On Friday at Keeneland, a key distance test will be renewed when turf specialists contest the GIII Sycamore S. going 12 furlongs. Grizzled veterans like GISW Red Knight (Pure Prize) and MGISW Channel Maker (English Channel) are present, but so are up and comers like MGSP Limited Liability (Kitten's Joy) and GSP Red Run (Gun Runner). Add in Godolphin homebred Bold Act (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), who is group stakes placed in England and France for trainer Charlie Appleby, and this should set up as quite a late scramble.

Lindy | Coady Photography

Heading to Saturday in the Bluegrass, it is the annual invitation-only GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. for 3-year-old fillies. The nine-furlong run over the Haggin includes several invaders with European form. Elusive Princess (Fr) (Martinborough {Jpn}) made her U.S. debut a good one when she captured the GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational Aug. 4 after running second in the G1 Prix Saint-Alary S. at ParisLongchamp May 14 and when she was fifth behind G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines heroine Blue Rose Cen (Churchill {Ire}) in the G1 Prix de Diane S. June 18 at Chantilly.

Shifting from Jean-Philippe Dubois to Arnaud Delacour, the bay filly will face another who recently changed yards in Lindy (Fr) (Le Harve {Ire}). She made the switch from Christophe Ferland to Brendan Walsh over the summer after finishing second in the G1 French 1000 Guineas S. to Blue Rose Cen and then a well-beaten eighth in the Prix de Diane. Under Walsh, she successfully shipped into Kentucky Downs and won an optional claimer at a short price going a mile.

Other imports into this field include Sounds of Heaven (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who was third at the Royal Meeting in the G1 Coronation S. for Jessica Harrington, French stakes winner for Jean-Claude Roget Elounda Queen (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and finally, Mawj (Ire), who was last seen winning the G1 1000 Guineas S. at Newmarket May 7 for Godolphin and trainer Saeed bin Suroor. Incidently, this will be bin Suroor's first trip to Keeneland since 2014.

“You have to send the right horse to run here,” bin Suroor said. “This is the right place for her. This was the plan to come here and then go to the Breeders' Cup. Either the [GI Breeders' Cup] Mile or the [GI Breeders' Cup] Filly & Mare Turf. I want to see how she runs here and then on to L.A. Mawj had a little chest infection before Ascot [in the summer] and she had a break,” bin Suroor said of the five months between starts.

As for the American contingent, Chad Brown will be well-represented with pair of entries in GSW Liguria (War Front) and GISP Prerequisite (Upstart). Brown has won four of the last five editions of this race.

Finally, on Sunday it will be time to go sprinting at Keeneland when the GII Franklin S. goes off at five and a half furlongs for older females. MGISW Caravel (Mizzen Mast) returns to her favorite course, the site of her upset win last fall in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, as she attempts to repeat in the Franklin S. for trainer Brad Cox. The accomplished 6-year-old, who will be offered at the Keeneland November Sale, will once again face GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint victoress Twilight Gleaming (Ire) (National Defense {GB}). The 4-year-old bay filly is looking to get back on track for Wesley Ward after an unsuccessful trip to Del Mar July 28 in the Daiseycutter S. Also of note is the presence of GII Ladies Turf Sprint winner Bay Storm (Kantharos), who had her own way at Kentucky Downs, and the untested Godolphin homebred from England for Charlie Appleby, Star Guest (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).

Eternal Hope | Chelsea Durand

The stakes docket is not restricted to just Central Kentucky as both Aqueduct and Woodbine host their own graded races on Saturday.

With rain in the forecast later in the day and Sunday's GIII Knickerbocker S. moved to next week as a consequence, we will get to see the GII Sands Point S. early on the Belmont at the Big A card. Out of 10 entrants and three also-eligibles, Neecie Marie (Cross Traffic) will get another crack at Godolphin's Eternal Hope (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who bested her by only a neck in the Sept. 16 GIII Jockey Club Oaks Invitational.

Joining the fray are a pair of alums who ran second and third in last month's Virginia Oaks at Colonial Downs. Jeff Drown's Root Cause (Into Mischief) and Don Alberto homebred Alpha Bella (Justify) have proved they can handle nine furlongs as they look to win their first graded race.

Ranging up the Canada, Woodbine has a pair of Grade IIIs scheduled over their Tapeta on Saturday when SW Mouffy (Uncle Mo) takes on MGSW Souper Hoity Toity (Uncle Mo) in the Ontario Matron S. and GSW Loyalty (Hard Spun) battles MGSW Our Flash Drive (Ghostzapper) in the Ontario Fashion S.

