Matt Brocklebank whets the Breeders' Cup appetite by highlighting the most likely home candidates to light up this year's two-day spectacular in Del Mar.
By Matt Brocklebank
Not a year goes by without the self-proclaimed thoroughbred World Championships producing a memorable story, but who will steal the show as the Breeders' Cup heads to Del Mar for the very first time?
We've got all angles covered ahead of the two-day Carnival "Where the Surf meets the Turf" on November 3-4, and here are three 'local' superstars to watch out for in South California...
BOLT D'ORO – Trainer: Mick Ruis, Jockey: Corey Nakatani
If there’s a two-year-old going to set the world alight a week on Saturday, then that two-year-old is most likely to be Bolt d’Oro, who heads the betting for the Sentient Jet Juvenile on the back of a devastating performance in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita last month.
Run over a mile and half a furlong on the main (dirt) track, there is an eye-popping $2million purse up for grabs and it's the kind of pot for which the Ruis family once could only have dreamt of competing.
But make no mistake, former jockey Mick – who, together with his father, made "considerable sums of money" from a construction company during their near 10-year hiatus from the racing world - is now firmly back in the game, and he's playing in the big league to boot.
Ruis Racing LCC has made massive strides since resuming and even had a runner in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup earlier this year, for which a starting berth cost the dozen entrants a cool $1million each.
So it should come as no surprise Ruis is expected to feature prominently at the Breeders’ Cup this time around, but in the unbeaten Bolt d'Oro they also have every right to be dreaming of what may lie in store in 2018. Stand by for the Triple Crown quotes to come flooding in.
DREFONG – Trainer: Bob Baffert, Jockey: Mike Smith
While the Brits may be getting a little excited ahead of Marsha v Lady Aurelia III in the Turf Sprint, US handicappers are practically drooling at the prospect of Drefong returning to defend his title in the Twinspires Sprint.
He stuck it to his elders when becoming Bob Baffert’s first three-year-old Sprint champion – the Hall of Fame handler has a record five wins in total – 12 months ago and that quality display capped a perfect 4-4 maiden campaign for the son of former Breeders’ Cup regular Gio Ponti.
This year has been less of a smooth ride for Drefong. Baffert was left harrumphing away after the colt’s Bing Crosby Stakes comeback run in July ended in him unshipping Mike Smith soon after the start, in what appeared a freak accident. It was the horse’s first and only ever run at Del Mar.
Nobody came to any harm, thankfully, and the severe jinking was put down to him spooking at a false rail on the inside of the track.
He has since put it behind him with a taking top-class victory over seven furlongs at Saratoga, but questions will no doubt be asked back at Del Mar, especially if he is once again drawn low as he was in the Bing Crosby.
Aside from that unfortunate episode, Drefong has barely put a foot wrong in his life and the West Coast clock-watchers have been giving off the most positive noises of late.
GUN RUNNER – Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Jockey: Florent Geroux
Bob Baffert is the winning-most trainer in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He has won the last three renewals, Bayern, American Pharoah and Arrogate doing the business for the silver haired maestro. This year he not only saddles the returning champion, who went on to win the Pegasus World Cup and the Dubai World Cup after beating California Chrome 12 months ago, but also Pacific Classic winner Collected, as well as West Coast, who looks set to be named the champion three-year-old at the end-of-year jamborees.
Despite all of this, Baffert is not responsible for the favourite in the 2017 Classic, which says it all about the year Steve Asmussen’s Gun Runner has enjoyed.
Granted, he has twice seen the back of Arrogate in the past, when third in the Travers last year and second at Meydan back in March, but since that defeat the four-year-old chestnut has landed three straight Grade 1s, by an aggregate winning distance of the best part of 23 lengths.
There are one of two things to consider before piling into this horse, namely the fact he’s making his first visit to Del Mar. Plus there’s the slight concern that he is a nine furlong expert and yet to win over 10, but the boy has become a man this season - of that there’s little doubt - and Asmussen has absolute faith in him as Curlin’s trainer looks to end a 10-year wait for his second Classic success.
Gun Runner looking strong today while galloping in preparation for the $6M #BC17 Classic. @DelMarRacing https://t.co/oBgSAhAERo
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) October 19, 2017
