breeders' cup sprint | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘The Light In Our Lives’: Andie Biancone Enjoying The Ride With Breeders’ Cup Hope Diamond Oops

Assistant trainer Andie Biancone took Diamond Oops for a jog over the Keeneland track Thursday morning in preparation for a start in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Biancone has been overseeing the 5-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky's daily activities at Keeneland this week while subbing for her father, Patrick Biancone, who had been fighting cancer for several months. Although he is cancer-free now, the elder Biancone is in a Covid-19 high-risk group and so opted not to travel from his South Florida base at Palm Meadows Training Center.

Andie Biancone, who serves as his assistant trainer and exercise rider, also has represented her father at the Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby with Sole Volante.

“It's been a crazy year,” said the 23-year-old Biancone, who admits that her busy schedule has somewhat affected her grades for her online courses at the University of Florida.

She's able to escape all the craziness for a little while, at least, when she climbs aboard Diamond Oops, who enters the Sprint off back-to-back wins in the Phoenix at Keeneland and the Twin Spires Turf Sprint.

“Even without winning all those races, he's special to us. My dad always believed in him and has always been high on him. This past year with my dad getting sick, he's been my escape. I've been getting on him every day. It sounds super lame, but it's like therapy. He has such a big heart. It's so amazing being around him,” she said.

“I've been galloping him for about a year and a half. A couple of months ago, he literally dropped me and he stopped and waited for me to get back on him. He waited for me on the track and I got back on him,” she added. “He's so intelligent. His last breeze, I got emotional. I was, like 'What did I do to deserve such an amazing animal in my life?' ”

The versatile Diamond Oops, who was Grade I stakes-placed on turf and dirt last year, ran in the 2019 Dirt Mile, in which he encountered a troubled start and finished eighth at Santa Anita. He came right back to win the seven-furlong Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream seven weeks later and stretched out to finish fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream. He rallied from 12th to win the 5 1/2-furlong Twin Spires Turf Sprint and stalked the pace before kicking in late to win the Phoenix.

“He has such a big heart and is so intelligent, he's like a person. He has a huge personality,” Biancone said. “He's the light in our lives, for my dad, for me.”

Biancone would like to see Diamond Oops get a similar trip in the Sprint as he got in the Phoenix.

“He's really versatile. You can cover him easily. He's a really good stalker. Hopefully, he gets a good break and come with that closing kick,” she said. “When he sees another horse in front of him, it's game on.”

Florent Geroux has the return mount aboard Diamond Oops, who is owned by Diamond 100 Racing Club LLC, Amy Dunne, D P Racing LLC and Patrick Biancone Racing LLC.

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Vekoma Scratched from Breeders’ Cup Sprint After Spiking Fever

Dual 2020 Grade I winner Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}), the heavy favorite for Saturday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint, has been scratched from the race after spiking a fever, it was announced early Wednesday morning by trainer George Weaver.

“Last night, the horse spiked a fever on us,” Weaver told TVG, “and we needed to treat him with the doctor last night and he just wasn’t fit to go train today. Being this close to a race, he’s not fit to run either so we’re not going to be able to participate.

“The horse had been doing fantastic and it almost felt like it was destiny for him to run in this race and put a crown on this year’s achievements. [I’m] very disappointed but I’m glad that the horse is going to be okay.”

Vekoma has won all three of his 2020 starts–including the July 4 GI Met Mile and the June 6 GI Carter H.–in impressive fashion, notching Beyer Speed Figures of 110 in the Carter and 104 in the Met Mile.

He is scheduled to stand at Spendthrift Farm in 2021. Weaver said the ownership ground would discuss whether Vekoma would make another start before retirement.

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Sprint: Morning Line Favorite Vekoma Out With A Fever

Vekoma, morning line favorite in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint, is expected to be a scratch after spiking a temperature Tuesday night, according to the Daily Racing Form's David Grening.

In an interview with TVG, trainer George Weaver said the horse had been seen by a veterinarian late Tuesday and wasn't able to train Wednesday morning.

