Cup Is Far From Full

While racing officials are saying that the suicide attacks on New York’s World Trade Center on Sept. 11 have not kept horses away, there was a distinct drop-off Wednesday when pre-entries were announced for the 18th Breeders’ Cup, which will be run at Belmont Park, less than 20 miles from Manhattan, on Oct. 27.

With $13 million in purses at stake, 104 horses were kept eligible for the eight Breeders’ Cup races. That’s the smallest number since 1997 and a dip of 23% from last year, when a record 135 horses were pre-entered. In 1999, when the Breeders’ Cup was expanded from seven to eight races, 128 horses were pre-entered.

“There’s no reason that I know of that world events have kept any horses away,” said D.G. Van Clief, president of the Breeders’ Cup. “I know that there’s nothing that’s keeping the good horses away.”

Of the 104 horses, 20 are from Europe, but trainer Aidan O’Brien, who trains six of them for Ireland’s Coolmore Stud and partners, seemed unsure early this week whether he would be sending his draft. The best of them, Galileo, who will be among the favorites in the richest Breeders’ Cup race, the $4-million Classic, has been kept eligible for this Saturday’s Champion Stakes at Newmarket, England.

“Praise God, we hope to be at the Breeders’ Cup,” O’Brien said Wednesday. “We plan to ship the horses Monday or Tuesday. This has always been the plan.”

O’Brien missed winning last year’s Classic when Giant’s Causeway lost by a neck to Tiznow at Churchill Downs. Tiznow, bothered by a back injury much of the year and winless since the Santa Anita Handicap in March, is one of 16 horses pre-entered for this year’s Classic.

The maximum Breeders’ Cup field is 14, but the two horses on the also-eligible list could draw in if the trainers of horses on the preferred list opt to run in other races. For instance, Sakhee, winner of the Arc de Triomphe, is likely to run in the $2-million Turf, since his stablemate, Fantastic Light, is expected to run in the Classic. Both horses are owned by Sheik Mohammed, whose racing manager, Simon Crisford, said Wednesday that he was unsure whether Dubai’s crown prince would attend the Breeders’ Cup.

Aptitude, one of six Breeders’ Cup horses from trainer Bobby Frankel’s barn, is the likely favorite in the Classic. Frankel’s participation dropped by one when he decided to leave Senure, a candidate for the Turf, in California. Senure won the Clement L. Hirsch Memorial at Santa Anita, but probably would not be as comfortable over the softer grass course at Belmont.

Frankel’s Turf hopeful, Timboroa, won the Turf Classic at Belmont last month and was made eligible for the Breeders’ Cup when his owner, Edmund Gann, paid a $180,000 supplementary fee.

Asked about Aptitude’s chances in the Classic, Frankel said: “I fear the European horses the most. My horse has run against and beaten the American horses pretty well. The unknowns are my only fear. I hope the Europeans don’t like the dirt, but I feel that Fantastic Light will. His pedigree says that he will.”

Besides Tiznow, three other winners from last year--Spain, Kona Gold and Macho Uno--will be running again.

Only Kona Gold, who will be making his fourth start in the Sprint, will be favored. Spain, trying for an encore in the Distaff, has won only one of seven starts this year. Macho Uno, winner of last year’s Juvenile, has a tough assignment in the Classic this time. Frank Stronach’s colt has run only three times this year, away from the top horses in the 3-year-old division, and while he won the Pennsylvania Derby, Macho Uno ran third at 1-5 in his last start in the Ohio Derby.

Only four horses have won two Breeders’ Cup races: Miesque in the Mile in 1987-88, Bayakoa in the Distaff in 1989-90, Lure in the Mile in 1992-93 and Da Hoss in the Mile in 1996 and 1998.

Like Kona Gold, Affirmed Success will also be making his fourth Breeders’ Cup start. Affirmed Success ran in the Sprint the first two times, running sixth and 12th. He’s back in the Mile after finishing fourth in the grass race last year. Kona Gold was third and second in the Sprint before his victory last year.

Entries will be taken and post positions drawn Wednesday.