2016 Breeders Cup Classic

[Man o Taz]

Potential field:

American Freedom?
Arrogate
Beholder
California Chrome
Comfort
Dortmund
Effinex
Exaggerator
Frosted
Gun Runner
Hoppertunity
Melatonin
Mubtaahij
Nyquist
Samraat
Shaman Ghost

Wouldn't it  be great if the BC Classic for once had an also eligible list...just a thought...

If Mubtaahij wins the JCGC, does Frosted get entered in the Dirt Mile? I hope not.

[afleetphil]

And Songbird beats them all.

[stark]

Wouldn't it  be great if the BC Classic for once had an also eligible list...just a thought...

Not if I were the connections living in Kentucky or New York trying to make shipping plans for my horse and travel plans for my 20 closest relatives, I'd like something a little more than AE after my name.   

[curtis]

And Songbird beats them all.

I hope a lot of people believe that, too.  My exacta in the Distaff will be so much the better.

[stark]

Does Pletcher not have a runner?

[peeptoad]

Does Pletcher not have a runner?

He has no older horses left... (joking, but close to the truth). Stanford and Mshawish were retired a few months ago,weren't they? Those are  the only older male horses of Pletcher's I can think of right now.  And not sure what's going on with his 3yos, but aside from Arrogate the 3yos may not even factor into the Classic this year.

[stark]

I hope a lot of people believe that, too.  My exacta in the Distaff will be so much the better.

Brad Free ‏@BradFree1 
Songbird 5-2 fav, Beholder 3-1 second choice Distaff early odds by Daily Racing Form. Full DRF coverage 2016 Breeders' Cup begins this week.

[Senator L]

I think after the PA Derby Nyquist will be in the conversation for BC classsic
We will know after the weekend

[Raven]

Brad Free ‏@BradFree1 
Songbird 5-2 fav, Beholder 3-1 second choice Distaff early odds by Daily Racing Form. Full DRF coverage 2016 Breeders' Cup begins this week.

the morning line reflects the track bias,wich is speed
Having said that,Beholder is the better bet IMO

[stark]

Comments by Jay Privman, odds by Mike Watchmaker

California Chrome   Art Sherman   113-111-NA   5-2   Awesome Again, SA, Oct. 1   
Best horse in the world crushed top-class runners in Pacific Classic

Arrogate   Bob Baffert   122-99-103   4-1   Breeders' Cup Classic, SA, Nov. 5   
Freakish win in Travers. Will train up to Classic, a la American Pharoah

Frosted   Kiaran McLaughlin   105-107-123   6-1   BC Dirt Mile Nov. 4 or BC Classic Nov. 5   
Brilliant when at his best, and think his best is at a mile, not 1 1/4 miles

Nyquist   Doug O'Neill   94-96-103   8-1   Pennsylvania Derby, PRX, Saturday   
Derby winner looking to get back in win column after two losses

Melatonin   David Hofmans   108-104-107   10-1   Breeders' Cup Classic, SA, Nov. 5
Setbacks now force him to come up to Classic following lengthy layoff

Dortmund   Bob Baffert   103-110-103   12-1   Awesome Again, SA, Oct. 1   
Will try Chrome third straight time; think Dirt Mile best BC option

Exaggerator   Keith Desormeaux   74-101-83   12-1   Pennsylvania Derby, PRX, Saturday   
Ran poorly in Travers but has run well at Santa Anita, on both dry and in slop

Shaman Ghost   Jimmy Jerkens   106-94-99   15-1   Jockey Club Gold Cup, BEL, Oct. 8   
Game win in Woodward over Mubtaahij, Frosted; wants all of 1 1/4m

Effinex   Jimmy Jerkens   103-104-92   20-1   Jockey Club Gold Cup, BEL, Oct. 8   
Last year's Classic runner-up was only a moderate fourth in Whitney

Hoppertunity   Bob Baffert   102-105-NA   20-1   Awesome Again Oct. 1 or JC Gold Cup Oct. 8   
Long-fused runner a cut below Chrome but always picks up a piece

AE: Mubtaahij, Beholder, Gun Runner, Watershed, Bradester

[stark]

[Man o Taz]

Does Pletcher not have a runner?

He has Comfort who was an impressive 2nd in the Whitney skipping the Woodward and won the Seattle Slew Stakes at Belmont two weeks ago en route to the Jockey Club Gold Cup which he has yet to win and Destin if he wants to try him, I guess.

