Breeders' Cup Classic

Olympiad Retired to Gainesway

Olympiad (Speightstown--Tokyo Time, by Medaglia d'Oro), a five-time graded stakes winner, led by the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S., and most recently second in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, has been retired to Gainesway Farm. The $700,000 Keeneland September graduate will stand for an advertised fee of $35,000 LFSN. One of North America's top older males of 2022, Olympiad posted eight wins in 13 career starts for earnings of $3,027,560 for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and owners Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stables and LNJ Foxwoods. Olympiad's year started...

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Breeders' Cup Classic Six-Furlong Time Adjusted

Saturday's GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic won by Flightline (Tapit) has officially had its six-furlong split adjusted to a corrected time of 1:09.27 after the sensor was tripped early by an outrider heading to assist Epicenter (Not This Time), who was pulled up on the Keeneland backstretch with a condylar fracture to his right front. The official statement, jointly released by Equibase and Keeneland, reads as follows: During the running of the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 5, 2022, at Keeneland, the timing eye for the three-quarter fraction...

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Epicenter Stable, Expected to Recover Fully for Stallion Career

Trainer Steve Asmussen reported Sunday that leading 3-year-old Epicenter (Not This Time), who was pulled up on the backstretch of Saturday's GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, had two screws inserted to stabilize a fracture in his condylar joint and is expected to make a full recovery for his future stallion career. "Epicenter had a lateral condylar fracture of his right front," Asmussen said in a statement. "This morning, Dr. Larry Bramlage inserted two screws to stabilize the injury and the horse is up and resting in his stall. After surgery,...

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Please Don't Retire This Horse

"We need a hero," owner Kosta Hronis said, overcome with emotion standing in the winner's circle following the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, where Flightline (Tapit) ran one of the greatest races in the long history of the sport. "We need a champion," he continued. "We need an undefeated horse. Someone who can go out and do this and that's Flightline." In those four short sentences Hronis captured the moment, the sentiment and all the reasons why Flightline needs to be brought back for a 2023 campaign. It's because the sport...

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Flightline Soars in Classic For the Ages

LEXINGTON, KY - You can add horse of a lifetime to the superlatives now, too. Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit) ran to his already unworldly reputation, and, dare we say, even more, with a spectacular 8 1/4-length victory in Saturday's $6-million GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland. Olympiad (Speightstown) and fellow 'Rising Star' Taiba (Gun Runner) filled out the minors. "A great win today. He just ran beautiful; just like we thought he could," said winning trainer John Sadler, who previously put to bed an 0-for-44 mark at the...

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Breeders' Cup Weekend Ready for Take-Off!

LEXINGTON, KY - Led by unbeaten sensation Flightline (Tapit), the 39th Breeders' Cup World Championships--consisting of 14 races with purses and awards totaling more than $31 million-- return to Keeneland for a third time with a two-day run beginning Friday. Sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s--does it get any better than that?--are expected for the 'Future Stars Friday' program. Cave Rock (Arrogate) will put his unbeaten mark on the line for Bob Baffert in the Juvenile while Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke) headlines a wide-open renewal of the Juvenile Fillies....

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Thursday's Breeders' Cup Report: Flightline Kickstarts Star-Studded Morning

LEXINGTON, KY - With Keeneland's illuminated grandstand apron already beginning to fill up, Breeders' Cup weekend's main attraction Flightline (Tapit) once again kickstarted training hours with another spirited 1 1/4-mile gallop just after 6 a.m. After having a quarter crack patched on Wednesday, fellow Classic runner and future Airdie stallion Happy Saver (Super Saver) returned to the track for light training shortly thereafter. The Steve Asmussen-trained duo of Gunite (Gun Runner) (Dirt Mile) and champion sprinter Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) made a big impression beneath the lights as temperatures hovered...

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All You Need to Know About the Breeders' Cup Saturday Card

Breeders' Cup action continues at Keeneland Saturday with nine Championship races. The TDN staff provides detailed previews of each of those events in our special Breeders' Cup Saturday edition. Click here for all you need to know. Saturday's program includes the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf, GI Breeders' Cup Maker's Mark F/M Turf, GI Breeders' Cup Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile, GI Breeders' Cup FanDuel Mile, GI Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint, GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint and GI Breeders'...

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Wednesday's Breeders' Cup Report: Early Morning Flight

LEXINGTON, KY - DL689 wasn't the only flight taking off shortly after 6:00 a.m. in Lexington on a brisk Wednesday morning. Just as that Atlanta-bound, Delta aircraft loudly announced its presence across the way at Blue Grass Airport--you really couldn't have scripted it any better--unbeaten superstar Flightline (Tapit) was one of the first horses to train as the Keeneland main track opened for business beneath the lights. Under a snug hold and plenty eager to do more, the 3-5 GI Breeders' Cup Classic morning-line favorite was every bit as advertised,...

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Juan Leyva in Full Flight for Breeders' Cup

LEXINGTON, KY - Juan Leyva has a first-class 'Flight' for this year's Championships. The assistant trainer to John Sadler and former Breeders' Cup winning-jockey is the regular morning partner of unbeaten sensation and 3-5 Classic morning-line favorite Flightline (Tapit). The highest-rated racehorse in the world has won his first five starts by an astounding combined margin of 62 3/4 lengths, led by a jaw-dropping 19 1/4-length win while making his two-turn debut in the GI Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Getting the monster that is Flightline to harness some of...

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Breeders' Cup Announces New 'Classic Pick 'Em' Contest

The Breeders' Cup has created a new "Classic Pick 'Em" Contest in which fans will have a chance to compete for a $10,000 grand prize by selecting their pick to win the 2022 GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Saturday, Nov. 5. The contest will allow fans to select one horse to win the Classic, with the winner of the $10,000 cash prize to be randomly selected from among those who choose the correct horse. Additional winners will be selected for a $5,000 and $2,500 prize. "We're always looking to engage...

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Unbeaten Flightline Tabbed as 3-5 Favorite for Breeders' Cup Classic

LEXINGTON, KY -- With University of Kentucky men's basketball head coach John Calipari pulling the pills, unbeaten superstar Flightline (Tapit) drew post four for Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Classic to a round of applause during Monday's Rood & Riddle Post Position Draw held at the home of the Wildcats at Rupp Arena in downtown Lexington. The 3-5 morning-line favorite will meet seven rivals in the $6-million centerpiece at Keeneland, including the talented Life Is Good (Into Mischief) (post two) and top 3-year-olds Epicenter (Not This Time) (post six), Taiba (Gun...

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