Even without Sovereignty, the Breeders' Cup Classic stacked with star power
Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic was billed as the Race of the Century but the heavyweight showdown lost a competitor on Wednesday. News of Sovereignty’s fever made headlines Tuesday and trainer Bill Mott officially scratched his Kentucky Derby winner on Wednesday. Sovereignty was the 6-5 morning-line favorite and no decision on his future has been made by his connections.
Even without Sovereignty, the Classic still features plenty of star power. Last year’s winner Sierra Leone will take on a similarly talented field, including Fierceness, the runner up last year. Despite being beaten by Sierra Leone last year and in this year’s Whitney, Fierceness was made the 4-1 second choice prior to the Sovereignty scratch, which now may leave Fierceness as the favorite.
When it comes to race flow, the 1 1/4-mile Classic has a bit of a murky pace picture, though that picture is likely to feature Fierceness, who is coming off arguably his best race to date. Trainer Todd Pletcher shipped Fierceness West for the Pacific Classic, also at Del Mar, and after almost hitting the temporary rail at the start of the race, Fierceness and jockey John Velazquez settled and ran on to win by more than three lengths.
“He got straightened out going into the first turn," Velazquez told track publicity. “I was able to save ground behind the leaders. On the back stretch, he was keen to go on, that’s why I moved between horses going into the turn. I had to move as early as I did because he was so keen. Today I wanted to get him off the bridle a little and let him finish. I was very happy we got there.”
Prior to that win, Fierceness struggled a bit. He ran fifth in the Whitney with no real excuse and second in the Met Mile, though that was perhaps too short for him. In last year’s Classic, Fierceness raced near the lead before getting run down by Sierra Leone in what was a very game effort by Fierceness. That race featured a fast pace, which seriously aided Sierra Leone and there could be a similar situation Saturday. Fierceness will break from the rail Saturday, the same post he got in the Pacific Classic.
In the Whitney, trainer Chad Brown entered Contrary Thinking to help ensure a fast pace for Sierra Leone. That strategy ultimately worked, as Contrary Thinking battled the leaders and allowed Sierra Leone to pounce on that pace. Brown tried a similar tactic in the Jockey Club Gold Cup but as Contrary Thinking went to the lead, he was challenged by another rival who caused a spill, and forced Sierra Leone and jockey Flavien Prat to take up. Sierra Leone still came with his run to grab second, arguably running the best race.
Prat will likely take back once again and hope his stablemate can wear out the leaders. Sierra Leone, 6-1 on the morning line, breaks from post 7. Contrary Thinking, who only has an allowance and maiden win to his record, was purchased by Peter Brant, co-owner of Sierra Leone, for the purpose of being a rabbit. Contrary Thinking will break from post 4 with Florent Geroux aboard.
The worst recipient of that spill in the Jockey Club Gold Cup was Mindframe, who lost jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. just after the start and ran around most of the track. Pletcher opted not to start Mindframe again and he enters Saturday fresh. He’s beaten Sierra Leone and some other top horses in Saturday’s races. His victory over Sierra Leone in the Stephen Foster came with a softer pace but his victory in the seven-furlong Churchill Downs Stakes was one of the best races of the year. It remains to be seen what his best distance is but he did run second last year in both the Belmont and Haskell at this distance. Ortiz will be back aboard from post 8 with morning-line odds of 10-1.
Antiquarian ended up winning that Jockey Club Gold Cup, avoiding all the chaos and running his best race to date, en route to a 1 1/2-length victory that earned him a spot in Saturday’s starting gate. Luis Saez will ride from post 10-1 at odds of 15-1 on the morning line. Locked was supposed to complete Pletcher’s quartet but Locked was removed from the race last week and will be retired.
Forever Young is the lone foreigner in the race but he has some American experience, running third in last year’s Classic and third in last year’s Derby. He won the rich Saudi Cup earlier this year, then finished third in the Dubai World Cup. Off since then, he came back on Oct. 1 to win a stakes race in Japan. Ryusei Sakai rides from post 5 with morning-line odds of 6-1.
Journalism and Baeza were on the receiving ends of Sovereignty's thrashing this year but each dodged him enough to land Grade 1 wins. Journalism, 10-1 from post 9, won the Preakness and Haskell and gets a controversial rider change to Jose Ortiz for trainer Michael McCarthy. He also entered the Derby as the favorite off a victory in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. Baeza, 15-1 from post 2, won the Pennsylvania Derby for trainer John Shirreffs and gets Hector Berrios back aboard.
Nevada Beach, winner of the Grade 1 Goodwood, is trainer Bob Baffert’s lone chance in the Classic.
The Classic goes as race 9 with a post time of 6:25 p.m. Three races, the Mile, Dirt Mile, and Filly and Mare Turf, will follow the Classic.
More Horse Racing News
Is Portnoy the Spartacus that horseplayers need in the war against CAWs?
An avid horse racing fan and bettor, Michael Smith has developed a career in horse racing media as an editor and writer. A regular at Saratoga Race Course, Michael mainly covers New York racing but follows various other racing across the country and world.