Breeders' Cup | Horse Racing Free Tips

Breeders’ Cup Buzz Presented By Del Mar Ship & Win: Biggest Handicapping Coups?

With several full fields of high-level horses over the span of two days, the Breeders' Cup is one of the most potentially lucrative weekends on a horseplayer's calendar every year.

In the Breeders' Cup Buzz, we're asking some notable Thoroughbred industry names about their experiences with the event and a few hypothetical questions tied to the races.

This week, we ask horseplayers to recall their most memorable Breeders' Cup handicapping scores. What made them important differed from person to person, from how much a winning ticket paid out to factors that made it more about the moral victory than the financial one.

Rachel McLaughlin – Indiana Grand, Racing Analyst and Production Manager

“Little Mike in The Breeders' Cup Turf in 2012 stands out to me in my mind because it was early on in my career.

“I had been an intern before that, and knowing how to read a program and handicap a race is a little different than ticket construction. With all the hats I wear during racing, I rarely ever get to slow down and make a bet. We go all-out for Breeders' Cup, so I remember this not only for the big price, but because it was one of the first times all year (on an event day) that I really made a point to stop and put some money on a horse.

“The Turf Classic win at Churchill Downs (in May) had me watching Little Mike, and when he won the Arlington Million (in August) I thought 'Okay, he looks a little bit like he bounces.' So after he ran fifth at Belmont (in the G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes) I decided that's my longshot bet.

“All my degenerate gamblers (as I call them in a loving way) said I was crazy. I figured he would hit the board, but when he won, I was the queen of the degenerates that day! The new girl picked the $36 winner. It was probably beginner's luck, but it was the biggest ticket I had ever cashed at the time.”

Barry Spears – The Sniper

“One of my most memorable Breeders' Cup scores – by far – came in the 2014 Breeders' Cup Saturday early Pick 4.

“The day before, I had taken a really bad beat when Luck of the Kitten had lost the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf to Hootenanny, and on Saturday, I was looking for revenge.

“Coming into the races that Saturday, I really was not too enthusiastic about the early part of the Breeders' Cup menu. I decided to play small and go after the horse I liked the most on the day, which was Toast of New York in the Breeders' Cup Classic. My second-best opinion that day, Bobby's Kitten, happened to be in the fourth championship race of the day and the anchor leg of the early Pick 4.

“I looked at the early races for only a few minutes and became conflicted on whether or not I should even play an early Pick 4 ticket. I decided to play, but I did not want to play a large ticket because I had bigger aspirations for later in the card. I eventually settled in and punched a ticket for $24. The last horse I included on my ticket, Take Charge Brandi, won the first race of the sequence which was the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at 60-1. The next race, the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, was won by Dayatthespa fairly easily at 5-1.

“I was feeling pretty good, but not expecting to hit at this point because I was two horses by a single in the final two legs of the wager. I really felt I did not have enough coverage in the third leg of the bet, the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. I really had to sweat that one out as Judy The Beauty outlasted Better Lucky by a long head at 3/1.

“At this point, I really did not have an inkling of what the bet could possibly pay to my single, Bobby's Kitten in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. I decided to check the will pays and it flashed up $32,000, and I could not believe my eyes.

“At the time, I was at home with my then 1-year-old daughter watching and playing the races. When I saw what the potential payoff was, I decided to not call my wife unless I won and proceeded to talk to a 1-year-old about how big this could pay with no embarrassment at all.

“To make a long story short, Bobby's Kitten rallied from dead last to get up for the victory in the final jump. Despite my stake in the race financially, it was one of the best races I have ever seen. My daughter and I went absolutely crazy, screaming and yelling for a good 20 minutes. We both lost our voices. The two of us were so loud that the neighbors had called the police to make sure nothing was really wrong at the house. It most certainly was a Breeders' Cup Day and score that I will never forget.”

Ken Rudulph – TVG Host/Racing Analyst

“I am always pumped up and emotional for big races. That feeling gets amplified when I have a runner in the race. In 2006 at Churchill Downs, I had a runner in 2005 Derby winner Giacomo and I really wanted him to win. Like, REALLY wanted him to win.

“Giacomo and me are aligned in so many ways. But, mainly, I felt we were both being overlooked, underestimated, and disregarded. I wanted my boy to show the world that he was not a one-hit wonder. I was so wrapped up in him that I forgot I was alive in the late double. In the previous race on the turf, I absolutely loved Red Rocks, not because I am a genius handicapper but because my colleagues couldn't stop raving about how he was working leading up to the John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf. He was 10-1, so I made a $5 win wager and used him with Scorpion and English Channel to Brother Derek, Invasor, and Giacomo in the late double.

