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Weekend Lineup: Breeders’ Cup World Championships Return To Keeneland

For the second time in its 37-year history, the Breeders' Cup World Championships returns to Keeneland on Nov. 6-7 where 14 races will help determine year-end divisional honors. NBC Sports will broadcast live all of the Breeders' Cup races with Friday's five races will be shown on NBCSN during a broadcast from 2-6 p.m. ET. The first four of nine Breeders' Cup races on Saturday will be shown on NBCSN from noon-2:30 p.m. ET, and the final five will air on a national broadcast on NBC from 2:30-6 p.m. ET, culminating with the Breeders' Cup Classic, which has a post time of 5:13 p.m. ET.

The Breeders' Cup World Championships will also be broadcast live on TVG. TVG will also show live racing from Del Mar and other tracks all week as part of its usual coast-to-coast schedule.

Friday, Nov. 6

1:50 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes at Keeneland on TVG

Stakes winner Ry's the Guy heads up a full field of 14 entered for the 1 5/8-miles Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes. Trained by Ian Wilkes, Ry's the Guy most recently won the Champions Day Marathon at Churchill Downs on September 1.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110620USA5-EQB.html

2:30 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland on NBCSN and TVG

Ranlo Investment's Golden Pal is the 8-5 morning line favorite for the 5 ½-furlong race that drew a field of 14. Trained by Wesley Ward, who won this race last year with Four Wheel Drive, Golden Pal broke his maiden by 3 ½ lengths in the Skidmore at Saratoga after returning from Royal Ascot where he finished second in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount and will break from post 14.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110620USA6-EQB.html

3:10 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland on NBCSN and TVG

Shadwell Stable's Mutasaabeq, who blew past 10 rivals in the stretch to win the Grade 2 Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland on October 4, is the 5-1 morning line favorite for the one-mile test that drew a field of 14. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Mutasaabeq will break from post six and be ridden by Luis Saez.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110620USA7-EQB.html

3:50 p.m.—$2,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland on NBCSN and TVG

The Juvenile Fillies drew a field of seven for the 1 1/16-mile test that includes the top runners from California, New York and Kentucky, all of whom are unbeaten. Zedan Racing Stable's Princess Noor is the 9-5 morning line favorite off victories in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante and Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes. Simply Ravishing began her career on grass but won the off-the-turf P.G. Johnson at Saratoga by 6 ½ lengths before a 6 ¼-length blowout win the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland going 1 1/16 miles. Siena Farm and trainer Tim Hamm's Dayoutoftheoffice comes into Friday's race off a two-length victory in the Grade 1 Frizette.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110620USA8-EQB.html

4:30 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland on NBCSN and TVG

The one-mile is headlined by a trio of undefeated runners: Campanelle (IRE), Plum Ali and Aunt Pearl (IRE). Aunt Pearl cruised to a 2 1/2-length front-running victory in the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland October 7, five weeks after her debut win at Churchill Downs and is listed as the 3-1 morning line favorite. Campanelle, co-second choice at 4-1, won the Group 1 Darley Prix Morny at Deauville and the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot as part of her 3-for-3 campaign. Plum Ali comes into Friday's race off a victory in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes. Trained by Christophe Clement, Plum Ali will be ridden by Joel Rosario from post four.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110620USA9-EQB.html

5:15 p.m.—$2,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland on NBCSN and TVG

Kirk and Judy Robison's undefeated Jackie's Warrior is the 7-5 morning line favorite for the Juvenile, which drew a field of 14. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Jackie's Warrior emerged as the top 2-year-old in New York by posting daylight victories in the Grade 1 Champagne, Grade 1 Hopeful, and Grade 2 Saratoga Special Stakes. Second choice at 4-1 is Godolphin's homebred Essential Quality trained by Brad Cox. Essential Quality debuted on the Kentucky Derby card September 5 winning at six furlongs by four lengths and following that up with a 3 ¼-length victory in the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland at the Juvenile distance of 1 1/16 miles.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110620USA10-EQB.html

Saturday, Nov. 7

11:50 a.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm at Aqueduct on FS2

Trainer Todd Pletcher will be represented by three fillies as looks to secure a fifth triumph in the 26th running of the Turnback the Alarm going 1 1/8 miles over the Aqueduct main track. Arriving fresh off a second career stakes triumph in the Lady's Secret at Monmouth Park is Teresa Viola Stable and St. Elias Stable's Nonna Madeline, who owns a consistent 12-4-3-1 record. The 4-year-old Candy Ride (ARG) bay maintained a stalking position in second in the early stages of the 1 1/16-mile Lady's Secret and engaged in a stretch battle with fellow Turnback the Alarm aspirant Royal Flag, holding off the stubborn foe to win by a nose.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/AQU110720USA3-EQB.html

