Breeders’ Cup Friday Multi-race Selections

By Ron Correll and Bob Hill —-

The selections that follows are the product of a collaboration between Ron Correll and Bob Hill. They are intended to inform players who are going to make multi-race wagers. Friday is presented as Futures Day as races involving two-year-olds highlight the racing card. Good luck to all.

Race 6 – BCJvTSp – G2 5-1/2 furlongs on turf for 2yos

Golden Pal (14) is the 8-5 ML favorite based upon his domination performance in the Skidmore at Saratoga back in August. Prior to that effort he was beaten a neck in the G2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. Obviously, he must be on your ticket unless you are willing to take a huge risk. Bodenheimer (10) won on the Keeneland grass a month ago when leading gate to wire. His only bad effort occurred on soft ground. The Second of July (13), Cowan (5), and After Five (9) are three that would benefit from a pace duel between the pair of top contenders. How deep you play should be a function of how good you think Golden Pal will be drawn to the far outside.

Race 7 – BCJuv Trf – G1 1 mile on turf for 2yos

We typically start our hunt for winners in BC turf races by looking at the Euros. In this case, Battleground (9) and New Mandate (2) appear to top the list. Both are G2 winners and have top trainer and jockey connections. Cadillac (5) is a third Euro G2 winner worth considering, and Sealiway (1) owns a G1 win at Longchamp. Todd Pletcher trainee Mutasaabeq (6) took to grass in a big way in his first try in winning the G2 Bourbon on this course last month and looks to be the top U. S. entry. Outadore (8) is 2 for 2 sprinting and stretches out to a mile for the first time. Gretzky the Great (11) is a highly successful Canadian-bred son of Nyquist trained by Mark Casse. Chad Brown sends out Public Sector (4).

Race 8 – BCJuVFil – G1 1-1/16 miles for 2yo fillies

Bob Baffert sends out the undefeated filly Princess Noor (7) at ML odds of 9-5. However, both Simply Ravishing (1) trained by Kenny McPeek and Dayoutoftheoffice (3) trained by Tim Hamm also sport spotless records and recorded a G1 victory. Simply Ravishing won at Keeneland on this BC course a month ago. Vequist (2) is another G1 winner in this field.

Race 9 – BCJvFiTf – G1 1 mile on turf for 2yo fillies

The Euro contingent in this race is not as deep as in its counterpart for male turfers. We, in fact, are starting out recommending a pair of U.S.-trained fillies. Plum Ali (4) is trained by Christophe Clement, someone we’d love to see win a BC race. This filly is undefeated. Aunt Pearl (5), trained by Brad Cox, also has won both lifetime starts, including a last out victory over the Keeneland turf course. Campanelle (10) looks to be the top Euro entry for Wesley Ward. She owns a G2 and a G1 win sprinting in Europe.

Race 10 – BCJuv – G1 1-1/16 miles for 2yos

Jackie’s Warrior (7) has been nothing but sensational in rolling to four straight wins. Any two-year-old that posts a 100 Beyer figure is laying down a marker of impending greatness. This Asmussen trainee looks like a single to us. If you want to get deeper we suggest that you take a look at Reinvestment Risk (3) and Essential Quality (5). The former has finished second two times behind Jackie’s Warrior but has not threatened to win. Essential Quality followed his maiden breaking win with a solid victory in the G1 Breeders’ Futurity on the Keeneland oval last month.