“The win wager got me back to even for the day but I was just waiting for redemption in the Classic – a win wager, double, and trifectas, and an ambitious superfecta all hanging in the balance.

“I am standing near the final turn coming for home so I get a great view of the horses running past me. As they load in, my chest starts to swell and I can feel it all coming up, my eyes are full of tears. Muttering softly, 'Go get those *expletive deleted*.' I wanted Giacomo to win so badly, or even just be competitive.

“They turn for home and Giacomo has been last most of the way, but he still comes with that classic turn of foot and Mike Smith is giving him every chance. I can tell he is no threat to the winner, as Invasor had taken over in the stretch. Giacomo runs into the superfecta, which I do not have. Premium Tap ruined that.

“I am so emotionally spent from clenching every orifice in my body that I completely forgot that I had Invasor in my late double. It paid $191, which is nothing to brag about. But, it's one of the most memorable days of my life. It was the day I actually realized that I love horses.”

Trey Stiles – National Horseplayers Championship Hall of Famer

“My most memorable Breeders' Cup was not a 'big score,' but rather the year I picked a 20-1 winner four weeks in advance of the race.

“Sure, I have had some decent Breeders' Cup scores at the windows over the years. However, my most memorable Breeders' Cup race came from an article I wrote for HorsePlayer Magazine for the 2011 Filly and Mare Sprint at Churchill Downs.

“Because of my NHC qualification streak, I had been asked to write Breeders' Cup and Kentucky Derby articles for HorsePlayer for a few years. I did well, but usually landed on one of the logical favorites. The 2011 Filly and Mare Sprint was different.

“A lawyer I occasionally worked with on cases was part-owner of a horse named Musical Romance. I began to follow the horse closely in early 2011. She ran a lot that year – 14 times – but she really took her game to another level toward the end of 2011. She won the G2 Presque Isle Masters and in the last prep before the Breeders' Cup, she lost the G2 Thoroughbred Club of America by a nose. As I noted in my analysis, she ran against a speed bias and nearly closed for the win in the TCA.

“Her rise must have been unexpected to the owners as well, as she was not nominated to the Breeders' Cup. My article had to be submitted a month before the race for publication and distribution purposes. I decided to risk it and include a longshot that was not even Breeders' Cup-nominated as my 'top value pick.' I gave her fair odds of 4-1, but correctly assessed, 'you'll probably get much more.'

“Fortunately, the owners decided to pay the supplemental fee and she was entered into the race. She paid $42.20 to win.

“I remember loading up on her to win and in the exotics, but I couldn't tell you how much I won. I was much more excited about tabbing the 20-1 winner in print a month before the race. Since this time, my NHC streak has continued and I have had many opportunities to offer race analysis. This includes as co-host of the Sam Houston Race Park pre-race analysis show the past two years which I have really enjoyed. I think it all started gaining momentum for me with the 2011 Filly and Mare Sprint, making it my most memorable Breeders' Cup race.”

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Breeders’ Cup Partners With Guardian Security To Enhance Equine Safety

The Breeders' Cup, one of Thoroughbred racing's most prestigious international events, today announces a new partnership with Guardian Security, Kentucky's premier security company dedicated to providing around-the-clock security services, to enhance equine safety and security measures for the 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships. The new agreement reaffirms Breeders' Cup's ongoing commitment to ensuring the highest level of equine safety and integrity standards.

Under the new partnership, Guardian Security will provide 24-hour equine surveillance in the days leading up to, during and following the upcoming World Championships, set to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. on Nov. 6-7. During this time, over 100 dedicated security officers will be deployed to support the Breeders' Cup Equine Security Team with daily operations by monitoring the activity in the barns, keeping daily logbooks of who enters a stall and bolstering overall stable and racetrack security, to ensure the enforcement of the most comprehensive and exceptional safety and integrity protocols onsite. The combined expertise of the investigative professionals that comprise Breeders' Cup Equine Security Team, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Investigator team and Guardian Security will provide a safe and level playing field for all participants.

“Protecting the welfare of our horses has always been an utmost priority,” said Dora Delgado, Breeders' Cup Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Officer. “We firmly believe in the continued enhancement and enforcement of the security standards in Thoroughbred racing, and we hope to set the new benchmark in equine care through our partnership with Guardian Security.”

