July 18
Road to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships Newsletter

Advisory: This is the third of 16 weekly news releases focusing on the horses and races leading to the 23rd^t Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Saturday, November 4 at Churchill Downs. For more information, please visit www.NTRA.com. Click on Breeders’ Cup icon. For a list of televised “Road to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships” races, click here. Official past performances of horses, highlighted in hyperlinks, are provided courtesy of Equibase Company. To track leading contenders to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, sign up for Equibase’s special Breeders’ Cup Virtual Stable™.

JOHN C. MABEE FROM DEL MAR AND COACHING CLUB AMERICAN OAKS FROM BELMONT HIGHLIGHT ESPN2 TELECAST SATURDAY

The $400,000 John C. Mabee Handicap for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar and the $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at Belmont Park (tape-delay) will be the highlights of Saturday’s one-hour ‘Road to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships – Powered by Dodge-’ telecast on ESPN2 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET

The John C. Mabee, formerly known as the Ramona Handicap, is an important test annually for the Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf Division and leading the list of probable/possible starters are Stronach Stable’s AMORAMA (FR), J. Paul Reddam and partners’ DANCING EDIE, Betty Currin’s MEMORETTE and Gary Tanaka’s HALLOWED DREAM (IRE).

Amorama is a 5-year-old mare by Sri Pekan and won last year’s renewal of the John C. Mabee for owners Marsha Naify and Woodside Stable and trainer Julio Canani. After finishing fourth in the Yellow Ribbon Invitational at Santa Anita in early October, Amorama was sold to Frank Stronach $1,050,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed sales and placed with trainer Bobby Frankel.

Amorama has run well to bring back a check in four stakes races in the east this year, most recently finishing fourth in the Cozy Blues Stakes at Belmont Park on June 17, beaten only a head for it all in a wild finish. In her next start after the John Mabee last year, she came back to finish a game second in the Palomar Handicap behind Frankel-trained Intercontinental, who would go on to victory in the Breeders’ Cup at Belmont Park.

Dancing Edie, a 4-year-old California-bred daughter of Moscow Ballet, trained by Craig Dollase, is racing into the top ranks of her division this year, finishing a close-up fourth in the CashCall Mile last out at Hollywood Park after a good runner-up performance in the Gamely Breeders’ Cup. Last summer, Dancing Edie broke her maiden over the Del Mar course and came back for a sharp third-place try in the Del Mar Oaks.

The Coaching Club American Oaks at 1¼ miles is one of America’s most prestigious events for 3-year-old fillies along with the Kentucky Oaks and was captured last year by Phipps Stable’s Smuggler on the way to an Eclipse Award season for trainer Shug McGaughey.

The Phipps colors will be prominent again in Saturday’s renewal with PINE ISLAND emerging as a potential star in the division after a solid second-place effort behind Bushfire in the Mother Goose Stakes three weeks ago. A homebred daughter of Arch, Pine Island was making just the third start of her career in the Mother Goose after winning her career debut on turf at Gulfstream Park in early March and an allowance on a ‘sloppy’ track at Aqueduct in early June.

Finishing fourth in the Mother Goose was Horton Stable’s LEMONS FOREVER, upset winner of the Kentucky Oaks at 47-to-1 in her previous start for trainer Dallas Stewart. The chestnut daughter of Lemon Drop Kid is a confirmed stretch runner and would appear to appreciate the longer distance of Saturday’s race.

Stronach Stable’s SUGAR SHAKE appears ready to take a big step up in the 3-year-old filly division as the homebred daughter of Awesome Again makes her stakes debut in the Coaching Club American Oaks. Trained by Bobby Frankel, Sugar Shake has finished on the board in all six of her starts and was very impressive winning her last two starts going one mile over the Belmont track.

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ROAD TO THE BREEDERS’ CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS                                   

A listing of the upcoming major stakes races this weekend:

ROAD TO THE BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC – POWERED BY DODGE

July 22 - $300,000 Dan Diego Handicap at Del Mar. Run at 1 1/16 miles for 3yos & up.

ROAD TO THE JOHN DEERE BREEDERS’ CUP TURF

July 22 – $200,000 Arlington Handicap at Arlington Park. Run at 1 ¼ miles on turf for 3yo & up.

July 22 – $250,000 American Derby at Arlington Park. Run at 1 3/16 miles on turf for 3-year-olds.

