Breeder's Cup WeBLOG

The results of the two most significant Breeders’ Cup prep races on “Super Saturday” were as expected … the brilliant three-year-old BERNARDINI won the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park under wraps and Santa Anita Handicap/Hollywood Gold Cup/Pacific Classic hero LAVA MAN was victorious in the G2 Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Oak Tree Santa Anita in their final tune-ups for the BC Classic on November 4 at Churchill Downs.


Not surprisingly, those two maintained the top two spots in the Classic division of the latest NTRA Breeders’ Cup World Championships polls. BERNARDINI tops the list with 148 points to 131 for LAVA MAN. The Uruguayan champion INVASOR (ARG), who sat out the Jockey Club Gold Cup after spiking a fever about 10 days ago, is third with 116 points. Those three are the only horse on the list with triple-digit totals, as SUN KING holds third at 73 and doubtful starter DISCREET CAT sits fourth at 72.


BERNARDINI is definitely in the “driver’s seat” based on the ease of his JCGC victory. It was essentially an “afternoon workout” for the Darley Stable flag-bearer as he cruised to a seven-length win under a motionless Javier Castellano, increasing his margin convincingly down the stretch after taking the lead approaching the stretch.


Trainer Tom Albertrani was definitely pleased with what he saw, saying, “That was exactly what I was hoping for. I’ve got a fresh horse for the Breeders’ Cup now. He does things so easily, I don’t know if anyone can give him the kind of race where he has to fight.”


As for LAVA MAN, a horse I am definitely rooting for, I did not come away as impressed with his win in Oak Tree’s Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap as I did with the BERNARDINI win. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it seemed like jockey Corey Nakatani has to stay a little busier on LAVA MAN than I expected him to after throwing those first two “crosses” when LAVA MAN hit the top of the lane. Granted, LAVA MAN shouldered the high weight in the race at 126 and he set a pressured pace of :23 1/5, :46 4/5, and 1:10 3/5, then pulled away from the field through a mile in 1:34 3/5 and a final time of 1:48 for 9F over a fast Arcadia oval. Doug O’Neill, who trains LAVA MAN for STD Racing Stable & Jason Wood, said, “This horse just keeps running big races. I’ll have to dissect this one, but it sure seemed like he ran as good a race as he ever has.”


"LAVA MAN ships (to Kentucky) Tuesday morning on Tex Sutton," O'Neill said Monday morning at Santa Anita. "He'll go to Keeneland, then we'll figure out when we'll send him over to Churchill. The game plan is to train him at Keeneland as long as we can."

    
Keeneland began its meet Friday and unveiled the synthetic surface, Polytrack, on its main track. O'Neill is based at Hollywood Park, which recently completed installation of a similar synthetic surface, Cushion Track.


LAVA MAN, winner of seven consecutive stakes, is winless outside of California. His two most disappointing efforts came in Japan and New York. "I think we definitely do have something to prove," O'Neill said about winning outside of Southern California. "We definitely think we can do it. It's not like we're being bull-headed and going about the BC Classic the exact same way we went about the Jockey Club Gold Cup last year. We're going to do things different this year. He'll be back in Kentucky in ample time and he seems like he's as good as he's ever been, too, so it seems like a good time to tackle that challenge of running out of state. We're excited. We think he's got a big, big chance, obviously."


Almost forgotten in the wake of the “Super Saturday” victories by BERNARDINI and LAVA MAN is the #3 horse in the BC Classic poll, INVASOR (ARG). His recent health issue certainly complicated the situation for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who now plans to train his horse up to the BC Classic without another prep race. Further clouding the situation … the fact that INVASOR (ARG) would have to be supplemented to the BC Classic at a cost of $750,000!