BC NOTEBOOK: Distaff, Classic ~ Final Fields
 

9th (4:35) Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1)

1 1/8 Miles | Fillies and Mares | 3 Year Olds And Up Stakes | Purse: $2,000,000

1 Songbird Smith M E 121 L
2 Land Over Sea Gutierrez Mario 121 L
3 Curalina Velazquez J R 124 L
4 Corona Del Inca (ARG) Falero P G 124 FTL
5 Stellar Wind Espinoza V 124 L
6 Forever Unbridled Rosario J 124 L
7 I'm a Chatterbox Geroux F 124 L
8 Beholder Stevens G L 124 L

That is a beautiful thing. Is it the best Distaff field ever?

12th (5:35) Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)

1 1/4 Miles | Open | 3 Year Olds And Up Stakes | Purse: $6,000,000

1 Effinex Prat F 126 L
2 Frosted Rosario J 126 L
3 Keen Ice Castellano J J 126 L
4 California Chrome Espinoza V 126 L
5 Win the Space Stevens G L 126 L
6 Melatonin Talamo J 126 L
7 War Story Spieth S 126 L
8 Shaman Ghost Ortiz I Jr 126 L
9 Hoppertunity Velazquez J R 126 L
10 Arrogate Smith M E 122 L

1988:
Personal Ensign: Hempstead, Shuvee, Whitney, Maskette, Beldame
Winning Colors: Santa Anita Oaks, Santa Anita Derby, Kentucky Derby
Goodbye Halo: Las Virgenes, Kentucky Oaks, Mother Goose, CCA Oaks
Hail a Cab: Spinster
Sham Say: Ruffian
Classic Crown: Gazelle
Willa On The Move: Ashland
Epitome: 1987 Eclipse Champion 2yo Filly
Integra: A Gleam, Hawthorne

Huge huge fan of Corona Del Inca big shot here.

I don't go back that far but I respect your opinion on the history based upon your prior postings here.

The 1999 and 1993 runnings were strong, too. As was the 2008, though it was run on a synthetic course. Actually, the race is usually pretty strong. Last year's race ironically seemed very mediocre.

That said, if the field listed here would be the one to ultimately start, I think it would be the only time that each Distaff entrant had a Grade or Group 1 win to their credit in the same year.

One of the big ones ain't gonna make it. My prediction is Songbird.

Cavorting

Cavorting out of Breeders' Cup; likely to be retired

Three-time Grade 1 winning filly Cavorting has bruising of the cannon bones and will not run in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said Thursday.

McLaughlin said he expects the filly will be retired by her owners, Stonestreet Stable.

"This might be the best filly I ever trained so it's hard to make this announcement," McLaughlin said.

Cavorting, a daughter of Bernardini, was pointing to the BC Distaff coming off wins in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign and Grade 1 Ogden Phipps. At 3, she won the Grade 1 Test.

Cavorting retires with a record of 8-1-1 from 13 lifetime starts and career earnings of $2,063,000.

Was there an excuse given as to why she didn't start in either the Beldame or the Spinster?

Beholder ...... off her last two

My work blocks drf, so I can't see that story, but Stonestreet posted she's been diagnosed with bone bruising. Assuming that's why she wasn't running anywhere.

She could obviously get hurt, but otherwise.. Why?

Career ending injury.. Has done enough...wait for it...Bone bruise.

I wonder if will get the she retired sound and always raced sound statement.

I am not a vet but I wonder if Bone Bruising or alleged bone bruising can heal with 120 days of RR? Imagine if one of the best fillies Kiaran ever trained if not the best was permitted to recoup and come back as a mare?

Just me being a pessimist and seeing too many phantom injuries in the past when the competition comes up this tough. Someone has to back out of this deal...just seems too good to be true.

Jay Privman: Arrogate among Cup workers Tuesday

Arrogate, preparing for the Breeders' Cup Classic, was one of several Breeders' Cup prospects who worked at Santa Anita on Tuesday, along with By the Moon and Gloryzapper, both of whom are preparing for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and Holy Lute, whose next stop is the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint .

Arrogate worked in company with the comebacking Mor Spirit and received a final time of 1:24.40 from Santa Anita's clockers. As usual, Rafael Bejarano was aboard for the work -- Mike Smith has the mount in the Breeders' Cup -- and Arrogate had Mor Spirit as a target. They broke off together at about the 6 1/2-furlong pole, and Mor Spirit opened up a lead of about three lengths near the half-mile pole and close to five at the top of the stretch, but then Arrogate closed with a rush to be even with Mor Spirit at the wire before galloping out one mile in 1:37.80.

Arrogate came all the way around the right way before Bejarano finally turned him around at the eighth pole, where trainer Bob Baffert had gone to talk to Bejarano after watching the work from the stands.

"Muy bueno," Bejarano said to Baffert.

"He turned around with a bounce. That's good," Baffert said.

Baffert said he has Arrogate go off at a steady pace initially in his works because "I don't want him breaking off rank.

"I want him to get something strong out of it. I work him in company because if he goes by himself he doesn't get enough out of it," Baffert said. "He's a big, long-jumping thing, isn't he? He needs a full mile and a quarter."

That, not coincidentally, is the distance over which Arrogate won the Travers, and over which he will compete in the Classic against the likes of California Chrome.

Mor Spirit, who has not raced since finishing 10th in the Kentucky Derby, was given a final time of 1:24.60. He was ridden by Martin Garcia.

The last sentence of the previous post........it appears Martin Garcia is back on BB's good side.
I imagine he'll start showing up on some of his horses in the afternoon.

Steve Anderson reported it Sunday:

Trainer Baffert, jockey Garcia together again after six-month break
By Steve Andersen

ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Martin Garcia, who have teamed to win Grade 1 races such as the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Santa Anita Derby, and Los Alamitos Futurity the last two years, are working together after a break of nearly six months.

Garcia worked horses for Baffert at Santa Anita on Sunday for the first time since April. The two parted ways because of differences in the spring, after having formed a partnership in recent seasons that saw Garcia frequently work and ride Baffert’s leading runners.

Baffert said on Sunday that Garcia approached him at the end of the Del Mar summer meeting last month about helping his stable. He said his relationship with the rider “was getting a little sour” last spring.

“At the end of Del Mar, he came to talk,” Baffert said. “To me, I’ve always had the Quarter Horse thing where one guy works for me. He’s been wanting to help work horses. He’s helped me to win some big races.”

In Quarter Horse racing, jockeys are often closely allied with individual stables. Garcia, who turns 32 on Oct. 23, rode the Baffert-trained Collected to a win in the Racing Festival Stakes at Sunland Park in March, their most recent stakes win together.

In recent seasons for Baffert, Garcia won such Grade 1 races as the 2014 Los Alamitos Derby and 2015 Santa Anita Derby with Dortmund, and the 2014 BC Classic with Bayern. Baffert said that riders such as Rafael Bejarano and Stewart Elliott will continue to work horses for him as they have in recent months, but said change was needed and that Garcia will be part of the stable’s ongoing structure.

Thanks....
Good for Garcia,he seems to fit those Baffert horses well.