“I was happy with everything until we got the news he had a temp last night,” said Weaver. “The horse had been doing fantastic and felt like he was almost going to put a crown on this year's achievements. Very disappointed, but I'm glad the horse is going to be ok and I'm looking forward to seeing his second career.”

Vekoma will stand stud at Spendthrift at the conclusion of his career. Weaver said he would consult with Spendthrift to see whether the horse would make another start before retiring.

The race had been a much-anticipated comeback for Vekoma, who had not started in four months after battling a stubborn foot abscess at Saratoga this summer. Prior to his foot woes, Vekoma had looked like he was destined for a strong 4-year-old campaign, with a convincing win in the G1 Met Mile and an impressive 7 1/4-length victory in the G1 Carter this summer.

Vekoma is owned by Gatsas Stables and R A Hill Stable. Javier Castellano had been set to ride the front-running colt.

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Sprint: Weaver Not Worried About Outside Post With Vekoma, Whitmore ‘As Good As He’s Ever Been’

Vekoma – R. A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables' Vekoma arrived from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. by van early Tuesday morning before getting acquainted with the Keeneland racetrack during a 1 3/8-mile gallop.

“Everything's gone smoothly so far,” trainer George Weaver said.

Vekoma, who was installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite for Saturday's Breeders' Cup Sprint, drew post position 14.

“I like it. I'd rather draw outside than inside,” Weaver said. “You run the risk of being parked real wide on the turn, but I think he has enough tactical speed to clear horses and get in a favorable spot before he gets to that turn.”

Vekoma is 3-for-3 this year but hasn't run since capturing the July 4 Metropolitan Mile at Belmont Park.

“He's been training really well. We're looking forward to getting him back to the races. I don't know how he's going to run off a four-month layoff, but it's not a six-month layoff or a year layoff,” Weaver said. “It's four months. Once we got him into a breeze pattern he jumped back into fitness very easily.”

The 4yo son of Candy Ride popped a foot abscess about a month after the Met Mile.

“I would have obviously liked to see our horse run. He's such a star,” Weaver said. “I wanted to run him in the Forego at Saratoga – that didn't happen. We were hoping to make the Vosburgh, not so much needing a race but to see a star run.”

Vekoma, who won the Nashua at Aqueduct at 2 and the Blue Grass at Keeneland at 3, finished 13th in the 2019 Kentucky Derby before going to the sidelines for more than 10 months. He returned to win the March 28 Sir Shackleton at Gulfstream Park by 3 ¾ lengths before scoring by 7 ¼ lengths in the Carter at Belmont Park June 6.

“At the time I was worried that Gulfstream might get shut down [due to the COVID-19 pandemic]. Luckily, they got to keep going and we got the race in. From that point on we were looking at the Carter and the Met Mile,” Weaver said. “He's a good horse. I can't stress that enough. To win off a layoff like that, if you have a good one, all those things don't matter that much. I'm not saying he's going to win, but it won't be the fitness, it won't be the layoff (that would get him beat).”

Whitmore – The veteran Whitmore got reacquainted with the Keeneland track Tuesday morning after arriving Monday afternoon from his Churchill base and jogged 1 1/2 miles under regular rider Laura Moquett, wife and assistant to her husband trainer Ron Moquett, as he prepares for his fourth start in the Sprint. Whitmore, who was second in the Sprint in 2018 and third last year, has prepped for each of his Breeders' Cup starts in the Phoenix at Keeneland and has a record of 1-2-0 in four tries. He was fourth in the race this year.

“He's doing great,” said Moquett, who also co-owns the gelding with Robert LaPenta and Sol Kumin's Head of Plains Partners. “He's doing very good right now, we're excited. I think he's coming in to this race as good as he's ever been.”

When asked about the accomplishment of getting a horse to the Breeders' Cup four times, Moquett said, “First off you have to have a horse that likes his job. They have to want to do this. And, we've been able find a routine that suits him.

“What I think is really awesome about Whitmore is how he's been able to connect with people over these last four years. I don't think a day goes by that someone doesn't reach out through social media to comment about how much they enjoy following him. A lot of people have been following him since he ran in the (Kentucky) Derby (in 2016). The connection he's made with fans is really cool.”

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