Key events

25m ago

FILLY & MARE TURF RESULT: KATHYNMARISSA DOMINANT AS BLUE BOLT FADES

1h ago

DIRT MILE RESULT: FURTHER ADO BY A NOSE

2h ago

TURF SPRINT RESULT: BACIO SCORCHES TO VICTORY FOR WARD

2h ago

FILLY & MARE SPRINT RESULT: FAVOURITE FINDS A WAY

3h ago

Preamble

19.42 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Grade One, 6f

But before we get to the Mile, there’s another hot favourite looming on the horizon in the shape of Englishman, in the Sprint on the dirt.

Cherie DeVaux’s three-year-old has won three of his four starts this season including a dominant success in the H Allen Jerkens Memorial over seven furlongs at Saratoga last time.

The second-pick in the betting is the Japanese-trained T O Elvis, the winner of his last five starts but not seen out since an impressive success at Churchill Downs in May.

And there’s also an interesting outsider on an upward curve in Peter Miller’s Liam Smith, who has emerged via claimers but posted a very impressive time when successful at Santa Anita last time.

Saturday is not unfolding as European racing fans might have hoped so far, but Notable Speech is up next in the Mile in two races’ time while the Turf will surely go to a visitor – it’s just a question of which one.

Looping back to the Turf Sprint earlier on the card, Bacio is syndicate-owned and Wesley Ward was particularly pleased about that as his daughter-in-law, Caitlin, helped to keep Bacio in his yard when offers came in for him earlier in his career.

double quotation markThere was a lot to the whole story behind him, to me getting him, and then once he started winning, me keeping him. He was a sought after horse, a lot of people were coming in. My daughter-in-law brought me one of the greatest gifts ever, my grandson, Killian, and she put an ownership group together with MyRacehorse in order to keep him here in our stable.

It’s so nice to have thousands of owners in this horse and win the Breeders’ Cup, it’s going to really help our sport.

A big let down for the Europeans, neither Blue Bolt nor Precise was ever travelling with purpose and both were beaten before the final turn. Well done to County Kildare-based Willie McCreery though – his 25-1 outsider Jancis came through to finish third, and best of the Euro runners.

Kathynmarissa was sent off at 5-1 on the local tote, but there was 7-1 and 8-1 on offer with British firms beforehand.

1. KATHYNMARISSA (Jose Ortiz), 2. Gimme A Nother, 3. Jancis. 12 ran.

Kathynmarissa lands the spoils, Precise and Blue Bolt both soundly beaten.

Into the turn, it’s still Classic Q, Precise looks beaten, now Gimme A Nother goes on with a furlong to run …

But here’s Kathynmarissa, she’s making rapid ground and she’s going to get there …

Down the back, Classic Q still leads, Precise under a slight drive, Blue Bolt makes a move three wide …

Classic Q turns first, Precise three wide in mid-division and Blue Bolt has three behind her

Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf!

The favourites are having a high old time of it so far at this year’s Breeders’ Cup and the local punters clearly see no reason to change a winning formula. Blue Bolt is now evens, despite her wide draw and the slight question mark over her stamina.

Latest betting: Filly & Mare Turf

6-5 Blue Bolt 7-2 Precise 5-1 Kathynmarissa 9-1 Gimme A Nother 18-1 Classic Q 25-1 bar

Pace map: Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf

Turf races tend to be run at a steadier pace than on the dirt and there is likely to be only moderate pressure on the lead. Both Blue Bolt and Precise are drawn wide, however, and it is quite possible that one or both will end up stuck wide.

Classic Q, on the other hand, should get a perfect trip either on the lead or just behind the pace and Mark Casse’s runner is my idea of the each-way value in the race if you’re taking the current 33-1 with a British bookie.

19.04 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Grade One, 1m 1½f

Back to the turf now for what is, from a Eurocentric point-of-view, a fascinating head-to-head between Precise and Blue Bolt, although it could be a little unwise to ignore the US-trained challenge entirely.

Blue Bolt needs little introduction, having won all six of her starts this season including four Group Ones, with Precise among the beaten runners in three of those.

That list includes the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket in July, when Precise was a couple of lengths away in second.

This is their first meeting at a trip beyond a mile, however, and while Blue Bolt’s stamina has yet to be tested, Precise was an excellent second behind Miss Scott when stepping up to 10 furlongs in the Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp last time.

The main hope for a local success, according to the betting at least, is Chad Brown’s Kathymarissa, the winner of the Flower Bowl Stakes at Belmont last time.

But I was also quite taken with the performance of Classic Q in the Grade One First Lady at Keeneland. It was a narrow win – from another of today’s rivals, Lush Lips, but she was drawn nine and caught wide, and has a much better pitch in stall three today.

She is a 12-1 shot in the early betting on the US tote, but currently a frankly insulting 40-1 with at least one British bookmaker according to Oddschecker.

It took three or four minutes for the judge to separate them there, but it was the favourite, Further Ado, that got it on the nod after a thrilling battle to the wire.

He went off at even money in the end, with Owen Almighty was a 9-1 shot. Bracket Buster, meanwhile, almost lost his jockey at the start and was adrift throughout.

1. FURTHER ADO (Flavien Prat), 2. Owen Almighty, 3. Full Serrano. 10 ran.

Bracket Buster blew the start, Full Serrano and Chunk Of Gold lead ..

A fast opening quarter, 22.67sec, Owen Almighty is also helping force a good pace …

Further Ado makes ground on the rail, going well …

Now Further Ado comes wide, he’s chasing down Owen Almighty, they’re nose-to-nose to the wire … and it’s a photo, and a very close one!

Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile!

Little movement in the odds ahead of the Dirt Mile, although Further Ado is now a shade of odds-on at 4-5.

Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile latest betting:

evens Further Ado 5-1 Bracket Buster 6-1 Full Serrano 8-1 Chunk Of Gold 9-1 Coal Battle & Owen Almighty 19-1 bar

Pace map: Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile

The map includes Forged Steel, who was moderately fancied for this but ruled out earlier in the day. He would have been on or close to the lead, but in his absence, Full Serrano, the likely third-favourite, and Chunk Of Gold should still set a decent clip.

Further Ado will be on the rail in behind, but is likely to have at least four or five ahead of him and at the likely odds, I’d rather be with Bracket Buster to get a smoother trip and take it up in the stretch.

18.26 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Grade One, 1m

If there’s a weak link on the Breeders’ Cup card, then this is probably it. The Classic is a more inviting target for any dirt horse with a fair chance of getting 10 furlongs, and it feels a little telling that only three of the 10 runners managed a win last time out.

Further Ado, the favourite, offers a line to the form of The Puma, a runner in the Classic at the end of the card, as he was a half-length behind him in the Grade One Pennsylvania Derby at Parx in mid-September.

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