“Our goal at Guardian Security is simple – to provide world-class safety and security measures that guarantee the most seamless and high-quality horse racing experiences,” said Jeff Blanton, Chief Operating Officer of Guardian Security. “Breeders' Cup has long been known for its exemplary equine welfare protocols, and we're honored to be working with them to build upon this strong foundation and create the safest and fairest World Championships yet.”

The partnership follows a series of recent efforts to bolster equine safety standards for Breeders' Cup races and events. In March 2020, the Breeders' Cup Board committed to adopting new rules aimed at establishing higher safety and veterinarian evaluation protocols during horse races, as well as continuing to follow globally established practices such as pre-and-post-race testing, comprehensive prohibitions on anabolic steroids and other controlled substances, frequent veterinarian exams and race surface testing. Breeders' Cup is also a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an organization that aims to maintain the safety of both equine and human athletes, and augment existing protections through unified industry efforts to develop new reforms.

For more information on Breeders' Cup's equine welfare and safety standards, please visit BreedersCup.com/safety. To learn more about the 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships, please visit BreedersCup.com/2020.

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Leinster ‘Doing Much Better’ Ahead Of Return Trip To Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint

Amy Dunne, Brenda Miley, Westrock Stables and Jean Wilkinson's Leinster began serious preparations for a second run in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) by working a half-mile in :49.40 over a turf course labeled good Thursday morning at Keeneland.

Working on his own with Crystal Conning aboard, Leinster recorded fractions of :11.60, :24.80 and :37.40, according to Keeneland clockers.

“Looked good to me,” trainer Rusty Arnold said of Leinster's first work since winning the Woodford (G2) Presented by Keeneland Select on Oct. 3.

Leinster finished seventh last year in the Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

“Compared to last year at this time, he's doing much better,” said Arnold, who has had 13 Breeders' Cup starters with his first coming in 1996.

“In retrospect, I ran him too much last year. He won the race in New York (the Troy-G3) and that would have been enough to get him in (the Breeders' Cup). Then I ran him at Kentucky Downs and then BACK here in the Woodford, which I shouldn't have done. He didn't run bad (finishing second), but I just think he had lost his edge a little bit.”

In other Thursday works by Breeders' Cup hopefuls:

Ranlo Investments' Golden Pal, who figures to be one of the main players in the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) on Nov. 6, worked 5 furlongs on the turf in 1:02.80 in company with Hat Creek Racing's Illegal Smile (IRE). Golden Pal started 3 lengths in back of Illegal Smile, who is two-time stakes-placed on the turf at Woodbine, and finished a length in front. Both are trained by Wesley Ward.

Working on the fast main track was DARRS Inc.'s Extravagant Kid, who covered a half-mile in :47.80 for trainer Brendan Walsh. Runner-up to Leinster in the Woodford Presented by Keeneland Select, Extravagant Kid also is under consideration for the Turf Sprint.

Also working for Walsh was The Cool Silk Partnership's Midnight Sands, who covered 5 furlongs in 1:00.80. Midnight Sands is under consideration for the $1 million Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

David Bernsen and Jeffrey Lambert's Lasting Legacy, under consideration for the $2 million Sprint (G1), worked a half-mile in :47.60 for trainer Bob Hess.

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One Last Dance for Rushing Fall and Her e5 Family

One year after their very first Breeders’ Cup win with New Money Honey (Medaglia d’Oro) in 2016, Bob and Kristine Edwards of e5 Racing Thoroughbreds found themselves in the winner’s circle once again for the same race, with the same trainer-jockey duo, when Rushing Fall claimed the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

As it turned out it was hardly beginner’s luck, as Rushing Fall’s victory was a good omen for the family’s second Breeders’ Cup contender that year, and it proved to be just the start of an unforgettable four-year campaign for the daughter of More Than Ready.

“It was an amazing feeling,” Bob Edwards said of watching the ‘TDN Rising Star‘ cross the wire at Del Mar. “The emotions, the goosebumps, everything is really exciting. It took us 25 minutes to get through the crowd and walk down to the winner’s circle since everybody was excited for us and congratulating us. Poor Javier [Castellano] was circling and circling.”

Edwards said that after posing for the photo, trainer Chad Brown had told the family to watch the Juvenile closer to the winner’s circle the next day. It proved to be sound advice when Good Magic (Curlin), a colt they campaigned in partnership with Stonestreet Stables, became their second Breeders’ Cup winner of the weekend.