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Catching Up with 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Winner Mendelssohn

If ever there was a horse whose CV matches his pedigree, it is Mendelssohn. He topped the Keeneland September sale on a bid of $3 million from Coolmore in 2016, the year before he captured the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. And that pedigree? When he won the Breeders' Cup, he pushed his dam, the reigning Broodmare of the Year Leslie's Lady, into rare territory: she became what was then one of five mares to produce two Breeders' Cup winners. The year prior, her multiple champion daughter Beholder had captured her third Breeders' Cup. If that isn't enough of a 'wow' factor, Mendelssohn has another pretty well-known half-sibling as well, four-time leading sire Into Mischief.

“All of our team loved Mendelssohn from the first time we saw him as a yearling and he developed into a magnificent-looking horse,” said Coolmore's Charlie O'Connor. “Being by our own Scat Daddy and a half-brother to Into Mischief and Beholder, you couldn't ask for a better pedigree and he showed real brilliance when winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar and the [G2] U.A.E. Derby by a street, recording a new track record. He is currently the No. 4 leading sire of 2-year-olds in North America… With big crops to come he should keep rising up the ranks.”

Mendelssohn (2015 bay horse, Scat Daddy–Leslie's Lady, by Tricky Creek)

Lifetime record: Hwt. at 3-U.A.E, GISW-U.S., GSW-U.A.E., G1SP-Eng, SW-Ire, 13-4-2-2, $2,542,137

Breeders' Cup connections: B-Clarkland Farm (KY); O-Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, and Derrick Smith; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore.

Current location: Coolmore America/Ashford Stud, Versailles, Ky.

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Arcangelo Connections First To Take The New Vocations Breeders’ Cup Pledge

New Vocations, the largest racehorse adoption agency in the country, has received its first pledge which was made by MGISW Arcangelo's (Arrogate) trainer Jena Antonucci and owner Jon Ebbert of Blue Rose Farm, the organization said in a release Wednesday morning.

This is the 14th annual Breeders' Cup Pledge, in which connections of Breeders' Cup contenders are encouraged to earmark a percentage of their championship earnings to support the charity's mission to rehabilitate, retrain and rehome retired racehorses. To date, the initiative has raised over $1,090,000 in support.

“It's no secret how important it is to our team that we continue to properly transition Thoroughbreds to their next careers,” said Antonucci. “The tireless work New Vocations does is and always has been leading this sector of the industry. We are proud to pledge our support for their continued work and commitment to ensuring the best placement through their program.”

“We are thrilled to have Jena and Jon's support in helping us launch this year's Pledge,” said Anna Ford, New Vocations' Thoroughbred Program Director. “The last two years have been very challenging as the costs associated with caring for the horses and running the program continue to increase. The Pledge offers an easy way for owners and trainers to give back to the horses and support their transition into new careers.”

Last year's pledge raised over $140,000, in which over 60 championship contenders had owners and/or trainers who pledged a percentage of their Breeders' Cup earnings. The total from a year ago was driven by a record nine horses with pledging connections–Caravel (Mizzen Mast), Flightline (Tapit), Forte (Violence), Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), Malathaat, Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never), Tuesday (Galileo {Ire}), Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) and Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) –winning their races on Future Stars Friday and Championship Saturday.

New Vocations will continue to seek pledges from owners and trainers until Nov. 2. Click here for pledge information or by contact anna@horseadoption.com or carey@horseadoption.com.

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’40 Days Of Giving’ Beneficiaries Speak Up: ‘For Us, It’s Personal’

The Breeders' Cup is in the midst of its “40 Days of Giving” program that puts key Thoroughbred industry charities in a collective spotlight with a fundraising twist: This year's initiative involves a money-matching effort in which donors selected by each charity will match up to $1,000 raised by the general public on that charity's designated day. On the final day of the drive, the Breeders' Cup itself will match up to $20,000 in donations, with funds raised on that 40th day to be distributed evenly to all participating charities.

“It's the lead-up to the 40th running of the Breeders' Cup championships. So we're taking 40 days and 11 different charities, and we're trying to raise as much money as possible for all of these charities that are doing incredible work within our industry,” said Stefanie Palmieri, the vice president of events for Breeders' Cup, Ltd. “And the idea behind the match is that we can engage the public knowing that if they donate, there's a potential for their donations to be doubled.”

