Tag: improbable

Baffert-Trained Trio Top 11 Pre-Entries For 2020 Breeders’ Cup Classic

This Wednesday the Breeders' Cup released pre-entries for the 14 World Championship races scheduled for Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Ky. Those pre-entries were headlined by 11 contenders for the 2020 edition of the $6 million G1 Breeders' Cup Classic, including five winners of Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races.

Trainer Bob Baffert pre-entered his dominant trio of G1 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, G1 Awesome Again winner Improbable, and G1 Pacific Classic winner Maximum Security. Other Challenge winners pre-entered in the Classic include Tom's d'Etat (G1 Stephen Foster) and the 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver (G1 Preakness), though her first preference is listed as the Distaff against her own gender.

Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law, second in the Kentucky Derby last out, was also pre-entered in the Classic, and figures to draw a lot of support at the wagering windows.

The other five pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup Classic include: By My Standards, Global Campaign, Higher Power, Tacitus, and Title Ready.

Other pre-entries for the 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships are available here: Breeders_Cup_Pre_Entries

G1 Breeders' Cup Turf – $4 million

  • Arklow (Brad Cox)
  • Channel Maker (Bill Mott)
  • Donjah (Henk Grewe)
  • Lord North (John Gosden)
  • Magical (Aidan O'Brien)
  • Mean Mary (Graham Motion)**
  • Mehdaayih (John Gosden)**
  • Mogul (Aidan O'Brien)
  • Red King (Phil D'Amato)
  • Tarnawa (Dermot Weld)**
  • United (Richard Mandella)

** first preference in Filly & Mare Turf

G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff – $2 million

  • Ce Ce (Michael McCarthy)
  • Dunbar Road (Chad Brown)
  • Harvest Moon (Simon Callaghan)
  • Harvey's Lil Goil (Bill Mott)*
  • Horologist (Bill Mott)
  • Lady Kate (Eddie Kenneally)
  • Monomoy Girl (Brad Cox)
  • Ollie's Candy (John Sadler)
  • Point of Honor (George Weaver)
  • Swiss Skydiver (Ken McPeek)**
  • Valiance (Todd Pletcher)

*first preference in Filly & Mare Turf
**second preference in Classic

G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile – $2 million

  • Calibrate (Steve Asmussen)
  • Camp Hope (Ken McPeek)
  • Classier (Bob Baffert)
  • Dreamer's Disease (Robertino Diodoro)
  • Essential Quality (Brad Cox)
  • Jackie's Warrior (Steve Asmussen)
  • Keepmeinmind (Robertino Diodoro)
  • King Fury (Ken McPeek)
  • Likeable (Todd Pletcher)
  • Next (Wesley Ward)
  • Reinvestment Risk (Chad Brown)
  • Rombauer (Michael McCarthy)
  • Sittin On Go (Dale Romans)
  • Smiley Sobotka (Dale Romans)
  • (AE – Hot Rod Charlie – Doug O'Neill)

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Little Movement In NTRA 3-Year-Old, Top Thoroughbred Polls Ahead Of Breeders’ Cup

Less than two weeks out from the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland on Nov. 6-7, there was little change in both the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top 3-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll and NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll.

Ahead of his expected start in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic, Kentucky Derby winner Authentic continues to hold down the top spot in the Three-Year-Old Poll with 15 first-place votes and 330 points. The son of Into Mischief tuned up for the Breeders' Cup with a seven-furlong breeze in 1:24.40 at Santa Anita Park on October 24, his second timed workout since finishing second in the Oct. 3 Preakness Stakes.

Belmont and Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Law is also slated to be one of the top contenders for the Breeders' Cup Classic and moved back into the No. 2 spot on the poll this week with 10 first-place votes and 323 points. The son of Constitution arrived at Keeneland last week where he worked six furlongs in 1:13.20 on Oct. 23.

Preakness Stakes heroine Swiss Skydiver, who remains under consideration for either the Breeders' Cup Distaff or Classic, dips one spot this week to third with 11 first-place votes and 318 points. Grade 2 winner Art Collector (193 points) ranks fourth, ahead of Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Happy Saver (178).

Grade 1 winner Honor A. P., who was retired last month to Lane's End Farm, remains sixth with 120 points followed by multiple Grade 1 winner Gamine (94 points), who is expected to contest the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Max Player takes over sole possession of the eighth spot this week with 77 points, one point ahead of Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil (76). Mystic Guide, who was second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, rounds out the top 10 with 67 points.

Multiple Grade 1 winner and likely Breeders' Cup Classic favorite Improbable maintains his lead in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll with 31 first-place votes and 355 points. Trained by Bob Baffert, Improbable will bring a three-race win streak into the Classic and clocked a seven-furlong work in 1:25 on Oct. 25.