Edwards’s daughter Casi, e5’s Equine Manager, was not able to attend their first Breeders’ Cup victory with New Money Honey in 2016, but she made sure to be present for their Breeders’ Cup double the next year.

“I had never been to the Breeders’ Cup because New Money Honey ran when I was in college,” she said. “It was incredible. Everything worked out perfectly. The thrill to win two races in a row seemed unheard of and it was so much fun.”

After a five-month layoff following Rushing Fall’s undefeated juvenile season, the $320,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling returned with a vengeance at three, adding two more Grade II victories to her record before capping off the season with a win in the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. Then at four, she added two more Grade I wins in the Jenny Wiley S. followed by a near record-breaking performance in the Just a Game S., where she covered the mile in 1:31.67.

After a close second behind the prior year’s Eclipse Champion Turf Female and stablemate Sistercharlie (Ire) {Myboycharlie (Ire)} in the GI Diana S. and then running out of the money for the first time in her career in the GI First Lady S., many assumed she would be whisked off to the breeding shed the next spring.

“After the [First Lady] at Keeneland, the media came up and asked what our plan was,” Edwards recalled. “I said, ‘We’re going to run her again,’ and they were kind of like, ‘Why?’ I told them we like horse racing, and that’s why we’re in this. In the Diana, she ran arguably her best fractions and her best race ever. It takes a lot out of you to run big races and then regroup and go back again.”

Rushing Fall was brought back this year at five and is now enjoying her second undefeated season that began with a wire-to-wire victory in the GIII Beaugay S. before she returned to Grade I company.

“This season she raised the bar,” Edwards said. “We went into the second race of the season with a repeat in the Jenny Wiley where she broke the track record. And then going to Saratoga and winning the Diana was really special. There’s a lot of pressure in that. The field was stacked with really good horses. My heart was pumping out of my chest. Everything you want out of horse ownership was right in that moment.”

Rushing Fall will soon return to Keeneland, where she ranks second behind Wise Dan for the most Keeneland graded stakes wins. She will be asked to go farther than ever before in the 1 3/16-mile Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, but Edwards said he has full confidence in the $2.5 million dollar earner.

“She’s a different horse this year,” he said. “Even Javier said that and he knows better than I do. He said she’s calmer. She’s really focused. She just seems like she’s that gifted athlete where she knows where her place is, she knows the competition–she sizes them up and walks through the paddock with her ears up and nose flared a bit. It’s really special to see that out of your horse.”

Following the Breeders’ Cup, Rushing Fall will make the quick trip down the road to the Fasig-Tipton ‘Night of Stars’ sale. The 5-year-old bay will sell as Hip 205 with the Indian Creek consignment.

Fasig-Tipton’s Boyd Browning said, “She’s one of only three mares to win Grade I stakes races at two, three, four and five. She has pretty good company with Beholder and Lady Eli. It’s a rare accomplishment, and it just shows you how wonderful and brilliant Rushing Fall has been so far.”

Bred by Fred W. Hertrich III and John D. Fielding, Rushing Fall was first spotted by agent Mike Ryan at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale.

“She was a stunning yearling,” Edwards said of his purchase. “She had a real presence about her, even as a yearling. Mike loved the horse.”

“I know Mike was really excited the night that he bought her,” Browning echoed. “She’s got attitude, but it’s attitude with class.”

Before Rushing Fall returns to the Fasig-Tipton sales ring, the Edwards family will enjoy one last dance with their leading mare.

“Everyone has their own race routine,” Casi Edwards said. “Since we’ve become part of racing, my dad has gotten very superstitious. My mom has a lucky purse that she always has to find an outfit to go with the purse. Coming into race day, everyone’s always really nervous, but Rushing Fall always shows up. When she steps onto the track, you can see it in her. She’s game and she’s ready to do her job. She’s an incredible racehorse and we’re very lucky to have her in our family.”

“She’s obviously the best horse we ever had, and maybe the best horse we’ll ever have,” Bob Edwards said. “It’s tough to see her career end, but you’ve got to let her be a mom at this point. She’s won so many good races that I think I couldn’t do her justice by keeping her. I think it’s time for her to move on to a breeding operation that will set her up for the future. But these horses are an extension of your family after a while, and I think anybody that’s going to be trying to purchase her knows she’s a special horse.”

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