2017 Breeders’ Cup Stakes Recaps

DMTC News – From the Wire —-

Caledonia Road Springs Upset In 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies

DEL MAR, Calif. (Nov. 4, 2017) – Zoom and Fish Stable, Charlie Spring and Newtown Anner Stud’s Caledonia Road roared past Alluring Star at the sixteenth pole and drew off to win the 34th running of the $2 million 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) for 2-year-olds by 3 ¼ lengths to kick off the second day of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships Saturday afternoon at Del Mar racetrack.
Trained by Ralph Nicks and ridden by Mike Smith, Caledonia Road covered the 1 1/16 miles on a fast main track in 1:45.05. It was the second win in three career starts for Caledonia Road, a Florida-bred daughter of Quality Road.
The victory was the ongoing record 26th for Smith in the Breeders’ Cup and third in the Juvenile Fillies. Previously, he had won with Stardom Bound (2008) and Songbird (2015). For Nicks, it was his first Breeders’ Cup victory from three starters.
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Winning trainer Ralph Nicks (Caledonia Road) – “This filly has come into her own this fall and her timing was impeccable. This run down the stretch is kind of her style. This is my first win and it’s on my third try. It’s just amazing.”
Winning jockey Mike Smith (Caledonia Road) – “She was dynamite. She was much more forwardly placed than I expected her to be, to be honest. She was up there intent on getting into the game and running good. She was in a good rhythm, breathing well. I gave her a breather from the half-mile pole to the three-and-a half because she kind of wanted one. When I stepped on the accelerator again, man, she jumped back on it and I knew I was going to be live from that point on.”
Second-place trainer Bob Baffert (Alluring Star) – “She ran her heart out and I’m proud of her, but these second-place finishes are piling up and are tough. We try to win these things. But, all you can hope for is that your horse shows up and she ran well.”
Second-place jockey Joe Talamo (Alluring Star) – “We had a really good trip. I didn’t think Flavien (Prat on Moonshine Memories) was going to go out there so fast, but my filly was comfortable tracking off her. Turning for home I really thought we were going to get there. This filly has a big future. It was only her third start and she tried hard.”
Third-place assistant trainer to Stanley Gold Jocelyne Kenny (Blond Bomber) – “She ran amazing and I am so, so pleased with her. It was such a hot pace up front and we really didn’t want her that far back, but honestly, I have no complaints. She definitely got far back and had a lot of work to do and a lot of ground to make up but they went :22 and :46 on the front end and that’s fast. It was her first time going two turns, and her first time with this kind of company. She’s never run in graded stakes company. I haven’t to talked to Stan yet back in Florida, but I am sure that he’s thrilled.”
Third-place jockey Jose Lezcano (Blonde Bomber) – “She ran really good. She broke good, but couldn’t keep up with the speedy horses early. I let her go to the back. I followed Mike at the half-mile pole. She picked up, but couldn’t get there.”
Trainer Simon Callaghan (beaten favorite Moonshine Memories, 7th) – “She got pressure all the way around, Alluring Star wouldn’t leave her alone, It’s tough to have that kind of pressure. I’m disappointed, but I’m happy with her.”

Bar of Gold Scores $135.40 Shocker in Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint

DEL MAR, Calif. (Nov. 4, 2017) – Chester and Mary Broman’s homebred Bar of Gold ($135.40) rallied from far back to catch Ami’s Mesa at the wire to win the 11th running of the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) by a nose Saturday afternoon at Del Mar racetrack.
Trained by John Kimmel and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. Bar of Gold covered the seven furlongs on a fast main track in 1:22.63. Bar of Gold is a 5-year-old New York-bred daughter of Medaglia d’Oro.
The winning payoff was the largest in the history of the Filly & Mare Sprint. The victory was the first for Kimmel in the Breeders’ Cup and the third for Ortiz, his first in this race.
Racing next to last in the field of 14 down the backstretch, Ortiz had Bar of Gold next to the rail and began picking off horses before moving to the outside on the far turn where he found clear sailing to catch Ami’s Mesa at the wire.
Ami’s Mesa, who was making her 10th career start but first on dirt, finished a length ahead of Carina Mia while favored Unique Bella faded to seventh after setting the pace.
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Winning trainer John Kimmel (Bar of Gold) – “We knew it was in there somewhere. She pulled it out at the right moment. She’s brushed on greatness a few times, and she’s gotten better as the years have gone on. Her last race (Juddmonte Spinster at Keeneland) was weird. At the track it had been raining all day and she really didn’t break sharp and was wide. It was really just a throw-out. We were all confused about whether we were going to come out here, but then we got her back to New York (from Kentucky) and she had a couple of breezes that were really impressive. Irad (Ortiz, Jr.) said she felt great. I wouldn’t have come out here if Irad couldn’t ride the horse, so when he told me he was open, I said ‘Let’s go. Let’s give it a shot.’ She is getting to the end of her career and here we are. I’ve always liked horses cutting back in distance, especially in a sprint, and a seven-eighths sprint. I’ve won the Test a couple of times with that tactic. She showed up today, and Irad gave her a great, great trip.”
Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Bar of Gold) – “I got a perfect trip. She broke good, put me in good position and I just saved her. She made a good run on the inside and when I took her to the outside, she responded pretty good.”
Second-place trainer Josie Carroll (Ami’s Mesa) – “I thought for a while that we were going to get it, but I could see that other horse coming. I just hoped she had enough left in the tank. She’s a gutsy filly. She fought that filly and just got out-nodded. This is a gutsy filly that gave it all and you can’t ask for more than that.”
Second-place jockey Luis Contreras (Ami’s Mesa) – “It was a really tough beat but she tried so hard. I just gave her a good trip. She was traveling perfect. She switched leads and I made my move. I tried to save as much as I could and she just got beat by a nose. That’s racing, right?”
Third-place jockey Javier Castellano (Carina Mia) – “She did everything right. She split horses. She ran hard. I just wish I had a better post. In the one hole you have to use a little bit to get a good spot, but she ran great.”
Jockey Mike Smith (beaten favorite Unique Bella, 7th) – “She went so quick early. I guess it was too much to ask (today). She never really folded though. If I could have done something different, maybe I would have taken back a little farther, but the game plan was to go. At the top of the stretch, I was done.”
Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer (beaten favorite Unique Bella, 7th) – “No excuse.”

A Maiden No More, Goodmagic Romps In Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

DEL MAR, Calif. (Nov. 4, 2017) – E Five Racing Thoroughbreds and Stonestreet Stables’ Good Magic ($25), who entered the race as a maiden, exploded past Solomini in upper stretch and drew off to a 4 1/4-length victory in the 34th running of the $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) for 2-year-olds Saturday afternoon at Del Mar racetrack.
Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Good Magic covered the 1 1/16 miles on a fast main track in 1:43.34 in becoming the first maiden to win the race.
It was the second victory of these championships for e Five Racing Thoroughbreds and Brown, who teamed to win Friday’s Juvenile Fillies with Rushing Fall.
Good Magic, second in his first two starts, is a son of 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Curlin and was bred by Stonestreet.
The victory was the 10th for Brown in the Breeders’ Cup, but first in the Sentient Jet Juvenile. It was the second Breeders’ Cup victory for Ortiz and first in the Juvenile.
Solomini finished a length in front of favored Bolt d’Oro, who finished third.
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Winning trainer Chad Brown (Good Magic) – “I thought he was a winner every step of the way. I didn’t know who was coming behind him, but I loved the way he was traveling. We took a shot because he was a maiden, but he’s developing rapidly. I am so proud of this horse and proud of my staff. I feel so grateful that the two great owners who are partners in this horse gave me a chance with him. This is a shining example of the program Stonestreet has. He’s a homebred, then he was broke and trained on their farm in Ocala, and right on through to a Breeders’ Cup race. That’s doing it from start to finish. To allow me to be a part of their team now and train a horse like this is quite an honor. It sure is a thrill to have a really good 2-year-old in the barn. They’re so hard to find. This guy here is developing rapidly. He’s not a real big horse, but he’s growing. It was his first time around two turns, and he aced the test.”
Winning jockey Jose Ortiz (Good Magic) – “It went the way (trainer) Chad (Brown) drew it up for me. He said, ‘Break good and leave. When you make your move, be ready to be on the outside.’ Because he didn’t like the way the track was playing inside. I waited and went to the outside. I had the opportunity to go inside but I stuck with the plan to go outside.”
Second-place trainer Bob Baffert (Solomini) – “He ran good. He was on the pace and they went pretty fast. He hooked up there. He’s just learning how to run, so I was happy with his race. He’s a really nice 2-year-old.”
Second-place jockey Flavien Prat (Solomini) – “He ran a good race. He’s improving all the time He’s kind of one-paced and doesn’t have that turn of foot when the horse came to him. I rode him all the way and he ran a good race. He’s going to improve race after race.”
Third-place trainer Mick Ruis (Bolt d’Oro, beaten favorite) – “I guess he just wasn’t ready to run today. He never had a good position because he was so far outside. But, we don’t make any excuses. We just got beat by a better horse today”
Third-place jockey Corey Nakatani – (Bolt d’Oro, beaten favorite) –“We were a little bit wide but it’s horse racing and it is part of what is going to happen. I was trying to get tucked in but with all the traffic, he seemed to be spinning his wheels a little bit. The track also seemed a little cuppy. He ran good. He’s a 2-year-old and they are expected to run well every time.”
Trainer Aidan O’Brien (U S Navy Flag, 10th) – “He will be a fast horse next year. He is a sprinter and he didn’t get the trip today.”