July 22 - $250,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Marathon at Calder. Run at two miles on turf for 3yos & up.

July 23 - $700,000 Northern Dancer Breeders’ Cup at Woodbine. Run at 1 ½ m. on turf for 3yo & up.

ROAD TO THE EMIRATES AIRLINE BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF

July 22 - $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park. Run at 1 ¼ miles for 3yo fillies.

ROAD TO THE NETJETS BREEDERS’ CUP MILE

July 23 - $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar. Run at 1 1/8 miles on turf for 3yos & up.

ROAD TO THE EMIRATES AIRLINE BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY & MARE TURF

July 22 - $400,000 John C. Mabee Handicap at Del Mar. Run at 1 1/8 miles on turf for fillies & mares.

July 22 - $150,000 Modesty Handicap at Arlington Park. Run at 1 3/16 miles on turf for fillies & mares.

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MAJOR STAKES RECAP                                                                               July 15-16

Note: Latest Breeders’ Cup World Championship Poll* results are listed at the end of each divisional section.

Road to the Breeders’ Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge – Jayeff B Stable’s AWFULLY SMART threw his name into the mix of 3-year-olds ready for the second half of the season as the roan/gray son of 1999 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Anees drew off in the stretch of Sunday’s Leonard Richards Stakes at Delaware Park to score by 5 ½ lengths under jockey Ramon Dominguez. Awfully Smart bounced back from a rough trip when sixth last out in the Spend a Buck Stakes at Monmouth Park. Winning trainer Alan Goldberg is based at the Colts Neck training center near Monmouth and the Leonard Richards victory likely earned him a berth in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth on Aug. 6.

Road to the Breeders’ Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge - Saturday’s Ohio Derby at Thistledown brought together several 3-year-olds that got attention this spring on the Triple Crown trail and are trying to get their ‘second-half’ seasons going on a high note. Joseph LaCombe, who campaigned 1997 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile hero and Horse of the Year Favorite Trick, was back in the spotlight early this year when DEPUTY GLITTERS won the Tampa Bay Derby over Bluegrass Cat in March, but the colt failed to make an impression finishing sixth in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, eighth behind Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby and 11^th last out in the Belmont Stakes. Trained by Tom Albertrani, Deputy Glitters drove to a hard-fought neck victory over Peachtree Stable’s 11-to-10 favorite HIGH COTTON in the 1 1/8 mile Ohio Derby with West Point Stable’s FLASHY BULL another 1 ½ lengths back in third in the field of six. High Cotton was taken out of Kentucky Derby consideration by trainer Todd Pletcher after the son of Dixie Union flopped in the Arkansas Derby, but came into Saturday’s race after subsequent victories in the Sir Barton Stakes on Preakness Day at Pimlico and the Northern Dancer Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs on June 17. While Deputy Glitters had Albertrani in the spotlight early in the season, the trainer made bigger headlines developing Darley Stable’s Bernardini to capture the Preakness Stakes. Flashy Bull finished a disappointing 14^th in the Kentucky Derby for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, but he had another promising 3-year-old in Shadwell Stable’s Jazil, who went on to win the Belmont Stakes.

Road to the Breeders’ Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge - Juddmonte Stable’s 3-year-old homebred LATENT HEAT was the 1-to-2 favorite against just four rival 3-year-olds in Saturday’s Long Branch Breeders’ Cup at Monmouth Park, the traditional local preview for the track’s centerpiece Haskell Invitational on Aug. 6. Trained by Bobby Frankel, Latent Heat was making just the fifth start of his career and took command early in the 1 1/16 mile test, but could not hold off a strong rally by Bobby Hurley and partners’ PRAYING FOR CASH, who ran by to score by 1¼ lengths over the favorite. Trained by Kelly Breen, Praying for Cash had finished second as the favorite in a tune-up for the Long Branch, but had a rough trip in that race. Purchased for $150,000 at the Keeneland April 2-year-old sales, Praying for Cash is a son of Songandaprayer, who won major stakes for Hurley, a former Duke University All-American and NBA player. Praying for Cash and Latent Heat are likely to have rematch in the Haskell. Latent Heat, a son of Maria’s Mon, finished third behind Brother Derek in the Santa Catalina Stakes at Santa Anita in early March and won his only start since then in a Belmont Park allowance on June 24. (Latest BCWC Poll Classic division results below)

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