Comments by Jay Privman, odds by Mike Watchmaker

California Chrome   Art Sherman   113-111-NA   5-2   Awesome Again, SA, Oct. 1   
Best horse in the world crushed top-class runners in Pacific Classic

Arrogate   Bob Baffert   122-99-103   4-1   Breeders' Cup Classic, SA, Nov. 5   
Freakish win in Travers. Will train up to Classic, a la American Pharoah

Frosted   Kiaran McLaughlin   105-107-123   6-1   BC Dirt Mile Nov. 4 or BC Classic Nov. 5   
Brilliant when at his best, and think his best is at a mile, not 1 1/4 miles

Nyquist   Doug O'Neill   94-96-103   8-1   Pennsylvania Derby, PRX, Saturday   
Derby winner looking to get back in win column after two losses

Melatonin   David Hofmans   108-104-107   10-1   Breeders' Cup Classic, SA, Nov. 5
Setbacks now force him to come up to Classic following lengthy layoff

Dortmund   Bob Baffert   103-110-103   12-1   Awesome Again, SA, Oct. 1   
Will try Chrome third straight time; think Dirt Mile best BC option

Exaggerator   Keith Desormeaux   74-101-83   12-1   Pennsylvania Derby, PRX, Saturday   
Ran poorly in Travers but has run well at Santa Anita, on both dry and in slop

Shaman Ghost   Jimmy Jerkens   106-94-99   15-1   Jockey Club Gold Cup, BEL, Oct. 8   
Game win in Woodward over Mubtaahij, Frosted; wants all of 1 1/4m

Effinex   Jimmy Jerkens   103-104-92   20-1   Jockey Club Gold Cup, BEL, Oct. 8   
Last year's Classic runner-up was only a moderate fourth in Whitney

Hoppertunity   Bob Baffert   102-105-NA   20-1   Awesome Again Oct. 1 or JC Gold Cup Oct. 8   
Long-fused runner a cut below Chrome but always picks up a piece

AE: Mubtaahij, Beholder, Gun Runner, Watershed, Bradester

Jay should know Bradester is pointed to the Dirt Mile. Has been all year. Samraat is another entry he could think of. And Exaggerator should be given more serious consideration with his 3 G1 wins at 9 furlongs or more.

[stark]

Jay should know Bradester is pointed to the Dirt Mile. Has been all year.

Sometimes owners make better calls than the trainers, ie the Stephen Foster in June so we'll have to wait and see.....

Bradester earned an expenses-paid berth into the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita, but trainer Eddie Kenneally said he was unsure whether that 1 1/4-mile race will be an eventual goal.

"He'd never won at a mile and an eighth before," said Kenneally. "We're going to take this a day at a time and enjoy it."

Right up until entries were taken Wednesday, Kenneally wasn't sure Bradester would even run in the Foster.

"We weren't sure whether to enter or not," he said, but Sutton "encouraged me to go ahead. The horse had been training so well, and it was right here. It was a great call by Joe."

[curtis]

Jay should know Bradester is pointed to the Dirt Mile. Has been all year. Samraat is another entry he could think of. And Exaggerator should be given more serious consideration with his 3 G1 wins at 9 furlongs or more.

Bradester is actually on the Dirt Mile list, he's listed at 8-1.  As Stark has alluded, the owners may want to take a chance in the Classic.  It doesn't sound as if they have necessarily been pointing towards the Dirt Mile all year.

I think Exaggerator is where he should be at 12-1.  There will be plenty of speed to set up his run but he may not get the right trip as he may have to go pretty wide in a big field.  Also, the speed won't drop away as readily as it has in those restricted races, especially those he's been winning in the slop.

[CA_Chrome]

The thing about Chrome is a lot of people seem to underestimate him even with his outstanding record. This year he has been geared down or ridden out in all his races except the San Diego Hcp, so his final times are misleading even when highly rated. But we have not seen the bottom of this horse yet, and pros like Gary Stevens have said as much.

If Victor had let him run all the way in the Pacific Classic, for example, Chrome easily could have run somewhere under 2:00. He ran the 2nd fastest time in the storied history of the Santa Anita Derby, carried 130 pounds in a Dubai hcp, and won the Dubai World Cup in track record time with a saddle slipped all the way over his rump. He's won from 4 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/14 miles, on synthetic, dirt and grass. Chrome is a versatile, handy sort who can stalk the pace or make the pace.

Chrome is looking absolutely magnificent these days. If all continues to go well with him, Chrome will take some beating in the BCC.