Cup will be full of California horses

Undefeated filly Nashoba’s Key and Tiago, winner of the Goodwood Handicap at Oak Tree at Santa Anita, lead a strong contingent of Southern California horses headed for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships Oct. 26-27 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

They were among the 141 horses pre-entered Wednesday in the 11-race, two-day competition that offers $23 million in total purse money. This is the first year the Breeders’ Cup is being held over two days, with three races scheduled for Oct. 26 and eight the following day.

Final entries are due Tuesday, which is also the day of the post-position draw.

Other Southern California horses pre-entered include Awesome Gem, runner-up to Tiago in the Goodwood; Idiot Proof, winner of the Ancient Title Stakes at Oak Tree; 6-year-old gelding Greg’s Gold, winner of the Pat O’Brien at Del Mar; and Cry And Catch Me, winner of the Oak Leaf at Oak Tree.

Also pre-entered were the one-two finishers in the Lady’s Secret at Oak Tree, Tough Tiz’s Sis and Hystericalady, and the Bob Baffert-trained Midnight Lute, who won the Forego Stakes at Saratoga but is now back in Southern California.

Nashoba’s Key, the 4-year-old who is seven for seven, is listed as the early 7-2 favorite in the $2-million Filly & Mare Turf, which will be the third of the Breeders’ Cup races run Oct. 27. Nashoba’s Key is owned by Warren B. Williamson of Pasadena. Trainer Carla Gaines said the horse will be shipped Tuesday to Monmouth Park.

Tiago, listed at 10-1 in the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic, faces a small but talented field.

Only nine horses were pre-entered, which would make it the smallest field for the 1 1/4 -mile Classic since 1997, when nine horses lined up at Hollywood Park. That was the year Skip Away won the Classic.

This year’s field includes the one-two-three finishers in this year’s Kentucky Derby -- Street Sense, Hard Spun and Curlin.

But the early favorite at 3-1 is the 4-year-old Lawyer Ron, who won the Whitney Handicap and the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga, and was second to Curlin in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont. Curlin is listed as the 7-2 second choice in the Classic, followed by Any Given Saturday at 4-1 and Street Sense at 9-2.

Lawyer Ron and Any Given Saturday are trained by Todd Pletcher, who had 15 pre-entries. Last year, Pletcher sent out a record 18 horses but had no winners.

The field for the Classic may be the most talented since 1998, when Awesome Again beat the likes of Silver Charm, Skip Away, Victory Gallop and Touch Gold.

The $2-million Juvenile, which usually determines the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby, was among six races oversubscribed with 16 pre-entries, two more than the maximum of 14.

For oversubscribed races, fields are chosen based on three factors: Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners; a points system; and a selection committee after the first seven starters have been determined.

larry.stewart@latimes.com