Roy H Wins Twinspires Breeders’ Cup Sprint

DEL MAR, Calif. (Nov. 4, 2017) – Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen’s Roy H ($11.80) took over in deep stretch from Imperial Hint and went on to a one-length victory in the 34th running of the $1.5 million TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) for 3-year-olds and up Saturday afternoon at Del Mar racetrack.
Trained by Peter Miller and ridden by Kent Desormeax, Roy H covered the six furlongs on a fast main track in 1:08.61. It was the second victory of the day for Rockingham and Miller, who took the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint with Stormy Liberal.
Roy H is a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of More Than Ready and Saturday’s victory was his second consecutive Grade 1 triumph.
The victory was the sixth for Desormeaux in the Breeders’ Cup and second in the Sprint, a race he won in 1995 on Desert Stormer at Belmont Park.
Imperial Hint finished two lengths in front of late-closing Mind Your Biscuits. Defending champion and favorite Drefong was sixth in the field of 10.
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Winning trainer Peter Miller (Roy H) – “This is amazing. Two Breeders’ Cup wins in one day. The race shaped up the way we thought it would. We saw a lot of speed in there and we figured he could sit third or fourth and make his big run. He did it just the way we drew it up.”
Winning jockey Kent Desormeaux (Roy H) – “He had to man-up the first 200 yards. I had to jockey for position, fighting for a spot two times in 200 yards. After that, he had the catbird seat. He raced off my fingertips and gave me a lovely ride. Absolutely exploded turning for home. He was full of run. We were running from the quarter pole to the eighth pole. We took off. I mean we exploded and couldn’t catch the leader for at least 200 yards. Once Roy gained the ascendency, he steadily opened up. I looked at the Jumbotron and the next guys were five behind us, so I was safe with the win.”
Second-place trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. (Imperial Hint) – “He came so close. He ran great. it was a great race, and it was a very tough race. I am so proud of my horse.”
Second-place jockey Javier Castellano (Imperial Hint) – “I’m not disappointed in the way he ran at all. He ran a great race. He kept running all the way to the end. He just got beat.”
Third-place trainer Chad Summers (Mind Your Biscuits) – “I was proud of him. We were concerned when we came here that the stretch was short. It got to us today. We were a little bit further back than I was hoping. I wanted to be a little bit closer and be in it a little bit earlier. But he came with his run like he always does. We knew the Forego was a bit of a fluke. I think he showed up today and made us proud. We’re disappointed but there’s always next year and the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill with a little bit longer stretch.”
Third-place jockey Joel Rosario (Mind Your Biscuits) – “He ran a big race. They just kind of got away from me from there. I wanted to be a little closer but that’s the way he is. He put in a nice run. The horses in front never came back.”
Trainer Bob Baffert (Drefong, sixth as favorite) – “I knew in the first 100 yards it was over when he couldn’t make the lead. What I was afraid would happen, happened. He’s been good to us and I really can’t complain. I knew the inside post would be tough on him and I could tell when he went across the gap there that Mike (Smith) was a little hesitant with him. You need racing luck. You need a good horse, but you need racing luck. It wasn’t his day. This horse doesn’t owe us anything. He’s been great to us. I can’t complain.”
Jockey Mike Smith (Drefong, sixth as favorite) – “He didn’t get away (from the gate) really running. I looked up and the saw the gap in front of me and by the time I closed it, it was pretty much over.”