1st & 2nd November 2019

Author: Jordan Yates

Images: Jordan Yates

Friday

A big welcome to my Breeders Cup Preview for 2019 where I’ll start off with a taking a look at Friday’s action which is focused on the Juveniles. The first race I’m taking a look at is the Juvenile Turf Sprint and the one I like here is the Simon Crisford trained A’ALI. He’s a three-time Group 2 winner this season and Frankie Dettori has a 100% winning record when aboard. The chief dangers look to be Kimari and Four Wheel Danger who look to set a strong standard at the top of the betting for the home challenge.

The next race I’m taking a look at is the Juvenile Turf which is set to take place at 20:52 on Friday. I’m siding with the market leader on this occasion which comes in the form of ARIZONA for Aidan O’Brien. He won the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier in the season and has since gone on to post several respectable efforts in Group 1 company, with the last two occasions finishing in the frame behind Pinatubo. He sets a very solid standard here and if turning up in the same consistent level of form he’s very much the one to beat.

Concluding the action on Friday for my preview will be the Juvenile Filles’ Turf taking place at 22:12. It’s another European challenger I like the look of here and that comes in the form of the Jessica Harrington trained ALBIGNA who’s set to be ridden by Shane Foley. She won a Group 1 very impressively on her latest outing in France and despite a slight blip on her penultimate outing has looked an extremely smart filly. If turning up in the same form we saw her in at Longchamp on Arc Day I make her very tough to beat. She does have some smart sorts in opposition, the stand out of these looks to be Roger Varian’s Daahyeh who was a Group 2 winner on her latest outing.

Saturday

Moving onto Saturday and the first race I’m going to look at is the Filly & Mare Turf. This race involves possibly my strongest fancy of the meeting and that’s the Chad Brown trained SISTERCHARLIE who’s sits very strongly at the top of the betting. She’s a prolific winner that won this race last year and looks very tough to beat here, she’s only been beaten once in eight outings since being under Chad Brown and that was by a head. There’s a whole host of European challengers that could emerge as danger with the likes of Iridessa and Fleeting looking the most likely of these.

The second race for me on Saturday is the Breeders Cup Mile and it’s a European contender that does it for me here and that’s Aidan O’Bien’s CIRCUS MAXIMUS. He sets the standard here for me, and a pretty solid one at that having already won two Group 1’s over this distance this season alone winning the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and also the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp. He was also second behind Too Darn Hot in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood. If turning up in that kind of form here I think his tough nature could prove very difficult to get the better of.

Moving on now to the Breeders Cup Turf and this is a race that the European’s generally do quite well in and I think that trend will continue with Charlie Appleby’s OLD PERSIAN sporting the famous Godolphin silks. He’s no stranger to globe-trotting and was last seen when winning a Group 1 at Woodbine the last day and he also claimed top-level success in Meydan earlier in the year. He doesn’t always put in his best performance but if he is on a going day he’s very much a player. Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck looks a big player here for Aidan O’Brien, and the favourite Bricks and Mortar should be bang there for the home challenge.

The final race of the Breeders Cup and my preview, of course, comes in the form of the Breeders Cup Classic. My fancy in the race is the Bob Baffert trained MCKINZIE who currently sits prominently in the betting and is a very smart sort on his day. He’s certainly not the most straight forward horse as he showed when flopping in the race last year when going off the 7/2 favourite however he does have very strong form at this track and has proven when on a going day he is very much up to this level. He’s only been out of the top two once and if turning up in form a bold showing would be no surprise.