The charities that will benefit are the California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Foundation, the Ed Brown Society, the Edwin J. Gregson Foundation, The Foundation for the Horse, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), the Race Track Chaplaincy of America, The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) in partnership with the California Retirement Management Account, and the Winners Foundation.

“We started on Sept. 21, and the last day of the match program is Oct. 30,” Palmieri said. “But all of the links to donate will remain open through all of the Nov. 3-4 Breeders' Cup races so we can continue promoting and drive as many donations as possible.

“So far, we have hit our matches on quite a few of those days. I think people are really interested and engaged with it,” Palmieri said. “The program is really designed to support a variety of different causes within the Thoroughbred industry, and we selected the charities to represent a cross-section of focus areas.”

Two points stood out when TDN spoke with executives of some of the charities that the Breeders' Cup selected to participate. The first is that our sport operates differently than others in that it relies on a multitude of industry-facing organizations to keep the game going on a daily basis. The second is that most of these worthy causes generally have to compete for the same relatively small pool of Thoroughbred-supportive donors.

Yet those who run the charities say they welcome this opportunity to have so many good causes featured together under one fundraising umbrella, because a program like 40 Days of Giving raises not only money, but the profiles of everyone involved.

Jockeys heading to the paddock | Coady Photography

“When an organization like the Breeders' Cup says they're going to dedicate weeks of bringing awareness to the charities, we're obviously thrilled,” said Shannon Kelly, the executive director of The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation. “And I always have felt the Breeders' Cup should be the moment we're promoting our industry's charities, because all eyes are on the Breeders' Cup.”

Since 1985, The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation has operated as a charitable trust that provides, on a confidential basis, financial relief to needy members of the Thoroughbred industry and their families. Its assistance recipients range from jockeys, trainers, exercise riders, and grooms to office personnel and other employees of tracks, racing organizations, and breeding farms.

“Obviously, the Breeders' Cup has a huge platform to promote the work of charities,” Kelly continued. “They have a lot of eyes and followers. A lot of charities like us in the industry, we have small staffs and we're working quietly as best as we can. So having an arm like the Breeders' Cup's marketing arm push this is fantastic. And I think it's just a nice way to show they're dedicated. It gives us a boost, some traction to what we do.”

“The reality is we're all asking the same donors,” Kelly said. “We're a small industry. So I think it's good to make it a collective program, and not everyone on their own going after the same donors. I think it makes it a little bit easier from a fundraising perspective.”

Nancy LaSala has been the PDJF's president since its inception in 2006, and she accepted the dual role of executive director three years later. The PDJF provides financial assistance to some 60 former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track accidents, most of which involve paralysis or traumatic brain injury. She said that although each specific charity focuses on its niche, they all fall into broader categories that she likened to three-legged stool that needs even support to remain standing.

“We need to care of our human athlete. We need to take care of our equine athlete. And we need to take care of our racing community infrastructure, which is basically the backside. If we could support those three bases, I look at them as the three prominent prongs of horse racing,” LaSala said.

“I don't think our donor base resides much outside of racing,” LaSala said. “It's nice to be part of a platform that includes so many industry charities. We very seldom get the chance to do that, for the greater benefit of all.”

TAA saddle towel | Coady Photography

Stacie Clark Rogers has been with the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance since its inception in 2012, and has been the organization's operations consultant since 2014. The TAA accredits, inspects, and awards grants to more than 80 approved aftercare organizations at around 180 facilities to retrain, retire, and rehome Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding.

“As the official aftercare charity of the Breeders' Cup, we're always happy to be included in the event and to have the recognition for all the 80-plus organizations that we have,” Clark Rogers said. “It's the one time where we can help them raise some attention for aftercare on the national and international level. It's really inclusive that they've had so many charities be a part of this. It's great to have such a community spirit with the Breeders' Cup.

Palmieri said the Breeders' Cup left it up to each charity to select their own donors who are providing the matching incentives.

“I like the idea of choosing our match donor because it's helped me identify some people that we wanted to draw attention to,” Kelly said. “I went for people who support us throughout the year and are always looking to support more, and I think it gives them some publicity as being actively involved in supporting the industry, not just owning horses or breeding horses or whatever their business is. I think it's good promotion for them, too, to say we have some really good people and groups that want to help.

“We're a really unique industry, because not a lot of other big sports have in-house charities,” Kelly said. “Our charities are there for the future of the sport, to keep it moving. For us, it's personal.”

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