CANDIDATES APLENTY IN BREEDERS' CUP ROCK HARD TEN OUT; HORSE OF THE YEAR TITLE COULD BE DECIDED TODAY.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer ELMONT, N.Y. - Rock Hard Ten has dropped out of 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. because of a new foot problem, reducing the possibilities for today's end game in the Horse of the Year competition from infinite to infinite-minus-one. The bad news for fans of the Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during winner came down late Friday morning, forcing adjustments for horseplayers pondering the eight-race 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. card at Belmont Park Noun 1. Belmont Park - a racetrack for thoroughbred racing in Elmont on Long Island; site of the Belmont Stakes Belmont Elmont - a town on Long Island in New York; site of Belmont Park that still features such conceivable national champions as Saint Liam Saint Liam (April 13, 2000 - August 22, 2006) was an American thoroughbred racehorse who was voted 2005 Eclipse Award Horse of the Year honors. Sired by Saint Ballado out of the dam Quiet Dance, by Quiet American, Saint Liam was unraced as a two-year-old. and Borrego in the $4 million Classic and streaking Lost in the Fog Lost in the Fog (February 4, 2002 - September 17, 2006) was an American thoroughbred race horse. Bred by Susan Seper and born in Florida, the Fog's sire was Lost Soldier (sire so far of 10 stakes winners), a son of Danzig (himself the son of Northern Dancer ranked at #43 by The in the $1 million Sprint, Leroidesanimaux in the $1.5 million Mile and Shakespeare in the $2 million Turf. ``It's very disappointing, but I've trained horses long enough to know that once you get over the (shock), it's almost a relief when you find (an injury),'' said Richard Mandella Richard Mandella (born November 5, 1950 in Beaumont, California) is a Thoroughbred horse trainer and a member of the Racing Hall of Fame. Mandella's father, a blacksmith, introduced him to horses at an early age and while still in high school he began breaking and training , Rock Hard Ten's trainer. Mandella said he spotted blood on the back of the colt's right forefoot forefoot /fore·foot/ (-foot) 1. one of the front feet of a quadruped. 2. the fore part of the foot. after a gallop Friday morning and found that the ``frog'' - the soft shock absorber shock absorber, device for reducing the effect of a sudden shock by the dissipation of the shock's energy. On an automobile, springs and shock absorbers are mounted between the wheels and the frame. between the two parts of a horse's heel - had peeled away. For a week, Mandella had been fretting over a bruise under Rock Hard Ten's left forefoot. The old injury was no longer a problem, the Hall of Fame trainer said, but might be related to the new one. In favoring the left foot, he said, the horse could have done damage to the right. Although Rock Hard Ten should be out of training for only a week or two, racing today on the tender foot would risk serious damage, Mandella told reporters, hence Mandella's relief. ``Now I have to hope they race him again next year and we get another shot at (the Breeders' Cup),'' Mandella said of the 4-year-old's owners, Ernie Moody and Madeleine Pickens. Mandella mused that the bad luck might be cosmic payback for the good fortune he enjoyed when he won four Breeders' Cup races - including Pleasantly Perfect's Classic - in the 2003 event at the trainer's home base of Santa Anita Santa Anita may refer to:
``I may be paying for that day for years,'' Mandella said. Rock Hard Ten and jockey Gary Stevens
streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" compiled entirely at Santa Anita. Rock Hard Ten had been listed as the 7-2 second choice to Saint Liam (3-1) on the Belmont Park morning line. A new morning line issued Friday afternoon has Saint Liam at 2-1, Borrego 3-1 and Starcraft - the X factor supplemented to the Classic for $800,000 by his Australian owner - moved into the top 3 at 8-1. Thirteen horses remain in the 1 1/4-mile race. The Classic, the final race of Breeders' Cup day, is the key to the Horse of the Year campaign that will be settled by an end-of-the-year vote by racing writers and executives. New York-based Saint Liam (Jerry Bailey riding), winner of the Donn and Stephen Foster handicaps and Woodward Stakes The Woodward Stakes is a Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, William Woodward, Sr., it is run at 1⅛ miles (1811 m) on the dirt for a purse of $500,000. , would virtually lock up Horse of the Year with a victory today. California-based Borrego (Garrett Gomez), who woke up to win the Pacific Classic at Del Mar and the Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers , would make a strong case with a victory. ``It seems to me he's got more confidence (since the Del Mar victory),'' trainer Beau Greeley III said. ``He knows what winning is now.'' Rock Hard Ten certainly could have been Horse of the Year if he were able to race today. Practically any other result in the Classic - barring an overwhelming performance - could open the Horse of the Year door to other candidates. The leader in the clubhouse is Afleet Alex, who won the Preakness (overcoming a near fall at the top of the stretch) and Belmont Stakes but is still sidelined with an early summer injury. Outside the usual Horse of the Year candidates pool of 3-year-olds-and- up with victories in the Triple Crown races or major handicaps, Lost in the Fog is the most obvious runner today with a chance to earn votes by winning impressively. Lost in the Fog, a 3-year-old out of the Bay Area, has been the most talked-about horse here because of trainer Greg Gilchrist's and owner Harry Aleo's unusual decision to skip the Triple Crown trail and keep the colt undefeated in 10 career races at the sprint distances. Chaos in the Classic and defeat for Lost in the Fog in the $1 million Sprint could even create a Horse of the Year opportunity for such non- traditional candidates as Bobby Frankel-trained Leroidesanimaux (``King of the Animals''), seeking his ninth consecutive victory and fourth this year in the $1.5 million Mile on turf, and Bill Mott's Shakespeare, unbeaten in five career starts as he enters the $2 million Turf. At Belmont Park, whose three previous turns as Breeders' Cup host brought highs like Cigar's 1995 victory and the low of Go for Wand's 1990 breakdown, weather is expected to warm up to the low 50s today under partly cloudy skies. Kevin Modesti, (818) 713-3616 heymodesti(at)aol.com BREEDERS' CUP VIEWER'S GUIDE By Kevin Modesti Belmont Park, Elmont, N.Y. 8 races starting at 10:20 a.m. PDT PDT abbr. Pacific Daylight Time PDT Pacific Daylight Time PDT n abbr (US) (= Pacific Daylight Time) → hora de verano del Pacífico PDT TV: Ch. 4 JUVENILE FILLIES Post: 10:20 a.m. Vitals vi·tals pl.n. 1. The vital body organs. 2. The parts that are essential to continued functioning, as of a system. : $1,060,000 purse; 2-year-old fillies; 1 1/16 miles, starting on backstretch back·stretch n. The part of an oval racecourse farthest from the spectators and opposite the homestretch. of Belmont Park's 1 1/2-mile main track. Event record: 1:41.49, Tempera tempera (tĕm`pərə), painting method in which finely ground pigment is mixed with a solidifying base such as albumen, fig sap, or thin glue. , 2001 (Belmont). What to look for: Although several winners of this race have run close to the early pace, no filly has led from wire to wire, so the game is in the homestretch home·stretch n. 1. The portion of a racetrack from the last turn to the finish line. 2. Informal The final stages of an undertaking. Noun 1. . Folklore (No. 1), the favorite ridden by Edgar Prado, goes longer than 7 furlongs for the first time. Modesti's pick: Folklore JUVENILE Post: 10:55 a.m. Vitals: $1,590,000 purse; 2-year-old colts and geldings; 1 1/16 miles, starting on backstretch. Event record: 1:41.47, Favorite Trick, 1997 (Hollywood Park). What to look for: Whoever wins, especially if it's 4-for-4 First Samurai (No. 9) with jockey Jerry Bailey, will