Breeders’ Cup Classic Contenders – The 2011 Field Is Shaping Up

By Author: Lee Lane-Edgar
Total Articles: 365
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Now that summer has progressed a bit and some important handicap races such as the Pacific Classic, Travers, and Philip Iselin Stakes have been run, it is time to evaluate Breeders’ Cup Classic contenders once again, and to see how the pecking order has shifted, if at all.
Acclamation showed that he is certainly a talented animal on both grass and polytrack, when he nosed out the hard luck Twirling Candy in the Grade 1, $1 million TVG Pacific Classic on August 28th. As part of the “Win and You’re In” program, he earned an automatic spot in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs. Most of his success had come on the turf and often turf horses are able to transfer their form to one of the synthetic surfaces fairly well, but sometimes have less luck adapting to natural dirt. His connections are therefore understandably reluctant to try him in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and his co-owner even said that they were more inclined to enter him in a grass race on Breeders’ Cup day rather than the Classic. We will have to wait and see.
Pacific Classic runner up Twirling Candy has had ...
... his second tough beat in as many months. He finished third in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup in July, losing by no more than a neck to First Dude and Game on Dude. In the Pacific Classic, Acclamation beat him fair and square as he had enough to hold off the hard charging Twirling Candy, who again lost out on the chance at a Grade 1 win by a neck.
Bob Baffert trains the fourth place finisher Game on Dude, who also won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap earlier this year, but has yet to map out a schedule for his charge. He did say that he came out of the race in good shape, however.
Stay Thirsty showed that he is definitely at or near the top of the three year old division with his 1 1/4 length win in the 1 ¼ Travers Stakes last Saturday. He does need to step up and beat older horses, and he needs to improve off the 101 Beyer Speed Figure assigned to his victory.
And of course Tizway, winner of the Grade 1, Whitney Invitational must still be considered as one of the top prospects for the Breeders’ Cup. He owns the second highest Beyer Speed Figure for races run on dirt over one mile with the 111 figure he earned for his dominant Whitney score. He will make his next start in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont, which is run at 1 ¼ miles on October 1st.
Whitney runner up Flat Out owns a 113 Beyer figure for his Suburban win and a 106 for his runner up effort to Tizway in the Whitney, so he has certainly showed that he is among the faster handicap horses in the division today.
Check back frequently at HorseRaceGame.com for more updates on Breeders’ Cup Classic 2011 contenders as we get closer to horse racing’s main event.
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