12:02 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Keeneland on NBCSN and TVG

Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine is the 7-5 morning line favorite for the Filly & Mare Sprint that drew a field of nine. Trained by Bob Baffert, Gamine was an overpowering presence in one-turn romps in the Grade 1 Test Stakes by seven lengths and the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes by 18 ¾ lengths. Third in the Kentucky Oaks at 1 1/8 miles in her most recent start, Gamine will be ridden by John Velazquez and break from post position two. Second choice is Joel Politi's Serengeti Empress, winner of the 2019 Kentucky Oaks and third in last year's Breeders' Cup Distaff. Trained by Tom Amoss, Serengeti Empress returned to sprinting this summer and posted a victory going seven furlongs in the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga and then finished second, beaten a nose going the same distance in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110720USA4-EQB.html

12:39 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland on NBCSN and TVG

Gary Barber's Got Stormy, runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Mile last year at Santa Anita, is the 7-2 morning line favorite for the Turf Sprint over 5 ½ furlongs. Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Got Stormy finished second against males going a mile in two Grade 1 races this year before cutting back to sprints. She responded with a victory going 6 ½ furlongs at Kentucky Downs and then a victory at Keeneland in the Grade 3 Franklin County Stakes at 5 ½ furlongs. Top challengers include Breeze Easy's Imprimis and Leinster, both listed as 4-1 co-second choices.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110720USA5-EQB.html

1:18 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland on NBCSN and TVG

Klaravich Stables' Complexity, winner of the Grade 2 Kelso Stakes in his most recent start, is the 2-1 morning line favorite for the Dirt Mile that drew a field of 12. Trained by Chad Brown, Complexity will break from post 10 under Jose Ortiz. Second choice at 7-2 is the Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go who established a Keeneland track record going 1 1/16 miles at the recently completed Fall Meet. Two-for-two this year, Knicks Go is trained by Brad Cox and will break from post five under Joel Rosario.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110720USA6-EQB.html

1:57 p.m.—$2,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland on NBCSN and TVG

Peter Brant's Sistercharlie (IRE) and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Rushing Fall will represent trainer Chad Brown in the Filly & Mare Turf, a race Brown has won four times. One of those victories came from Sistercharlie in 2018 at Churchill Downs. Winless in two starts in 2020 following a third-place finish in her bid to repeat last year, Sistercharlie will be ridden by John Velazquez and break from post position two. Favored at 5-2 is Rushing Fall, a winner of five stakes in six starts at Keeneland and a Grade 1 winner at age 2, 3, 4 and 5. A winner of 11 of career starts that includes a score in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar, Rushing Fall will break from post position six under regular rider Javier Castellano.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110720USA7-EQB.html

2:36 p.m.—$2,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland on NBC and TVG

Trainer Steve Asmussen, who won the Sprint last year with Mitole, will send out two runners: Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt's undefeated Yaupon and L and N Racing's Grade 1 winner Echo Town. Joel Rosario rides Yaupon from post 10 while Echo Town breaks from the rail under Ricardo Santana Jr. Adding an element of intrigue into the Sprint is the 3-year-old Frank's Rockette for trainer Bill Mott. Frank Fletcher's homebred filly has compiled a 10-6-4-0 career mark and brings a four-race win streak into the Sprint. Junior Alvarado has the mount and will break from post six.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110720USA8-EQB.html

3:15 p.m.—$2,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland on NBC and TVG

Michael Dubb, Head of Plains Partners, Robert LaPenta and Bethlehem Stables' Uni (GB) will take on the boys again as she bids to capture the Mile for a second consecutive year. Trained by Chad Brown, Uni has won two of three starts over the Keeneland turf course with the victories coming in the past two runnings of the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes. Favoritism in the Mile goes to Bonne Chance Farm and Stud R D I's Ivar (BRZ) at 4-1. Trained by Paulo Lobo, Ivar won the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland in his most recent start and will break from post 11 under Joe Talamo.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110720USA9-EQB.html

