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Breeders’ Cup Classic Odds? Linemaker Jon White Tabs Knicks Go As Early Favorite

Santa Anita Morning Line Maker Jon White has installed a pair of Brad Cox trainees, recent Grade 3 Lukas Classic Stakes winner Knicks Go and top 3-year-old Essential Quality, as the early 5-2 and 3-1 favorites among a list 12 Breeders' Cup Classic hopefuls. To be run on Nov. 6 at Del Mar, the 38th running of the Classic offers a purse of $6 million.

“At this point, I expect Knicks Go to be sent off as the Classic favorite,” said White in his weekly XpressBet.com column. “But I also think it's a pretty close call between Knicks Go and Essential Quality.” A winner of five out of his six starts this year, Godolphin's homebred Essential Quality comes off a win in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes on Aug. 28.

“As for Essential Quality, I think there is a chance that he ends up being the favorite when the Classic field breaks from the gate,” White continued. “After all, Essential Quality has been the favorite in every single one of his nine career starts. He's won two of the nation's premier races for 3-year-olds, the Belmont and the Travers. The only time Essential Quality has been defeated, he had a very wide trip and finished (a close) fourth in the Kentucky Derby.”

White also weighed in on a pair of highly regarded sophomores based at Santa Anita—Doug O'Neill's Hot Rod Charlie and Bob Baffert's Kentucky Derby winning Medina Spirit.

“Hot Rod Charlie is going into the Classic off a terrific win in the (Grade 1) Pennsylvania Derby in which he received a 111 Beyer Speed Figure,” said White. “That's the highest Beyer in a race at a mile or longer by a 3-year-old this year. Essential Quality's top Beyer is the 109 he got when he won the Belmont.

“Medina Spirit won Santa Anita's Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes by five lengths last Saturday when facing his elders for the first time. It's certainly to Medina Spirit's credit that he not only clobbered older horses, he beat the winner of this year's Pacific Classic (Tripoli) and Santa Anita Handicap (Idol). He also got a strong 107 Beyer, his best figure yet.”

White, who will be making the morning line for his seventh Breeders' Cup World Championships on Nov. 5 and 6, lists the following 12 horses as his top Classic prospects: Knicks Go (5-2), Essential Quality (3-1), Hot Rod Charlie (5-1), Medina Spirit (6-1), Art Collector (10-1), Max Player (10-1), Maxfield (12-1), Tripoli (15-1), Dr Post (20-1), Happy Saver (20-1), Idol (30-1) and Stilleto Boy (30-1).

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Essential Quality Re-Takes Lead In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings

Godolphin's Essential Quality moved back into first place by three votes over stablemate Knicks Go in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, a weekly poll of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). This year's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic will be run at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 6 as the final race of the 38th Breeders' Cup World Championships.

The 3-year-old Essential Quality, trained by Brad Cox, received 328 votes. A winner four times in five starts this year, including victories in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and the Runhappy Travers (G1), Essential Quality had been in first place for three consecutive weeks before being overtaken by Knicks Go last week. The 5-year-old Knicks Go, who is in second place with 325 votes, won his fourth race of the year in easy fashion on Saturday, taking the Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill Downs by four lengths. Knicks Go earned a free berth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the Whitney (G1) at Saratoga Race Course in August.

The 3-year-old Hot Rod Charlie remained in third place with 269 votes. Owned by Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss, and trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie won the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) in his most recent start.

Following his frontrunning victory in the “Win and You're In” Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit has jumped from seventh place to fourth this week with 206 votes.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield dropped one spot to fifth place with 180 votes. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Maxfield, who finished second in the Woodward Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park on Saturday, earned an automatic starting position in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he captured the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in June.

The big mover in this week's Classic Rankings was Bruce Lunsford's 4-year-old Art Collector, who leaped from 18^th place into a sixth-place tie with George E. Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp's Max Player. Trained by Bill Mott, Art Collector won his third consecutive race when he captured Saturday's Woodward wire-to-wire by 1 ½ lengths.

The 4-year-old Max Player, trained by Steve Asmussen, earned an automatic berth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park in July, and followed up that score with a victory in the “Win and You're In” Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga on Sept. 4. Art Collector and Max Player have 163 votes apiece.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska, a three-time Grade 1 winner this year for trainer Fausto Gutierrez, improved from 10^th place to eighth with 70 votes.

Prince A A Faisal's 4-year-old Mishriff (IRE) dropped one position to ninth place with 61 votes. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Mishriff gained an invitation to the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York Racecourse in England on Aug. 18.

