BREEDERS’ CUP: HANDICAPPING “FUTURE STARS FRIDAY”

By Rick Francis —-

The 37th edition of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships kicks off Friday November 6th from beautiful Keeneland Race Course with five contests billed as “Future Stars Friday”. The races will consist of the Juvenile Turf Sprint, Juvenile Turf, Juvenile Fillies, Juvenile Fillies Turf and the Juvenile. Each contest will carry a minimal purse of $1 million and should make for an exciting afternoon of racing.

KEENELAND

Race 6) 5½ Furlongs. (Turf) Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Grade II.
Purse $1,000,000 FOR TWO-YEAR-OLDS

Exacta / Trifecta / Superfecta / Pick 3 (Races 6-7-8) / Daily Double /
Pick 5 (Races 6-10) / Jackpot Super High Five
Post Time: ( 2:30)/ 1:30/12:30/11:30

8) Amanzi Yimpilo (Ward/Saez); has won 2-of-3 including a battling head score last out at Santa Anita; make 3rd off the layoff for trainer Ward, synonymous with juvenile success.

7) Momos (Clement/Franco); gave way late in his turf debut at Belmont in the G3 Futurity. NOTE: hot work tab on view.

10) Bodenheimer (Lund/Hernandez, B.); gate-to-wire winner of the Indian Summer here last month, his third win win from four starts.

5) Cowan (Asmussen/Santana); was gaining on the aforementioned in the Indian Summer and with just a bit more forwardly placed in here he’s trouble late.

14) Golden Pal (Ward/Ortiz, I.); following his neck near miss at Ascot, Uncle Mo colt took the tough Skidmore at Saratoga gate-to-wire.

SELECTIONS 8, 7, 10, 5, 14

Race 7) 1 Mile. (Turf)1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf presented by Coolmore America Grade I.
Purse $1,000,000 FOR COLTS AND GELDINGS, TWO-YEARS-OLD

Exacta / Trifecta / Superfecta / Pick 3 (Races 7-8-9) / Daily Double /Pick 4 (Races 7-8-9-10) /
Special DD (Race 7 Fri – Race 11 Sat) / Jackpot Super High Five
Post Time: ( 3:10)/ 2:10/ 1:10/12:10

11) Gretzky the Great (Casse/Gaffalione); enters om a 3-race win streak, the last a textbook closing effort to take the Grade 1 Summer Stakes at Woodbine; works are blistering.

6) Mutasaabeq (Pletcher/Saez); delivered as the race fave here in the G2 Bourbon as he broke slowly but rallied at the top of the stretch to put the field away; look for trainer Pletcher to have a solid weekend.

7) Fire At Will (Maker/Santana); got away with what can only be called “sundial” slow fractions in winning the G2 Pilgrim, won’t get that today but does have enough for exotics usage.

1) Sealiway (Rossi/Barzalona); owns a (6 4-1-1) race record, all against France’s top juveniles.

3) Abarta (Cox/Rispoli); up and down effort last out in the Bourbon has trainer Cox adding the shades for the first time, a 25 percent conditioning angle.

SELECTIONS: 11, 6, 7, 1, 3

Race 8) 1&1/16th Mile. Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Grade I. Purse $2,000,000
FOR FILLIES, TWO-YEARS-OLD.

Exacta / Trifecta / Superfecta / Pick 3 (Races 8-9-10) / Daily Double /
Special DD (Race 8 Fri – Race 10 Sat) / Jackpot Super High Five
Post Time: ( 3:50)/ 2:50/ 1:50/12:50

Going with a pair of longshots in this as we’re looking FOR a hot contested pace to take its toll on the obvious favorites.

Albaugh Family Stables daughter of Uncle Mo, Girl Daddy (5) fits the mold perfectly as she can sit just off the shoulders of the heat and close rapidly as demonstrated with her G2 Pocahontas victory; Crazy Beautiful (6) came from mush farther back to place in that contest.

The next three, Princess Noor (7), Dayoutoftheoffice (3) and Simply Ravishing (1) all have the skills to blow the field away, but you gotta take a shot sometime.

SELECTIONS: 6, 7, W/ 7, 3, 1

Race 9) 1 Mile. (Turf) Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Grade I. Purse $1,000,000
FOR FILLIES, TWO-YEARS-OLD

Exacta / Trifecta / Superfecta / Daily Double / Jackpot Super High Five
Post Time: ( 4:30)/ 3:30/ 2:30/ 1:30

2) Miss Amulet (Condon/Leparoux); since July when this Sir Prancelot filly broke her maiden she’s steadily been climbing the class ladder in both Ireland and Great Britain and with much success; Leparoux perfect fit for her North American debut.

3) Alda (Motion/Velazquez); after closing from well back, Munnings filly ducked out in the stretch to miss by less than a length in the Grade 1 Natalma; Johnny V returns to her saddle.

4) Plum Ali (Clement/Rosario); a perfect 3-for-3, her last the G2 Miss Grillo; trainer/jockey, 22 percent on the year.

5) Aunt Pearl (Cox/Geroux); winner of the Grade 2 Jessamine here last month; has led at every call in her two career starts; Cox here at Keeneland, 38 percent.

10) Campanelle (Ward/Dettori); followed up her Group 2 win at Ascot in the Queen Mary with an even stronger effort to take G1 Darley Prix; a must use in multi-race plays.

SELECTIONS: 2, 3, 4, 5, 10

Race 10) 1&1/16th Mile. TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance
Grade I. Purse $2,000,000 FOR COLTS AND GELDINGS, TWO-YEARS-OLD

Exacta / Trifecta / Superfecta / Special DD (Race 10 Fri – Race 12 Sat) / Jackpot Super High Five
Post Time: ( 5:15)/ 4:15/ 3:15/ 2:15

7) Jackie’s Warrior (Asmussen/Santana); back-to-back Grade 1 winner is a perfect 4-for-4. Colt out of Maclean’s Music has led at virtually every call and really has yet to be challenged; today’s game plan won’t change for this.

5) Essential Quality (Cox/Geoux); winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity here last month also has a perfect race record (2-for-2), and for this Tapit colt this is the test.

3) Reinvestment Risk (Brown/Ortiz, I.); don’t overlook this son of Upstart as he’s run behind Jackie’s Warrior in his last two; a heated stretch duel from the top two could open the door.

8) Classier (Baffert/Geroux); Empire Maker colt is but a maiden winner, but from this barn that means little; don’t be shocked.

11) Next (Ward/Corrales); drew away from first level allowance company here last month; worth a look.

SELECTIONS: 7, 5, 3, 8, 11