Breeders' Cup: Matt Brocklebank's tips for Future Stars Friday at Santa Anita

By Matt Brocklebank

Horse Racing

Fri November 01, 2019 · 5y ago

Our Matt Brocklebank has had his ear to the ground at Santa Anita all week - don't miss his race-by-race preview of Future Stars Friday at the Breeders' Cup.

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Michael Shinners and Matt Brocklebank look ahead to the action at Santa Anita Park...

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20.12 - Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

Wes Ward saddles three of the 12 runners and it's hard to resist one of his two fillies, KIMARI. Her whole body of work stands up to pretty close inspection, with her only defeat coming on rain-soaked ground in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot where her class almost got her through regardless of the unsuitable conditions. She's 3-3 otherwise and produced a stunning performance to win the Indian Summer at Keeneland. Stablemates Four Wheel Drive and Cambria aren't overlooked lightly and they're both preferred to A'Ali for Simon Crisford. Perhaps the pick of the travelling party could be Archie Watson's Band Practice who keeps pulling out more improvement and has ghosted into things under the radar following a nice win in France. She's proven on quick ground too, although stall two could leave her with a bit of a battle on early and she may ultimately have to use up too much gas just to hold her position. In short, the Americans should dominate.

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20.52 - Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

ARIZONA has already achieved enough to win this event, even before the prospect of further improvement. And another step forward would hardly come as a surprise given he's moving up to a mile and stepping onto genuinely quick ground for the very first time. He’s raced once on good to firm in Ireland and absolutely bolted up while he’s bred to win here being a son of No Nay Never. Has that Coventry Stakes win to his name which shows he can handle an occasion and the two-length second to Pinatubo in the Dewhurst last time gives him massive form claims. He’s maybe four stalls wider than ideal but still rates a very worthy favourite. At a much bigger price look out George Weaver’s Our Country who caught the eye behind Structor in a Grade Three at Belmont. He’s a massive price and worthy of each-way support.

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21.32 - Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies

Dirt races for juveniles on the west coast are something of a Bob Baffert playground and he looks to hold an outstanding candidate here in BAST. Baffert hasn't won this event since 2007 but Bast has scored twice at Grade One level already, clearly improving for the fitting of blinkers following a debut defeat. She's proven at the track here at Santa Anita which will stand her in excellent stead and should also bring locally-trained Donna Veloce into the equation. She's bred to appreciate this step up in distance and could hardly have been more impressive in winning her maiden by nine and a quarter lengths over the extended six furlongs recently. Her trainer Simon Callaghan has had the beaten favourite for the past two seasons but it looks a matter of time before he opens his Breeders' Cup account. British Idiom is the clear pick of the east coast shippers.

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22.12 - Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf

Loads to consider here and the pace of the race is going to play a crucial role. If William Buick can pick up a handy position on Rockfel winner Daahyeh then maybe he'll get first run on the likes of Albigna and Crystalle who are fancied to be making up ground from the back, but if there's plenty of pace pressure, which looks a distinct possibility, then it could get a bit chaotic late on. With Daahyeh now well found in the market, a tentative vote goes the way of TANGO who rates a bit of value in an open event. Aidan O'Brien's filly was behind the aforementioned European principals in the Moyglare Stud Stakes but looked a far more settled character when dropped in class at the Curragh last time. Dispensing with the headgear seemed to work a treat and her form might just take off again now faced with a step up to the mile on fast ground. She was only beaten a head by Albigna earlier in the year on her only previous outing on a quick surface so isn't without hope of reversing form with Jessica Harrington's subsequent Group One winner.

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23.03 - Breeders' Cup Juvenile

SCABBARD looks an obvious each-way angle into the race with Eight Rings and Dennis' Moment eating up most of the market share. The selection was a staying-on second to Dennis' Moment in the Grade Three Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs in September when trying the trip for the first time. They pulled over five lengths clear of the third there and Scabbard still has bags of potential himself. Eight Rings is seemingly a slightly different model compared to come of Bob Baffert's previous winner of this event but home advantage can't be taken lightly and he's a talented galloper who has a good draw and every chance of playing a major part in the outcome.

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