Breeders' Cup Diary: Countdown to the action in Keeneland
Ben Linfoot is our man in Kentucky and he checks in ahead of this weekend's Breeders' Cup at Keeneland.
FREEZE! Atlanta airport security, 5pm E.T, October 30.
Everyone’s statue still apart from the airport security staff, frantic in tracking down an indiscretion. I’m wide-eyed, nervous, looking for the culprit, thinking it might be me. The suspicious sniffer dog looks me up and down – can he smell the dog treats? He waddles past. And breathe.
A bemused old lady had nonchalantly walked straight through the security screening, handbag illegally on shoulder. She must’ve been the only person within 200 yards not to hear the FREEZE! Apprehended, we could move again, shuffling through to get a connecting flight to Lexington, Kentucky. Let’s hope that’s not the end of the high drama this week.
It really shouldn’t be. Welcome Breeders’ Cup fans and welcome, too, inquisitive naysayers. In the words of Delia Smith ‘Where are you?! Let’s be havin’ you?!’ I mean, what is not to like?
This is what we dream of as racing fans, isn’t it? High-class competition for huge purses and we’ve got that Ryder Cup-style element, too, the United States versus Europe. Golden Pal vs Highfield Princess. War Like Goddess against our Turf horses. Annapolis vs our Milers. Delight and Love Reigns against Meditate and The Platinum Queen, respectively.
And while there’s 13 pages of permitted race day medications for horsemen in the information guide, there is progress in that department. This is the second Breeders’ Cup where no Lasix is permitted within 24 hours of a Breeders’ Cup race. For all the medication controversy in the sport in this part of the world, it is at least trying to clean up its act.
"European horses have all but given up trying their turf horses on American dirt,” writes Marcus Hersch in the Daily Racing Form, but hopefully it’s not the end of that quest. Taking on the week’s star horse Flightline might not be the year to do it, but Aidan O’Brien has had 15 goes since Giant’s Causeway was second to Tiznow in 2000 and hopefully he’ll be back again.
That was the moment I got hooked on the Breeders’ Cup. I’d seen videos of Dayjur jumping the shadow, Lester Piggott storming to glory on Royal Academy in sensational circumstances, Arazi’s stunning win at Churchill Downs in the fall of ’91, Tom Durkin’s One Dreamer call in ’94; “One Dreamer wins and scores a huge front-running upset. You have just witnessed a felony, for jockey Gary Stevens has just stolen a one million dollar horse race and, Tom Hammond, we got it on videotape!”
But that was all in hindsight. Tiznow’s dust-up with Giant’s Causeway in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Classic lit a fire there and then, paving the way for golden nights in front of the TV watching Goldikova win three years on the trot, watching Zenyatta’s un-bel-ieve-ab-le win and just as incredible defeat to Blame. Watching High Chapparal, St Nicholas Abbey, Found, Highland Reel and Enable.
So I’m excited to be at my first Breeders’ Cup.
I’ve absolutely nothing to compare it against, but Keeneland looks an incredible venue for the greatest show on turf (and dirt). It hits you as soon as you get off the plane. Freshman stallions are advertised on the revolving doors at the airport. ‘The horse capital of the world’ screams one poster. ‘Twinned with Newmarket, Deauville and County Kildare’ it says on another.
Picturesque doesn’t do it justice. Rolling blue grass hills with horses picking at freshly turf are perfectly surrounded by pristine white picket fences. You’re hit by the dazzling orange, yellow and red hues of maple and oaks trees. Keeneland Racecourse itself is part of a huge complex where even your intrepid reporter can get lost looking for the barns.
The golden ‘KA’ on the racing green-coloured gates is a symbol of this state’s thoroughbred history. Keeneland Association were racing in 1828 at Lexington’s first dirt racing track. It was October 1936 when they started racing at Keeneland itself. The track’s signature race, the Blue Grass Stakes, started the year after that and has been won by legends of the sport like Northern Dancer, Spectacular Bid and Skip Away.
More recently the Breeders’ Cup was first held here in 2015. American Pharoah broke the track record in the Classic and now he has a stretch of road named after him, ‘American Pharoah Way’, which we drove on this morning on the way up to the track, joining other Triple Crown winners who have Lexington roads named in their honour; the likes of ‘Citation Boulevard’, ‘War Admiral Way’ and ‘Affirmed Court’.
All roads lead to Keeneland now. As the week goes on The Diary will have spoken to key players at this year’s Breeders’ Cup and there’ll be plenty of punting angles, too, so stay along for the ride. I’m now off to the draw at Rupp Arena, home of the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, where John ‘Coach Cal’ Calipari will draw the post positions.
I don’t expect this to be part of the high drama. After all, is the draw overplayed? Order Of Australia won the Mile at this track in 2020 from stall 14, seen as a killer berth at the time.
High draws can be overcome. Sniffer dogs aren’t really suspicious. And breathe.
Published at 1730 GMT on 31/10/22
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