3:32 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Maple Leaf Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Trainer Mark Casse is represented by the duo of Heavenly Curlin and Tappitty Tappitty in the 1 ¼-mile main track Maple Leaf Stakes. Bred in Kentucky by Elevage II, Heavenly Curlin, a daughter of Curlin, has compiled a record of 2-0-1 from four starts. Owned by Gary Barber and John Oxley, the bay is on a winning roll ahead of her spot in the Maple Leaf starting gate. On July 12, Heavenly Curlin rallied to win a 1 1/16-mile Tapeta race at Woodbine, getting up for a 1 ¾-length score in a maiden special weight event.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO110720CAN6-EQB.html

3:54 p.m.—$2,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland on NBC and TVG

Champion Monomoy Girl, the 2018 Distaff winner, aims to become just the fourth horse to win the Distaff twice when she faces a field that includes 2020 Preakness winner Swiss Skydiver. Owned by Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stables, Monomoy Girl is undefeated in three starts in 2020 after missing all of 2019 because of a pulled muscle and bout of colic. Peter Callahan's Swiss Skydiver has won five of nine starts this year in a campaign that has taken her coast to coast. Trained by Kenny McPeek, who is seeking his first Breeders' Cup victory, Swiss Skydiver ran at Keeneland in July, finishing second against the boys in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110720USA10-EQB.html

4:33 p.m.—$4,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland on NBC and TVG

Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor's Magical (IRE) is the morning line favorite in a field of 10 for the Turf to be contested over 1 ½ miles. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Magical was second in this race in 2018 at Churchill Downs to the champion Enable (GB). Owning a 5-3-1-1 record in 2020 with all starts in Group 1 company, Magical will be ridden by Ryan Moore and break from post position two. For the same ownership, O'Brien also will send out Mogul (GB), winner of the Group 1 Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris in his most recent start. Headlining the U.S. contingent are Grade 1 winners Arklow and Channel Maker.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110720USA11-EQB.html

4:52 p.m.—$175,000 Grade 2 Autumn Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Trainer Mark Casse, who won the Autumn in 2008 with Marchfield, will be represented by a pair of graded stakes winners, Salute With Honor and Skywire, and graded stakes placed Dream Maker, in the 1 1/16-mile main track Autumn for three-year-olds & upward. A six-year-old son of To Honor and Serve, Salute With Honor arrives at Saturday's race off a one-length score in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Durham Cup on October 11. Bred and owned by Live Oak Plantation, the chestnut gelding bested his stablemate Skywire by a length in the Tapeta race.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO110720CAN8-EQB.html

5:18 p.m.—$6,000,000 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on NBC

WinStar Farm, CHC Inc., and SF Racing's Improbable has been installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite in a field of 10 for Saturday's Classic to be run at 1 ¼ miles on the main track. Fifth in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile last fall at Santa Anita, Improbable has posted a 4-3-1-0 record in 2020 with the victories coming in his past three starts in Grade 1 tests. One of three Classic entrants trained by three-time Classic winner Bob Baffert, Improbable will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. and break from post position eight. Baffert's other two entries are Maximum Security, the champion 3-year-old of 2019, and Authentic, winner of the 2020 Kentucky Derby. Sackatoga Stable's Belmont and Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Law is the second choice on the morning line at 3-1.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE110720USA12-EQB.html

Sunday, Nov. 8

3:47 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct on FS2

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Isolate has done no wrong in his first two career starts and puts a perfect record on the line when shipping to New York for the 44th running of the Nashua going a one-turn mile. Trained by Kathy Ritvo, Isolate did just as his name suggested in his last-out gate-to-wire effort where he defeated winners over a sloppy main track at Gulfstream Park by 10 lengths. The Florida-bred son Mark Valeski was a three-quarter length winner against his Sunshine State-bred counterparts in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight on August 6 at Gulfstream, where he defeated next out-winner and subsequent stakes winner Poppy's Pride.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/AQU110820USA9-EQB.html

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Versatility ‘Never Hurts’: United Could Be The Early Leader Or Could Stalk Pace In The Turf

United will be back this weekend to contest his second Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf, and his connections will no doubt be hoping he can turn around last year's painfully-close second-place finish behind Bricks and Mortar.

This year, trainer Richard Mandella said he'll be coming in with a new weapon: a running style discovered in his win in the G2 John Henry Turf Championship last time out.

“We decided to just jump him out, put him on the lead, and stay out of trouble,” said Mandella. “He'd been in trouble the race before and it may have cost him winning. We thought we'd let him jump out there and he really liked it. It gives us the feeling that we have options now to do whatever feels best.”

