BREEDERS' CUP CAN STAND ON ITS OWN.Byline: KEVIN MODESTI Ten years ago, the last time the Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I thoroughbred horse races operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982 by a consortium of North American racing organizations, led by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. graced Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may be several places:
One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. . As Ferdinand and Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Shoemaker was born in the town of Fabens, Texas. At 2. edged Alysheba and Chris McCarron Christopher John "Chris" McCarron (b. March 27 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame retired jockey. He was introduced to the sport of thoroughbred racing by his older brother, jockey Gregg McCarron. in the Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade 1 Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 years old and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles (2012 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. , announcer Tom Durkin Tom Durkin (b. 1950/1) is an American sportscaster and public address announcer specializing in Thoroughbred horse racing. A native of Chicago, he studied drama at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. exclaimed in a memorable call, ``The two Derby winners hit the wire together!'' The Kentucky Derby was still the horse race by which all others were measured. In racing, much has changed in a decade, and one difference is that the Breeders' Cup has matured into an event that stands on its own merits. The Derby has lost none of its romance. But for most of the horsemen and horseplayers who will flock to Hollywood Park in the next week for the seven-race, $11 million program on Saturday, the Breeders' Cup is the event of the 12-month season. ``The Breeders' Cup is what got me interested in thoroughbred racing,'' said Bob Baffert Bob Baffert (born January 13, 1953 in Nogales, Arizona) is an American horse owner and trainer. He graduated from the University of Arizona's Racetrack Management Program with a Bachelor of Science degree. , the former quarterhorse trainer who plans to enter five horses - two in the $1 million Juvenile, two in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies and one in the $1 million Mile. ``Looking at the Derby, I thought, `What's the chance of me getting a horse in the Derby?' Not every horse can be a Derby horse, but any horse can be a Breeders' Cup horse.'' That's because the Derby is a single race restricted to 3-year-olds, while the Breeders' Cup includes races for both genders, all ages, and sprint, route and turf specialists. Ironically, the chances of Baffert getting a horse in the Derby were pretty good. His Cavonnier finished a close second in 1996, and his Silver Charm Silver Charm (born February 22 1994) is an American Champion Thoroughbred race horse. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Gary Stevens, Silver Charm won the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes before falling short of the Triple Crown by placing second in the Belmont won the race last May. But he also trained Thirty Slews to win the $1 million Sprint at the '92 Breeders' Cup in Florida, and said the excitement was the same. ``It's like championship playoffs,'' Baffert said of the Breeders' Cup, which will be held for the 14th time Saturday. ``When we look at (young horses up for auction), we're thinking about the Breeders' Cup first, the Derby second.'' There are good reasons to rate the Breeders' Cup over the Derby: Quality: The Derby is a crapshoot, the Breeders' Cup is an Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. . Nearly two-thirds of Breeders' Cup winners have been voted Eclipse Awards in their divisions at year's end, while less than half the Derby winners in the same span have been so honored. Louisville: The Breeders' Cup requires a visit only once every three or four years. The Derby is there every year. The Breeders' Cup has produced more great moments since its debut - at Hollywood Park in '84 - than the Derby has in the same time: Sunday Silence's final duel with Easy Goer Easy Goer (1986-1994) was an American thoroughbred racehorse, famous for conquering the champion Sunday Silence in the 1989 Belmont Stakes by 8 lengths. The victory deprived Sunday Silence of the Triple Crown. It was also the second fastest Belmont after Secretariat's. in '89; trainer D. Wayne Lukas' 1-2-3 finish in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies in '88; the great Miesque's back-to-back Mile victories in '87 and '88; Arazi's sensational Juvenile in '91; Arcangues' $269.20 Classic shocker shock·er n. One that startles, shocks, or horrifies, as a sensational story or novel. Noun 1. shocker - a shockingly bad person bad person - a person who does harm to others 2. in '93; Personal Ensign's 13th straight victory in '88; Cigar's 11th straight in '95; jockey Lester Piggott's return to glory in '90; Alysheba's Classic in the gloaming in '88; and that Ferdinand-Alysheba finish in '87. Of course, the Breeders' Cup has an unfair advantage, seven times as many opportunities to make a splash. But more is better in more ways than one. The Derby is six months of anticipation for a little over two minutes of action. At Churchill Downs, fans start arriving early in the morning, beating the traffic. With nearly an hour between races, it's a long wait for the 5:30 p.m. Derby. The Breeders' Cup is a more enjoyable day. The nerves coming early, shaking your binoculars and making a blur of the first race. The pace of the afternoon is accelerated to accommodate TV, and by the time the Classic horses go into the starting gate the sensory overload is almost numbing. Whether this year's Classic will make memories remains to be seen. The infirmities of Gentlemen and Formal Gold have deprived the $4 million race of two favorites. In the Breeders' Cup, where quality counts, this was a double blow. The most accomplished horse still in Saturday's Classic is Skip Away, but two-thirds of his supplemental nominating fee remains unpaid and he isn't scheduled to fly west until Wednesday. If something happens to him, the race is among 3-year-olds Touch Gold, Behrens and Deputy Commander. A horseman at Hollywood Park called it the ``Breeders' Cup Derby.'' He didn't mean it as a compliment. JUVENILE FILLIES One in a daily series of previews for the seven Breeders' Cup races at Hollywood Park on Saturday. Conditions: The Juvenile Fillies is a 1 1/16-mile race on the dirt track for the world's best 2-year-old fillies. The winner collects $520,000 of the $1 million guaranteed purse. Each horse carries 119 pounds. Favorites: Countess Diana (a winner of four of five starts in Kentucky, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and Maryland) would be the public choice if betting were held today. Silver Maiden (5 for 5 in Illinois and New York) dropped out Friday because of a virus. Hometown horses: Vivid Angel, the Del Mar Debutante and Oak Leaf winner for trainer Bob Baffert, leads a local brigade that includes California-bred Career Collection and D. Wayne Lukas-trained Love Lock. The field and starting posts will be announced Wednesday. History: The first running of the Juvenile Fillies is still the most memorable. At Hollywood Park on Nov. 10, 1984, 74-1 Fran's Valentine and jockey Pat Valenzuela were disqualified dis·qual·i·fy tr.v. dis·qual·i·fied, dis·qual·i·fy·ing, dis·qual·i·fies 1. a. To render unqualified or unfit. b. To declare unqualified or ineligible. 2. from first place to 10th for bumping Pirate's Glow and Fernando Toro Toro may refer to:
Fastest running: 1:42 2/5, won by My Flag, Belmont Park, 1995 (muddy track). Handicapper hand·i·cap·per n. Sports & Games 1. One who assigns handicaps. 2. One who predicts the winners in a horserace, especially one who publishes such predictions as a guide for bettors. Noun 1. helper: Since its wild debut, the Juvenile Fillies has been formful, with the typical winner paying less than 5-2 odds. Seven of the 13 winners ran their prep races in New York, and 12 won or finished second in their preps. Only one winner led from gate to wire, and nine winners rallied from sixth or farther back. Lukas has trained three winners, Twilight Ridge ('85), Open Mind ('88) and Flanders ('94). The Juvenile Fillies is scheduled as Saturday's second race (and first Breeders' Cup race), at 10:55 a.m. Other Breeders' Cup races: $1 million Sprint, 3rd, 11:30; $1 million Distaff, 4th, 12:05 p.m.; $1 million Mile, 5th, 12:40; $1 million Juvenile, 6th, 1:15; $2 million Turf, 7th, 1:50; $4 million Classic, 8th, 2:35. Channel 4 coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. CAPTION(S): Box BOX: JUVENILE FILLIES (see text) |
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