Breeders’ Cup notes: Jockey Ryan Moore looks for more success
Trainer Steve Asmussen has high hopes for 3-year-old filly
Ryan Moore, the 31-year-old jockey from England who has won races in 11 countries, was walking briskly Wednesday morning at Santa Anita. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the San Gabriel Mountains were glistening amid the hustle and bustle of horses preparing for this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
“I love coming to California,” he said.
Santa Anita bettors love him too. Moore has won six Breeders’ Cup races in 27 starts, making him the winningest Breeders’ Cup regular rider by percentage. That’s a 22.2% clip. Mike Smith, with 20 career wins out of 101 mounts, is at 19.8%.
Last year at the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, Moore guided Dank to victory in the Filly & Mare Turf and Magician to victory in the Turf.
And yet, Moore said, “I don’t think they know me,” referring to Southern California fans.
Peter Thomas of the Racing Post wrote that Moore is “the jockey of choice for stables around the globe.”
He has six mounts Friday and Saturday among the 33 European entries. He’ll be aboard Dank (Great Britain) trying to repeat in the Filly & Mare Turf; Telescope (Ireland) in the Turf; the England-based The Great War in the Juvenile; Dimension (Great Britain) in the Turf Sprint; Qualify (Ireland) in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and the England-based War Envoy in the Juvenile Turf.
Top horse withdrawn
One of Europe’s most accomplished horses, Magician, came up lame Wednesday and will be scratched from the Turf.
He’s the third 2013 Breeders’ Cup champion to be withdrawn because of injury or illness, joining the filly Beholder and two-time horse of the year Wise Dan.
Statement time
The $2-million Distaff, the feature race among Friday’s four Breeders’ Cup races, has produced such standout recent winners as Beholder, Royal Delta and Zenyatta. Now it’s Untapable’s chance to earn a place in history.
The 3-year-old daughter of Tapit has won seven of her 10 races and three Grade I races for trainer Steve Asmussen.
“We’re trying to recapture the Kentucky Oaks race from her,” Asmussen said. “She’s had a tremendous year to this point, but having success in the Distaff would really top it off. She has a tremendous amount of talent and has been able to display that in several races this year.”
On Untapable’s chances, Asmussen said, “I feel very good with how she’s coming into the race. This is as good as she’s been.”
Baffert’s hope
With the scratch of American Pharoah from the $2-million Juvenile because of a bruised foot, trainer Bob Baffert will focus on Bayern in the $5-million Classic.
“We’re going to let him run his race,” Baffert said of the front-running 3-year-old. “He can get the mile and a quarter, but at a certain pace. Not going 22 to the quarter, and they might be doing that.”
Zenyatta foal euthanized
A 2014 foal to superstar mare Zenyatta, a yet unnamed filly known as Z-Princess, was euthanized late Tuesday night after a paddock accident at Lanes End farm in Kentucky. The sire was War Front.
Twitter: LATSondheimer
Times staff writer Bill Dwyre contributed to this report.
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