Previously, United had been prone to stalk an early leader going at a slow or moderate pace, and wait farther back off a hot pace. It's possible the newfound versatility could give him an edge over the many European invaders in the race, including formidable foes in Magical (IRE) and Mehdaayih (GB), but Mandella wasn't tipping his hand when it came to race strategy on Thursday.

“It never hurts to have the versatility option to go either way,” Mandella said. “But it's too early — I haven't seen enough of the field yet to handicap and figure out what our best strategy is. I'll pretty much leave that up to Flavien Prat, a great jockey.”

United has been first or second in all his starts going back to the 2019 John Henry, and Mandella said he feels good about the gelding coming into the weekend. He does anticipate a challenger in Channel Maker, the Bill Mott trainee who won this year's Sword Dancer by an impressive 5 3/4 lengths, but he doesn't focus too much on other horses, preferring to keep eyes on his own work.

Since he's a gelding, Mandella said it's likely United will be back for a 6-year-old campaign. He'd tried to take the horse to this year's G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, but evolving travel lockdowns due to COVID-19 meant he brought the horse to Dubai, schooled him in the paddock, and promptly learned they had to head home. It might be nice to try again, Mandella said in a press conference Thursday, depending upon what international travel protocols are by March 2021.

“I fully intend to keep him around as long as he's healthy and happy,” said Mandella.

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Breen: Breeders’ Cup Sprint Contender Firenze Fire ‘As Honest As They Come’

Mr. Amore Stable's Firenze Fire galloped 1 1/8 miles Thursday morning at Keeneland in preparation for his fourth career Breeders' Cup start in Saturday's Sprint.

The 5-year-old son of Poseidon's Warrior will make his first Breeders' Cup start for trainer Kelly Breen, who accepted him and approximately 20 Mr. Amore Stable runners into his stable last winter from the barn of indicted trainer Jason Servis.

“It took a while for me to see the horse because of the pandemic. I was in Florida. My assistant, John Attfield, sent me pictures and videos to show me how well he looked. I've seen him race before, but it was a while before I laid eyes on him,” said Breen, who recently saddled Firenze Fire's 3-year-old sister, Firenze Freedom for an allowance win at Belmont Park. “He's a nice looking horse. He's got a lot of muscle. He's straightforward. He trains well. He does everything we ask of him.”

Firenze Fire has won two of five starts for Breen with two subpar showings coming over off tracks. He made his first start for Breen with a fourth-place finish in the June 6 Carter Handicap on a sloppy Belmont strip and won his first race for his new trainer three weeks later in the True North over a fast Belmont track. Firenze Fire was beaten two lengths while finishing fourth in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga before running 11th over a sloppy track at Saratoga in the Forego.

“The only bumps in the road I've had with him were on off tracks. He doesn't like the mud,” Breen said. “You throw those couple races out and he's as honest as they come.”

Firenze Fire rebounded from his Forego disappointment with a 2 ¾-length victory in the Vosburgh at Belmont, which was a “Win and You're In' Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race.

“We were extremely excited when he won a 'Win and You're In' because there's no contemplating, because you're going once you've got a 'Win and You're In' under your belt,” Breen said. “He showed that he belonged, and the 'Win and You're In' stamps your ticket to the Breeders' Cup.”

Breen wouldn't have had to contemplate long to determine that Firenze Fire deserves a shot at a Sprint victory Saturday.

“I look at the Thoro-Graphs and the Ragozin sheets. He runs fast. His bounce numbers seem to be on an off track, and his numbers are fast enough to put him in there with this bunch,” he said.

Firenze Fire, who captured the Champagne at two, finished off the board in the 2017 Breeder's Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. He finished fourth in the Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs in 2018 and fifth in the Sprint last year at Santa Anita.

Breen will also be seeking his first Breeders' Cup success after notching third-place finishes with 2011 Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice (2011 Classic) and multiple graded-stakes winner Pants on Fire (2014 Dirt Mile).

“Pants On Fire reminds me of this horse. Pants on Fire didn't win a stakes as a 2-year-old and this horse did, but he won a stakes as a 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7-year-old,” Breen said. “Knowing a little about what it takes to keep a horse going at an older age reminds me a lot about Firenze Fire.”

Jose Lezcano, who was aboard for his Vosburgh score, has the return call aboard Firenze Fire in the Sprint.

