The 29th Breeders’ Cup World Championships released their lists of pre-entered horses Wednesday for the 15 races worth $25 million to be run at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Ca., and 18 Florida-breds make the agenda. There will be six Breeder’s Cup races run on Friday, Nov. 2 and nine Breeders’ Cup races run on Saturday Nov. 3. A total of 180 horses were pre-entered.
Several of the races have multiple Florida-breds entered including the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in which four of the 14 older horses entered were bred in the Sunshine State. They include Brilliant Speed, bred by Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Stud of Ocala; Flat Out, bred by Nikolaus Bock of Naperville, Ill.; Mucho Macho Man, bred by John D. and Carole Rio of Ocala; and Ron the Greek, bred by Jack T. Hammer of Miami, Beach. Also entered in the Classic is To Honor and Serve, who was bred in Kentucky but is owned by Weber’s Live Oak Plantation, also in Ocala.
The Classic will be run at 1-1/4 miles on the main track and will for the first time be televised live and in prime time on NBC from 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET. The other Breeders’ Cup races will be televised live by the NBC Sports Network.
Another race filled with Florida equine natives is the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) to be run on turf. Four Florida-breds have pre-entered the Mile including Doubles Partner, bred by the late Arthur I. Appleton; Jeranimo, bred by Brylynn Farms, owned by Joe and Phyllis Bryant along with their daughter Toni Jones; Little Mike, bred by Carlo E. Vaccarezza of Parkland; and Turbo Compressor, bred by Linda Appleton Potter’s Bridlewood Farm in Ocala.
Both Little Mike and Turbo Compressor have been cross-entered in the $3,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at 1-1/2 miles on the grass. Little Mike has given first preference to the Mile while Turbo Compressor is expected to go into the Turf. Both races will be run on the Saturday program.
Florida breeders and fans will also have their eyes on the $1 million Breeder’s Cup Turf Sprint (G1) on Saturday and the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) to be run on Friday’s card, in which both races have three Florida-breds pre-entered.
Among the Florida-breds in the Turf Sprint are Bridgetown, bred by Eugene Melnyk who owns Winding Oaks Farm in Ocala; Chosen Miracle, bred by Adena Springs; and Great Attack, bred by Edward Seltzer of Williston and Murray Durst of Hollywood Fla.
Carrying the Florida flag into the Filly and Mare Sprint is defending champion Musical Romance, bred by Ocala Stud; Belle of the Hall, bred by Leon Edward and Do Little Farm; and Turbulent Descent, also bred by Ocala Stud.
Other Florida-breds pre-entered Wednesday are Coil in the $1,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) by bred Leonard Lavin’s Glen Hill Farm in Ocala; Awesome Feather in the $2,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic from the breeding program of Fred Brei and his Jacks or Better Farm in Ocala; Speak Logistics in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) bred by Vernon Heath’s Centaur Farms Inc., in Bloomington Minn.; and Merit Man in the $500,000 Juvenile Sprint, who was bred by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds in Ocala and Stephen Barberino of Bristol, Conn.
Photo Benoit