become the early favorite for the 2006 Kentucky Derby. That's not necessarily desirable, since no Juvenile winner has won the Derby. Modesti's pick: Stevie Wonderboy FILLY & MARE TURF Post: 11:35 a.m. Vitals: $1,060,000 purse; Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up; 1 1/4 miles on turf, starting on homestretch of infield grass course. Event record: 1:59.13, Islington, 2003 (Santa Anita). What to look for: It would be historic if England-based Ouija Board (No. 13) won with Bailey, becoming the Breeders' Cup's seventh repeat winner. It would be fun if Megahertz One million cycles per second. See MHz. MegaHertz - (MHz) Millions of cycles per second. The unit of frequency used to measure the clock rate of modern digital logic, including microprocessors. and Alex Solis won with one of the tiny mare's last-to-first rallies. Modesti's pick: Karen's Caper SPRINT Post: 12:10 p.m. Vitals: $1 million purse; 3-year-olds and up; 6 furlongs, starting on backstretch. Event record: 1:07.77, Kona Gold, 2000 (Churchill Downs) What to look for: Anything less than a burst to the early lead and a dominant victory for Lost in the Fog (No. 7) and Russell Baze will disappoint the many fans of the Bay Area 3-year-old who's seeking an 11-for-11 record and Horse of the Year votes. Modesti's pick: Lost in the Fog MILE Post: 12:45 p.m. Vitals: $2,025,000 purse; 3-year-olds and up; 1 mile on turf, starting in chute at head of backstretch on grass course. Event record: 1:32.05, Val Royal, 2001 (Belmont). What to look for: Leroidesanimaux (No. 11), seeking his ninth victory in a row, will have to work a little harder with jockey John Velazquez from an outside post to get his usual front-of-the-pack position. A late cavalry charge is typical for this race. Modesti's pick: Leroidesanimaux DISTAFF distaff: see spinning. distaff Device used in hand spinning in which individual fibres are drawn out of a mass of prepared fibres held on a stick (the distaff), twisted together to form a continuous strand, and wound on a second stick (the spindle). Post: 1:20 p.m. Vitals: $2 million purse; Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up; 1 1/8 miles, starting on backstretch. Event record: 1:46.15, Inside Information, 1995 (Belmont). What to look for: This could be one of several battles between the two jockeys with the strongest Breeders' Cup hands today, Velazquez (riding favored No. 3 Ashado close to the pace) and Jerry Bailey (riding No. 12 Sweet Symphony from mid-pack). Modesti's pick: Happy Ticket TURF Post: 1:55 p.m. Vitals: $2,280,000 purse; 3-year-olds and up; 1 1/2 miles on turf, starting on homestretch of grass course. Event record: 2:23.92, Chief Bearhart, 1997 (Hollywood Park). What to look for: No. 4 Better Talk Now and Ramon Dominguez will have help from a ``rabbit'' in No. 1 Shake the Bank, a 99-1 shot who'll try to heat up the pace to the detriment of favored No. 7 Shakespeare (Bailey) and others. Modesti's pick: English Channel CLASSIC Post: 2:35 p.m. Vitals: $4,680,000 purse; 3-year-olds and up; 1 1/4 miles, starting on first turn. Event record: 1:59.02, Ghostzapper, 2004 (Lone Star Park Lone Star Park is a horse racing track located in Grand Prairie, Texas. History Lone Star Park opened in 1997. The track offers separate meets for Thoroughbred racing and Quarter Horse racing. In October of 2002, Magna Entertainment Corp. ). What to look for: After the scratch of Rock Hard Ten on Friday, favored No. 13 Saint Liam (Bailey) moves inward one slot to post 12, still far enough outside to risk losing ground in a race that begins on a turn because of Belmont's configuration. Modesti's pick: Borrego CAPTION(S): photo, 3 boxes Photo: An injured foot has taken Rock Hard Ten out of today's Breeders' Cup, says trainer Richard Mandella, but it opens the competition for Horse of the Year among several other contenders. Ed Betz/Associated Press Box: (1) BREEDERS' CUP (2) BOB IKE'S BREEDERS' CUP HANDICAP (3) BREEDERS' CUP VIEWER'S GUIDE (see text) |
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