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Racing News |
Three Breeders’ Cup Challenge Races at Ascot Tomorrow
25/09/09
A glittering card at Ascot tomorrow (Saturday) includes no less than three Breeders’ Cup Challenge races for which the winners will receive a guaranteed place at the World Thoroughbred Championships at Santa Anita on November 6 and 7.
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The winner of Saturday’s Group One Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile at Ascot receives a place in the $1 million (US) Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf, while the Group Two Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes winner automatically qualifies for the $1 million (US) Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita, an option trainer Brian Meehan is keen to take up with Timely Jazz.
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge is an international series of 63 races whose winners earn qualifying positions into a corresponding race at the World Championships, following the payment of applicable entry fees on October 26.
There are 11 Challenge races held in Europe this year, with three still to take place after Ascot’s September 26 fixture - the Group Three Diamond Stakes at Dundalk on October 2 (winner earns a place in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon), Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp on October 4 (winner receives a place in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint) and the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes at Newmarket on October 17, for which the victor is guaranteed a place in the Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf.
For the full schedule of the Breeders' Cup Challenge races, please visit http://www.breederscup.com/content.aspx?id=40070
Timely Jazz goes to Ascot on the back of a close fourth behind fellow Juddmonte Royal Lodge contender Vale Of York in a seven-furlong Listed contest at Goodwood on September 8. The Noverre colt had previously landed a Polytrack maiden by five lengths at Wolverhampton on August 17 and was a half-length second to leading Classic prospect Elusive Pimpernel at Newmarket’s July Festival.
He is owned by US-based Joe Allbritton, who is no stranger to big race success in his homeland, having seen his Lazy Lane Farm colours carried to victory in the 1991 Preakness and Belmont Stakes by Hansel.
Meehan reported: “Timely Jazz is grand and he’s in great form at the moment. He won his maiden nicely at Wolverhampton and has come out of his run at Goodwood in good order. He goes into the Royal Lodge Stakes with a real chance and he should run very well on Saturday.
“We will of course have to consider Santa Anita if he wins at Ascot - you always have to be tempted by the Breeders’ Cup. He’s a grand horse and I think he could be a very good colt.”
Meehan will also be represented at Ascot by his 2006 Breeders’ Cup Turf hero Red Rocks, who runs in Sunday’s Group Three Grosvenor Casinos Cumberland Lodge Stakes.
The six-year-old is set to bid for a fourth consecutive appearance in the $3 million (US) Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf, having been also third to English Channel at Monmouth Park in 2008 and 10th behind Conduit at Santa Anita last year, when in the care of Mark Hennig.
He returned to Meehan’s famous Manton stable following a pair of lacklustre efforts at Gulfstream Park and Nad Al Sheba, but his handler is hopeful that the Paul Reddam-owned son of Galileo can return to the sort of form that saw him defeat Curlin in last year’s Grade One Man O’War Stakes.
Meehan revealed: “We rested Red Rocks up and have just been getting him ready to get back to a racecourse.
“I would be reasonably confident that we can get him back to his best. He’s one of those horses who has always been full of class and he has been working well at home.
“We will see how he goes on his racecourse return before deciding where to go with him but the Breeders’ Cup Turf is certainly an option for him at the moment.”
Red Rocks also holds an entry in the final European race of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge, the Group One Emirates Airline Champion Stakes at Newmarket on October 17, when he could be joined by stable companions City Leader and another Paul Reddam-owned horse, Crowded House. The winner of the 10-furlong contest automatically qualifies for the $3 million (US) Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf.
City Leader, a half-brother to 1996 Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion Lit De Justice, chased home subsequent Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Raven’s Pass in the Group Three Solario Stakes at Sandown in September, 2007, before going on to land the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes later the same month. The four-year-old Fasliyev colt made a pleasing seasonal return at Newbury on September 18, coming home fourth in the Group Three Arc Trial.
Three-year-old Crowded House was runner-up to Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Donativum in a lucrative sales race at Newmarket last October and was crowned champion juvenile following a stunning three and a half-length success in the Group One Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster at the end of the same month.
On his latest appearance, the son of Rainbow Quest was sixth behind Sea The Stars in the Group One Investec Derby at Epsom on June 6.
Meehan added: “We will play it by ear with City Leader and Crowded House. I thought that City Leader ran very well on his first start for nearly a year and we will keep our plans fluid for Crowded House - we want to give him plenty of time.
“The Breeders’ Cup is a long way off for both of them at the moment but we will see nearer the time.”
O’BRIEN MAKING SANTA ANITA PLANS
Runaway Group One Sussex Stakes winner Rip Van Winkle looks set to start a warm favourite for Saturday’s Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot and trainer Aidan O’Brien is considering running the Galileo colt in the $5 million (US) Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“It’s all up in the air but obviously Rip Van Winkle will be looking at the Classic if he goes OK on Saturday and is alright afterwards, and Mastercraftsman will also be in the mix for that race as well,” O’Brien told the At The Races television channel.
“For the Juvenile, a horse called Viscount Nelson that ran in the Group Two Champagne Stakes at Doncaster is a possible, while we might look at the Breeders’ Cup Marathon with Septimus if everything is well with him. Then we have the likes of Roman Express, with whom we might look at one of the fillies’ races. We think and hope we’ll have a few to take out to Santa Anita.”
About Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup administers the Breeders' Cup World Championships; Thoroughbred racing's year-end Championships consisting of 14 races and $25.5 million in purses, which makes it the richest event in sports. At last year's Breeders' Cup, more than $100 million in winning wagers were returned to fans at betting locations around the globe. The Breeders' Cup also administers the Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifying series, and the Breeders' Cup Stakes Program. Breeders' Cup has offices in Lexington, Kentucky, and in New York City. Breeders' Cup press releases appear on the Breeders' Cup Web site, www.breederscup.com. You may follow the Breeders' Cup on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BreedersCup
