Final Preps Set for Breeders’ Cup

The importance of horses winning their Breeders’ Cup preps is overrated. Only slightly more than half of the winners of the 84 Breeders’ Cup races have been horses that had won their previous races.

One year, winning a race just before running in the Breeders’ Cup was the worst thing to do. At Churchill Downs in 1988, Gulch, Open Mind, Miesque, Is It True and Great Communicator all won Breeders’ Cup races after having been beaten in their preps.

Still, there’s not a trainer at Santa Anita, Belmont Park or Keeneland who wouldn’t mind winning a stakes race this weekend. Given a choice of sneaking up on the opposition in the Breeders’ Cup or arriving there under a full head of steam, a horseman will take the limelight every time.

Some horses, in fact, must win this weekend to earn a trip to the seven-race, $11-million Breeders’ Cup at Woodbine near Toronto on Oct. 26. One of those is Swiss Yodeler, a 2-year-old colt who sprinted to five consecutive victories, then finished third as the 6-5 favorite in the Del Mar Futurity last month.

Silver Charm, the winner of the Futurity, won’t run because of a fever, and that leaves Swiss Yodeler as the even-money favorite in Sunday’s $200,000 Norfolk at Santa Anita.

At 1 1/16 miles, the Norfolk marks Swiss Yodeler’s first try beyond seven furlongs.

“He’s bred to go around two turns,” trainer Mike Harrington said. “And [jockey] Alex [Solis] says that he should be able to relax.”

Solis, who has ridden Swiss Yodeler in all six of his races, is committed to ride Urbane in Sunday’s $500,000 Spinster at Keeneland, so Harrington has hired Eddie Delahoussaye to ride in the Norfolk, which attracted seven juveniles with mostly dubious credentials.

The second choice on the morning line, Partner’s Hero, has been winless since breaking his maiden at Churchill Downs in June and couldn’t halt the skid when sent back to the allowance ranks in his last start. Others in the field are Free House, Golden Bronze, So Clever, Pete The Greek and Zippersup.

Wayne Lukas, who trains Partner’s Hero, has most of his big guns at Belmont Park this weekend. Gold Tribute, who ran second in the Del Mar Futurity, is still a maiden and runs today against Traitor, the 5-2 favorite in the $400,000 Champagne.

Lukas, who has won a record 12 Breeders’ Cup races, is running eight horses at Belmont, among them Serena’s Song, who is still the early favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff even though she hasn’t won since June and shows a string of four second-place finishes.

Serena’s Song’s opposition in Sunday’s $400,000 Beldame is formidable. The seven-horse field includes My Flag and Yanks Music, two of the best 3-year-old fillies in the country. Yanks Music beat Serena’s Song at Belmont three weeks ago.

Jewel Princess, another horse who is Breeders’ Cup Distaff-bound, runs Sunday at Santa Anita in the $175,000 Lady’s Secret Handicap. The 4-year-old filly is 6-5 and drew the inside post against Advancing Star, Predicted Glory, Logia, Sleep Easy and Top Rung, who’s 2-1 and was third against Jewel Princess in the Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park in July.

After the Vanity, trainer Wally Dollase gave Jewel Princess the rest of the summer off.

For handicappers of the Distaff, the research usually begins with the Spinster, the Keeneland fixture that has accounted for seven of the 12 winners of the Breeders’ Cup race. Sunday’s running brings together Different and Urbane, shippers from California, and Golden Attraction, last year’s champion 2-year-old filly who was sidelined and now has successfully launched a comeback campaign.

Besides the Norfolk and the Lady’s Secret Handicap, Sunday’s card at Santa Anita includes the $300,000 Oak Tree Turf Championship and the $150,000 Ancient Title Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

Admise, a 4-year-old filly, is entered against four males in the Turf Championship. Chris McCarron, who has the assignment on Different at Keeneland, rode the French import to two victories at Del Mar, and Kent Desormeaux takes over Sunday. The rest of the field includes Bon Point, Golden Post, Gold And Steel and Khoraz.

Letthebighossroll, an 8-year-old gelding, has been installed as the 8-5 favorite for the six-furlong Ancient Title as he seeks his 18th win in 51 starts. The opposition consists of Paying Dues, Lakota Brave, Airistar, Concept Win, Criollito and Tres Paraiso.

Bob Baffert will saddle both Criollito and Letthebighossroll, who started the year with a pair of second-place finishes before going on a three-race winning streak. In his last start, Letthebighossroll beat Lakota Brave by a neck at Del Mar.

Horse Racing Notes

Post time on Saturdays and Sundays during the Oak Tree meet is 12:30 p.m. Other days, the first race will be run at 1 p.m., with the exception of California Cup day on Nov. 2, when the first post is noon. On Oct. 26, post time for the first televised Breeders’ Cup race is 10:50 a.m. . . . The 27-day meet is off to a slow start, with on-track crowds of fewer than 6,000 on Thursday and Friday.