Breeders' Cup | Horse Racing Free Tips

Santa Anita Pushing Back Opening Day to Sept. 25 Due to Fires

The opening day of Santa Anita’s Autumn season will be pushed back a week until Friday, Sept. 25 due to the impact of the Bobcat Fire on the air quality and surrounding community.

“Our local community has been deeply impacted by the Bobcat Fire burning for more than a week in the mountains behind us,” said Aidan Butler, Executive Director of California Operations for The Stronach Group. “The current weather pattern has kept the smoke in the valley and the air quality is quite poor right now. The Red Cross is using Santa Anita as the evacuation zone for people–including many of our horsemen–whose homes are less than two miles from here. As excited as we are to welcome back live racing, we are first and foremost committed to safety. This is the responsible decision to make at this time so people can plan accordingly.”

“The stakes races set for this weekend will be brought back next weekend,” said Steve Lym, Santa Anita’s VP, Racing & Racing Secretary. “The smoke has impacted some training schedules, so postponing until next weekend will allow everyone a chance to be ready to go. We are planning on filling extra races throughout the meet to give our horsemen the opportunity to run their horses.”

The Opening Week now will feature a blockbuster schedule of stakes action, offering over $2-million in purse money. The stakes schedule includes seven races which are “Win and You’re In” races for the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The stakes races originally slotted for this weekend will be run as follows: the Chillingworth Friday, Sept. 25, the Speakeasy Saturday, Sept. 26 and the GIII Tokyo City Cup Sunday, Sept. 27.

Entries for Opening Day, September 25, will be drawn Sunday, Sept. 20, as scheduled. First post will be 12:30 p.m. PT.

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Thunder Moon Possible for Dewhurst

Group 1 winner Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), who won the G1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S. at The Curragh on Sunday for Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez, is under consideration for the G1 Dewhurst S. on Oct. 10, trainer Joseph O’Brien revealed on Monday. The bay graduated at first asking for breeder Anne Marie O’Brien at The Curragh on Aug. 9, before being purchased privately.

“We were very happy with him,” said O’Brien of the ‘TDN Rising Star’. “It was a bit of a messy race, but he showed a great turn of foot to go away and win well. We did supplement him, so we were hopeful he’d run a nice race, but I suppose I was surprised by the manner of his victory.”

“If he was to run again this year, the Dewhurst would probably be the race for him, but we’ll see how he comes out of the race on Sunday and a lot will depend on the ground as well. The Breeders’ Cup [in November] is there as an option as well, but that wouldn’t be on my radar at the moment. He’s an exciting colt.”

O’Brien also sent out ‘Rising Star’ Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) to run second in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. to Shale (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), trained by his brother Donnacha. A start on Champions Day in the G1 Fillies’ Mile or the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc Day or a Breeders’ Cup appearance in November are all on the table at the moment for the John Oxley silkbearer. Her biggest win to date was the G2 Debutante S. on Aug. 22, beating the aforementioned Shale.

“Pretty Gorgeous ran a great race,” said O’Brien. “I think the two of them [Pretty Gorgeous and Shale] are very good fillies and whichever one of them gets the rub of the green on the day might come out on top.

“We’ll see how our filly comes out of it, but we have the option of the Fillies’ Mile or the Prix Marcel Boussac and there’s also the Breeders’ Cup. We’ll see how we go, but I’d say she probably just wants one more run this year, with Newmarket and France being the likeliest options.”

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Breeders’ Cup Mile Likely for Safe Voyage

MGSW Safe Voyage (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}), who won the G2 Boomerange S. at Leopardstown on the first day of Irish Champions Weekend, is a likely starter in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile in November. Trained by John Quinn, the 7-year-old gelding added the Listed Investec Surrey S. to his haul second up on July 4 and was fourth in the G2 Qatar Lennox S. later that month at Goodwood. Back on top in the G2 Sky Bet City of York S. on Aug. 22, the Ross Harmon colourbearer struck at that level again with a narrow victory in the Boomerang on Saturday.

