Results tagged “Breeders' Cup” from The Sports Desk

Hope you'll have a chance to check out the on-line package we've put together to preview the Breeders' Cup horse races at Santa Anita on Friday and Saturday. (Click here.) There are guides to Breeders' Cup history, to Santa Anita itself, and to betting on the races -- of interest to racing fans and beginners. It's part of Breeders' Cup coverage that will include daily feature stories, news and betting tips from Art Wilson and me. Expanded coverage on Thursday will contain detailed looks at the 14 Breeders' Cup races and your first glimpse at handicapper Bob Ike's opinions on who's going to win.

It's the only sure thing in this year's Breeders' Cup: A star horse was bound to miss the Oct. 24-25 event at Santa Anita, and writers were bound to wring their hands in sympathy over the latest blow to the sport's marketing efforts.

Big Brown hurt himself in a workout in New York this morning, and though the injury doesn't sound serious, it's enough to knock the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner out of a hoped-for showdown with 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Oct. 25. Disappointing.

The first updated Classic odds I've seen come from William Hill, the Ireland-based bookmaker. In the new prices, California fans will note the juicy odds on local major-race winners Colonel John, Go Between, Well Armed and Mast Track.

Curlin 9-4
Henrythenavigator 9-2
Casino Drive 7-1
Duke of Marmalade 7-1
Colonel John 8-1
Go Between 8-1
Ravens Pass 10-1
Well Armed 12-1
Mambo in Seattle 16-1
Mast Track 40-1

Curlin's odds drop from 3-1, reflecting the withdrawal of Big Brown, who was 4-1. Henrythenavigator, Duke of Marmalade and Ravens Pass are European stars. Well Armed, winner of the recent Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita, could go in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile instead of the Classic.

I'm at Santa Anita, waiting with something less than breathless anticipation for the arrival of Curlin, the 2007 Horse of the Year who is supposed to get in this evening after winning Saturday's Jockey Club Gold Cup in New York. Curlin's owners haven't committed to running him in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 25 at Santa Anita because they aren't sure what to make of the Arcadia track's new synthetic oval. But sending him here, to train on the track and see if he likes the footing, is a big step toward making the Classic a titanic Curlin-Big Brown showdown.

I'm been covering the horses this weekend while our racing writer Art Wilson is away. Saturday was a blast, with six Grade I races at Santa Anita and five on TV from Belmont Park. Writing my story, I was reminded of Red Smith's assertion that there are more stories at the racetrack than anywhere else in sports.

A lot can change in the nearly four weeks before the Breeders' Cup. But with Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown aiming for the Classic, international No. 1 Curlin getting closer to a commitment, and Zenyatta 8 for 8 after her Santa Anita prep for the Oct. 24 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic, the world's richest sports event appears to be lining up the stars it wants.

Update: Curlin arrived at Santa Anita at 5:05 p.m. Sunday, walking down a ramp from a big silver trailer, his bay coat shining in the sun, etc. He looked great considering he'd run a hard race Saturday to win the Jockey Club Gold Cup. This is the world's No. 1-ranked thoroughbred, so for racing fans it's the equivalent of the best in any sport coming to town. The half-dozen photographers on hand were racetrack veterans. Said one: "I haven't been this excited since John Henry," referring to the champion of the early 1980s.