Breeders' Cup Win and You're In

The contingent behind MGISW Got Stormy (Get Stormy) has been carefully monitoring the weather this week as the 6-year-old turf specialist prepares for her third appearance in Saratoga's GI Fourstardave H. Possible scattered overnight thunderstorms leading up to Saturday's card could soften the turf more than the fan-favorite mare would prefer. "For a horse named Got Stormy, she doesn't like much rain," her recently inducted Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said. "If the turf gets soft on Saturday, a mile is stretching her distance ability. We'll see what happens,...

Sent off the 12-5 second favorite while facing his elders in Saturday's GI Bing Crosby S., a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint over course and distance in November, Dr. Schivel (Violence) jumped fairly from an outside gate and was outsprinted through the early stages, covering favored C Z Rocket (City Zip) from the second flight. Beginning to warm up to the task three-eighths out, Dr. Schivel was flushed four wide outside of Eight Rings (Empire Maker) into the lane, was put to a left-handed...

Godolphin's once-beaten Maxfield (Street Sense) tuned up for next Saturday's GI Whitney S. at Saratoga Saturday morning, breezing a five-eighths of a mile in 1.01.61 (16/34) before turning in a strong gallop out. Working in the company of the commonly owned Churchill maiden winner Business Model (Candy Ride {Arg}), Maxfield covered his opening quarter-mile in :24 3/5 and the half in :48 2/5 and pulled up six furlongs in a shade over 1:13, according to trainer Brendan Walsh. "I just wanted the company to take him to the wire," Walsh...

St. George Stable LLC's Letruska (Super Saver) has proven near invincible since turning five and will try to add her sixth graded victory in Saturday's GII Fleur De Lis S. at Churchill Downs, a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar this fall. Winner of last summer's nine-furlong GIII Suvee S., the bay later kicked off a two-race win skein when taking Gulfstream's GIII Rampart S. Dec. 12 before adding the Jan. 31 GIII Houston Ladies Classic S. A desperate head behind GI...

Japan stages a pair of 'all-star' races each season, the G1 Takarazuka Kinen in early summer and the G1 Arima Kinen at year's end, giving fans a chance to vote for their favourite runners. The last four runnings of these events have been won by females--Lys Gracieux (Jpn) completed the double in 2019, while Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) repeated the feat last year. The latter, who scored by six lengths last June, is back to defend her title in the final top-level test of the first half of the...

Cannon Thoroughbreds' Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute), narrowly beaten in three previous attempts at the top level, earned an automatic berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile with a wire-to-wire victory in the GI Shoemaker Mile S. Monday at Santa Anita. Sent off at 3-5, the bay colt broke alertly and took the early lead under his own steam. He hugged the rail while pressed by Restrainedvengeance (Hold Me Back) and Whisper Not (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}) and the top trio separated themselves from the rest of the field through...

Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) put her stamp on the G1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo on Sunday, a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. The 2020 Japanese Champion Sprinter/Miler was winning her fifth Group 1 race when drawing off to win by four lengths over the good to firm ground. Bet down to 30 cents on the dollar, Gran Alegria perched in midfield as Christie (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) set a demanding tempo. Beginning to make inroads toward the front inside the final...

Having run with credit when fourth trying the 2000-metres for the first time in the G1 Osaka Hai last month, champion Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) returns to a much more manageable trip as the warm favourite for the G1 Victoria Mile at the Fuchu Racecourse in Tokyo. The race serves as a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar in November. After taking down the colours of 2020 Victoria Mile heroine and former Horse of the Year Almond...

Group 1 racing action returns to Japan with Tokyo's G1 February S., a 'Win and You're In' event for the Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be held at Del Mar this fall. Heading the 16-horse field is Café Pharoah (Jpn) (American Pharoah), who aired by 10 lengths in an 1800-meter maiden race at Nakayama in December 2019 before reeling off three consecutive wins, including Tokyo's G3 Unicorn S. (1600m) last June. Favored in the 2000-meter G1 Japan Dirt Derby at NAR-Oi in July, he finished an even seventh over the...

The 2021 Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Challenge Series races will be run without Lasix, it was announced Wednesday. Breeders' Cup officials also revealed that graded stakes points for the purposes of selection by committee into a Breeders' Cup race will only be awarded for graded races that are contested Lasix-free. Horses that raced on the 'Future Stars Friday' program of the 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships were forbidden from running on Lasix, in addition to a large number of juvenile races across the country over the course of...

Making just the fourth start of his career, Cool Day (Arg) (John F Kennedy {Ire}) came with a daring late dash up the rail to upset Saturday's G1 Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini, earning a spot in the field for the 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Turf in the process. Pinball Wizard (Arg) (Orpen), the narrow second betting favorite, photoed American-raced Village King (Arg) (Campanologist) to earn place honors. Guided down to the inside to save ground down the long San Isidro backstretch, Cool Day raced with about three or four behind...

Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) repeated her 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy debut victory with a record-setting success in Keeneland's GII J.P. Morgan Chase Jessamine S., a "Win and You're In" event for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf S. at this oval Nov. 6. Running the field off their feet from the start, the 280,000gns TATOCT purchase graduated by five lengths going a mile on the lawn at Churchill Downs Sept. 1. She was hammered down to 3-2 favoritism to repeat in this black-type bow. Taking up her...