Champion Maximum Security remains behind his stablemate in the poll with 2 first-place votes and 262 points. Multiple Grade 1 winner Vekoma (1 first-place vote, 217 points) remains third with expected Breeders' Cup Classic contender Tom's d'Etat (2 first-place votes, 213 points) in fourth.

Monomoy Girl, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2018, holds in fifth with 197 points followed by multiple graded stakes winner By My Standards (138 points). Authentic (119 points) and Tiz the Law (116) rank seventh and eighth, respectively, with Swiss Skydiver (101) and multiple Grade 1 winner Rushing Fall (67) completing the top 10.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in both the Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through the conclusion of the Breeders' Cup in November.

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Santa Anita Media Poll: Improbable Named Horse Of The Meet

Bob Baffert-trained Improbable, winner of the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes on Sept. 26, heads Santa Anita's 2020 Autumn Meet Media Poll, which recognizes equine and human accomplishments in a variety of categories throughout the 16-day meeting which began on Sept. 25 and concluded Sunday, Oct. 25.

2020 Santa Anita Autumn Media Poll

Horse of Meet: Improbable

Sprinter: C. Z. Rocket

Older Horse: Improbable

Older Filly/Mare: Mucho Unusual

Claimer: Psycho Dar

Grass Horse: United

Grass Filly/Mare: Mucho Unusual

3-Year-Old: Smooth Like Strait

3-Year-Old Filly: Harvest Moon

Trainer: Peter Miller/Bob Baffert (each had 11 wins)

Jockey: Flavien Prat (27 wins)

Apprentice: Alexis Centeno (7 wins)

Race: Santa Anita Sprint Championship

Owner: Reddam Racing, LLC

Achievement: Craig Lewis, 1,000 Career Wins

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Baffert Said He Can’t Separate His Classic Triple Threat

Authentic, Improbable and Maximum Security had important workouts over the weekend at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., two weeks before their engagement for trainer Bob Baffert in the $6-million, Grade 1  Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Authentic, winner of the G1 Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 and second most recently to the filly Swiss Skydiver in the G1 Preakness on Oct. 3, worked Saturday, going seven furlongs in a blazing 1:24.40.

On Sunday, Improbable, who goes into the Nov. 7 Classic off three consecutive Grade 1 victories – most recently defeating Maximum Security in the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 26 – worked seven furlongs in 1:25 flat. Maximum Security, the reigning champion 3-year-old male of 2019 when trained by Jason Servis, went five furlongs in :59.80 for Baffert. Authentic and Improbable were the only horses working seven furlongs each day, but Maximum Security's breeze was the fastest of 72 horses working five furlongs at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Juan Ochoa was aboard for all three workouts.

XBTV VIDEO: Authentic work. Improbable work. Maximum Security work.

Baffert goes into the Classic with one of the strongest hands ever seen in a Breeders' Cup race, with Improbable likely to be favored over his stablemates and the top guns from the East Coast: Florida Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers (all G1) winner Tiz the Law; G2 Stephen Foster winner Tom's d'Etat; and multiple G2 winner By My Standards.

The Hall of Fame trainer said he couldn't separate the three – all with different owners.

“I'm not being politically correct, but all three of these horses are at the top of their game right now,” Baffert said. “Authentic looks just as good as he did going into the Kentucky Derby. Maximum Security is doing the best he's ever done for me, and Improbable is also doing very well.”

Baffert said he worked Maximum Security a shorter distance and in company because the 4-year-old colt by New Year's Day “is only going to give you so much. I don't want to overtrain him. He's a big, heavy, strong horse, but one thing I've noticed is I have to train him differently. His lung capacity is pretty big. He never blows when he comes back.”

Luis Saez is scheduled to ride Maximum Security, with Irad Ortiz Jr. taking the call on Improbable (he rode the City Zip 4-year-old colt to a two-length victory over By My Standards and Tom's d'Etat in the G1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 1). John Velazquez will be back aboard Authentic, a 3-year-old by Into Mischief.

“They are a triple threat,” Baffert said. “It may come down to post position or the trip they get.”

They'll have one more work at Santa Anita next weekend before departing for Kentucky.

In other news, Baffert said he is not going to run the highly touted $1-million yearling purchase Spielberg in the Juvenile and will instead look for a maiden race after the horse finished second and third, respectively, in the G1 Del Mar Futurity and G1 American Pharoah Stakes.

Baffert said he will pre-enter Classier in the Juvenile. The Empire Maker colt won a maiden race on Saturday by four lengths at Santa Anita. He will also have unbeaten Princess Noor in the G1 Juvenile Fillies and Gamine in the G1 Filly & Mare Sprint.

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