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Australia: Reigning Horses Of The Year Melody Belle and Nature Strip At Flemington

Two reigning Horses of the Year headline a pair of excellent Group 1 races in Melbourne, while early season 2-year-olds are “gifted” a million-dollar purse in Sydney this Friday night. The fourth and final day of the “Melbourne Cup Carnival” at Flemington coincides with Rosehill's $1,000,000 Golden Gift, as both cards wedge neatly between the Breeders' Cup programs in the U.S. With some large Trifecta and Pick 4 pay outs on Melbourne Cup Day, handicappers will be looking to build their bank in Australia on Friday night.

Melody Belle, recently crowned New Zealand Horse of the Year for the second straight season, has taken her incredible tally of G1 wins to 12 with victories in the same pair of races that preceded her successful mission to Australia last November. In 2019, Melody Belle won a G1 for fillies and mares on the opening day of the “Melbourne Cup Carnival,” before a gallant runner-up effort a week later. This year, connections skipped the first of those races and have specifically targeted this Friday night's Mackinnon Stakes.

The 6-year-old brings a superb 17-for-34 career record back to Melbourne, as she seeks redemption for an unlucky second place finish to Aidan O'Brien's globetrotting filly, Magic Wand. Melody Belle (4-1) will be ridden for the first time by 25-year-old Jye McNeil, fresh off his career-defining win for Joseph O'Brien in Monday night's Melbourne Cup (at odds that matched his age). The Mackinnon Stakes (Race 8) is a weight-for-age contest at 1 1/4 miles, almost identical conditions to the prestigious W.S. Cox Plate. Thus, it is not surprising that Melody Belle's stiffest opposition is expected from Mugatoo (4-1) and Arcadia Queen (3-1 favorite), based on their respective fourth and fifth-place finishes in the Cox Plate two weeks ago.

Two races prior to the Mackinnon, Australia's Horse of the Year for the 2019-20 season will be in action in the G1 Darley Classic. Nature Strip returns to Flemington's iconic “straight six” furlongs course, and will try to replicate the most exhilarating performance of a career punctuated by perplexing losses. Australian racing's biggest enigma has now lost three straight races for the first time, yet nobody who witnessed his scintillating performance in this event last year will be brave enough to write him off. As in 2019, Nature Strip finished off the board (his usual modus operandi if not getting his picture taken) in The Everest, before returning from Sydney for the Darley Classic. If his career record of 26,14-3-0 leaves one flummoxed as to which version will appear next, it is worth bearing in mind that the 6-year-old's record down the Flemington straight course is four-for-five (and two-for-two at six furlongs).

Nature Strip shares favoritism at 3-1 with another G1 winner down Flemington's straight course, Bivouac, who comes off a terrific second in The Everest. Further opposition exiting the world's richest turf race is expected from the mare, Libertini, who was heavily bet (8-1 into 5-1) in The Everest but had no luck from the extreme outside gate. Both Bivouac and Libertini contested The Everest second up and are still fresh into their current campaigns. Coincidentally, they finished in the minor placings in the same G1 race (for 3-year-olds) down the Flemington straight during last year's Melbourne Cup Carnival.

While Melbourne holds the Friday night spotlight, Sydney's Rosehill Racecourse will be the scene of an exciting addition to Australia's rich program of juvenile races. The Southern Hemisphere racing season began on Aug. 1 and the first 2-year-old races were run only a month ago, yet an early carrot is being dangled for connections of the most precocious juveniles. The Golden Gift, at 5 1/2 furlongs, carries a purse of $1,000,000. The China Horse Club owns a pair of debut stakes winners, Captivant (3-1 favorite) and Tiger of Malay (7-1). Last year's inaugural Golden Gift winner, Dame Giselle (a subsequent multiple stakes winner), is part-owned by the China Horse Club and came through the same debut race as Tiger of Malay. It's unusual to see 2-year-olds traveling interstate this early in the season, but the lucrative purse sees both Sneaky Five (9-2) and Ghostwriter (10-1) being whisked to Sydney after scoring debut wins in Melbourne and Brisbane, respectively. The race includes three first-time starters, and North American fans will be intrigued by a Chris Waller-trained son of American Pharoah named Head of State (14-1), who has won both of his trials (“training races”). A G2 event for fillies and mares follows the Golden Gift on the Rosehill card.

The Flemington and Rosehill cards will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 10:25 p.m. ET / 7:25 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Doomben and Gold Coast. All races will also be live-streamed in HD with past performances available for free at skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms. Wagering is available via all the major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, AmWager, and BetAmerica. The Pick 7 wager is available on the Flemington (AUS-A) card.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Michael's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Michael also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.

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