“We’re delighted it just went his way,” said Quinn. “I think he deserved it as he’s so tough and admirable–everything you want in a top-class racehorse. It was his first win over a mile, which is great–it opens up other doors.

“We’ll see how he comes out of the race, but I’m going to work back from the Breeders’ Cup. We can look at the [G1 Prix de la] Foret [on Oct. 4] and the [G1] QEII [on Champions Day at Ascot on Oct. 17], but he’ll only run in one of those, if any. They’re all very good races, but the Breeders’ Cup Mile is the race that appeals the most.”

Quinn also provided an update on listed winner Keep Busy (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) and G1SP Liberty Beach (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}), second and seventh, respectively, in the G1 Flying Five S. at The Curragh on Sunday. Both horses are eyeing the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye on Arc Day at ParisLongchamp.

“It was a phenomenal run from Keep Busy–she doesn’t know how to run a bad race,” Quinn added. “She got a bump from a horse going backwards and was beaten half a length, but that’s racing and full credit to Kevin and all the connections of the winner.

“Liberty Beach ran a good race as well. She just had no luck in running and was only beaten three lengths. They’re both entered in the Prix de l’Abbaye and if they’re both well, that’s where they’ll go.”

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Glass Slippers, Shale Gain Breeders’ Cup Berths With Victories At The Curragh

Bearstone Stud Limited's 4-year-old filly Glass Slippers (GB) stormed to success to bring home a British 1-2 in the five-furlong Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes (G1) at the Curragh in Ireland with Keep Busy (IRE) back in second, for trainer John Quinn.

That victory earned Glass Slippers an automatic berth into the $1-million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1).

In the second “Win and You're In” race on the day, Shale (IRE) reversed the form with Pretty Gorgeous (FR) to win the Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) and gain an automatic entry for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) through the international Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into corresponding races of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 6-7.

Glass Slippers, a bay daughter of Dream Ahead out of the Mind Games (GB) mare Night Gypsy (GB), had found Battaash (IRE) too hot to handle in her two starts so far this season in the King's Stand Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot and the King George Qatar Stakes (G2), but returned to the form that saw her win the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines (G1) in her final start of 2019. Glass Slippers sat just off the early pace before picking up the lead inside the final furlong, and prevailed by a half-length over 18-1 Keep Busy.

Glass Slippers' trainer Kevin Ryan said: “She's so tough and genuine, but she has a lot of class.

“She loves it when they go really quick, but the ground was tacky today so she's done well to cope with that. I'm absolutely delighted. It was Terry Holdcroft's (owner of Bearstone Stud) decision to miss the Nunthorpe and give her a bit more time and he's obviously been vindicated. She's an amazing filly, so simple to train and makes my job very easy. She'll go back for the Abbaye now.”

Glass Slippers (9-2) completed the five furlongs in 1:00.58 over a course listed as good.

Shale earns Group 1 honors in Moyglare Stud Stakes
Later in the day, Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor's Shale (IRE) (9-2) controlled the seven furlongs very strongly to beat her rival Pretty Gorgeous (FR) and win the Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) by three-quarters of a length. This was the third clash between the two fillies this season. Shale had come out on top in the Frank Conroy Silver Flash Stakes (G3), before Pretty Gorgeous exacted her revenge in the A.R.M. Holding Debutante Stakes (G2). Today, though, it was Donnacha O'Brien's 2-year-old who triumphed under Ryan Moore to gain an automatic entry for the $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

Shale, a bay daughter of Galileo (IRE) out of the Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) mare Homecoming Queen (IRE), completed the seven furlongs in 1:27.19 over a good course.

It was a successful day for the O'Brien family with father Aidan winning two Group 1 events in France and his two sons Joseph and Donnacha both winning Group 1 races at the Curragh. Donnacha has now won three Group 1s in his first year as a trainer and praised his filly after the race: “It was a very good performance. She has kept progressing throughout the season. She found a lot for pressure and toughed it out. I spoke to Ryan (Moore) after the race and we'll probably look at the Fillies' Mile (G1) (at Newmarket) or the (Prix Marcel) Boussac (G1) (at ParisLongchamp) next.”

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