St. Elias Stable's Dr Post and Hronis Racing's Tripoli are tied in 10^th place with 35 votes each. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the 4-year-old Dr Post, who has two Grade 3 wins this year, finished third in the Woodward Stakes. The John Sadler trained 4-year-old Tripoli, who secured a free berth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) in August, dropped from sixth place to 10^th following his fourth-place finish in the Awesome Again Stakes.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – Oct. 5, 2021*

Rank	Horse	Votes	First-Place Votes	Previous Week
1	Essential Quality	328	14	2
2	Knicks Go	325	16	1
3	Hot Rod Charlie	269	1	3
4	Medina Spirit	206	1	7
5	Maxfield	180	1	4
6	Art Collector	163	1	18
6	Max Player	163	0	5
8	Letruska	70	0	10
9	Mishriff (IRE)	61	2	8
10	Dr Post	35	0	13
10	Tripoli	35	0	6

*Note – The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

The 2021 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be run at 1 ¼ miles on the main track, is limited to 14 starters. The race will be broadcast live on NBC.

The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers, and members of the Breeders' Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Rankings will be announced each week through Oct. 11. A list of voting members can be found here.

In the Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.

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F-T Kentucky October Yearlings Catalogue Now Online

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 1,586 yearlings for its Kentucky October Yearlings Sale, to be held on October 25-28, in Lexington, Kentucky. The four continuous sessions, conducted on Monday-Thursday, will begin each day at 10 a.m.

“Kentucky October has developed into one of the most important yearling sales on the calendar,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “This year's catalogue is outstanding, with every current top 25 ranked sire represented by multiple yearlings. Buyers will find tremendous quality no matter what their budget.”

Sale graduates continue to have success at the highest levels, notching nearly 200 stakes wins or placings in 2021. These include current stars Hot Rod Charlie, winner of the GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on Sept. 25, and undefeated 2-year-old colt Jack Christopher, who captured the GI Champagne S. at Belmont this past weekend.

The catalogue may now be viewed online, and will also be available via the equineline sales catalogue app. Print catalogues will be available on-site sales week in Lexington.

Online bidding and phone bidding services will be available.

The post F-T Kentucky October Yearlings Catalogue Now Online appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Ahead Of Final Prep, Knicks Go Retakes Lead In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings

Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go hopped over stablemate Essential Quality and back into first place in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, a weekly poll of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). This year's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic will be run at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, Calif., on Nov. 6 as the final race of the 38th Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Trained by Brad Cox, Knicks Go has retaken the No. 1 position which Essential Quality had held for the past three weeks. The Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) and Whitney (G1) winner received 322 votes, 18 of which were first-place votes. Knicks Go is scheduled to make his final start before the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic in this Saturday's Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill Downs. Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, also trained by Cox, won the Belmont Stakes (G1) and the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1). He is now in second place with 316 votes.

Hot Rod Charlie, another top 3-year-old, moves into third place this week following his impressive victory in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx. Owned by Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss, and trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie has 252 votes.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, dropped one position to fourth place with 238 votes. Maxfield has won three races this year, including the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in June, in which he secured an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

George E. Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp's Max Player, a winner of two Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races in the Longines Classic Division in 2021, remains in fifth place with 180 votes. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the 4-year-old Max Player won both the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park in July and The Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga earlier this month.

Hronis Racing's 4-year-old Tripoli, who captured the “Win and You're In” TVG Pacific Classic (G1) for his automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, stayed in sixth place with 116 votes. Trained by John Sadler, Tripoli is slated to start in this Saturday's Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, which is the final automatic qualifier for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic this year.

Zedan Racing Stable's 3-year-old Medina Spirit, who won the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar last month, rose from ninth place to seventh with 76 votes. Prince A A Faisal's 4-year-old Mishriff (IRE) remained in eighth place with 75 votes.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Mishriff earned an automatic starting position in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York Racecourse in England on Aug. 18.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska, a three-time Grade 1 winner this year for trainer Fausto Gutierrez, improved from 10^th place to ninth with 56 votes.

CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm's Life Is Good, winner of Saturday's Kelso Handicap (G2) at Belmont Park, moved from 12^th place to 10^th. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Life Is Good has 45 votes.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' 3-year-old Midnight Bourbon received 74 votes, but his connections announced on Monday that he would not be pointed to this year's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – Sept. 28, 2021*

Rank	Horse	Votes	First-Place Votes	Previous Week
1	Knicks Go	322	18	2
2	Essential Quality	316	9	1
3	Hot Rod Charlie	252	1	4
4	Maxfield	238	4	3
5	Max Player	180	0	5
6	Tripoli	116	0	6
7	Medina Spirit	76	0	9
8	Mishriff (IRE)	75	2	8
9	Letruska	56	0	10
10	Life Is Good	45	0	12

*Note – The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

The 2021 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be run at 1 ¼ miles on the main track, is limited to 14 starters. The race will be broadcast live on NBC.

In the Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.

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