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THOROUGHBRED BEAT SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 by James Scully With less than six weeks remaining until the 25th running of the Breeders' Cup, this is an opportunity to take an advanced look at some of the races. There will be 14 Breeders' Cup events offered at Santa Anita on October 24-25, but I won't focus upon the Juvenile Fillies Turf and other non-traditional races at this early date. I'll cover four races here and four more in Friday's edition. Classic -- Two significant developments last week added luster to the centerpiece race. Dual classic winner BIG BROWN (Boundary) set himself up perfectly with a victory in Saturday's Monmouth S., and the connections of Europe's best 1 1/4-mile horse, DUKE OF MARMALADE (Danehill), committed to the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Now we only need CURLIN (Smart Strike) to show up. He'll first compete in the September 27 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), where he'll likely become the all-time leading money earner in North America, but that won't be much of a test. Jess Jackson said he brought Curlin back for the fans and the good of Thoroughbred racing, but skipping this year's Classic would be the complete antithesis. Facing older horses for the first time, Big Brown hooked up against a solid group over the "good" turf at Monmouth Park and established fast fractions while making all the pace. Runner-up Proudinsky (Ger) (Silvano [Ger]) had every chance to get past him in the stretch, but Big Brown kept offering more and held his rival at bay by a neck on the wire. He continued to build upon a hard-fought win in the Haskell Invitational (G1) -- his first start since the grueling Triple Crown campaign -- and the turf served his fragile feet well. I think Big Brown will keep improving off this effort and looms a huge threat to run back to his spring form in the Breeders' Cup. Duke of Marmalade is five for five this season -- all Group 1 wins -- but the 1 1/2-mile distance of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) is probably a little beyond his scope despite a fine score in the 12-furlong King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. (Eng-G1) two starts back. Owned by Ballydoyle and trained by Aidan O'Brien, the four-year-old hails from the same connections and is a 10-furlong specialist similar to the "Iron Horse," Giant's Causeway, who won five Group 1 events in 2000 before falling a neck short against Tiznow at Churchill Downs. Duke of Marmalade will add plenty of quality to the Classic field, and the exciting colt is quite capable if he handles synthetic ground. GO BETWEEN (Point Given) and WELL ARMED (Tiznow), the respective one-two finishers in the Pacific Classic (G1), have repeatedly shown their high class on synthetic tracks and merit inclusion in any discussion of Classic contenders, and Arlington Million (G1) hero SPIRIT ONE (Fr) (Anabaa Blue) is now in the Classic mix. He's going to prep for the race in the Goodwood S. (G1) at Santa Anita next month. Ladies Classic -- Despite the unfortunate name change and lessened exposure on Friday's program, the Ladies Classic (G1) once again looks like a dandy this year. It always tends to be one of the best races on the program, and even though far fewer people will see it this year on ESPN2, there's plenty of reason to tune in due to ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]). Unbeaten in seven career starts so far, the four-year-old filly will receive her final Breeders' Cup tune-up in the Lady's Secret S. (G1) on September 27. She's recorded impressive victories in the Apple Blossom (G1), Milady H. (G2), Clement L. Hirsch H. (G2) and El Encino S. (G2) this season, and even when she appeared a little off, as she did in July's Vanity H. (G1), she still managed to get the job done, beating TOUGH TIZ'S SIS (Tiznow) by a half-length. Zenyatta was flattered when that rival rolled to a smashing 12 1/4-length victory in the recent Ruffian H. (G1). Tough Tiz's Sis came east in order to avoid the beast. Tough Tiz's Sis will enter the Ladies Classic in good form for Bob Baffert, recording a 115 BRIS Speed rating last out in the slop at Belmont Park, and there will be other contenders of note looking for an upset. Defending champion GINGER PUNCH (Awesome Again) can't be overlooked, and Grade 1 queen HYSTERICALADY (Distorted Humor), who finished second by a neck to Ginger Punch in the 2007 Distaff, is very good when on her game. And we can't overlook the three-year-olds. Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Alabama S. (G1) heroine PROUD SPELL (Proud Citizen) could skip the Breeders' Cup due to the synthetic footing, but we would love to see Larry "Cowboy" Jones give it shot with the classy filly. Mother Goose (G1) and Gazelle S. (G1) queen MUSIC NOTE (A.P. Indy) is another very dangerous sophomore. The Godolphin colorbearer didn't make her stakes debut until late June and really blossomed over the summer, earning BRIS Speed numbers as high as 113. She's extremely promising. Turf -- The U.S. turf contingent is down this season, leaving the 1 1/2-mile Turf (G1) ripe for international plundering. O'Brien has confirmed Irish Derby (Ire-G1) winner FROZEN FIRE (Montjeu [Ire]) for the Breeders' Cup, and I'm excited to see WINCHESTER (Ire) (Theatrical [Ire]), a superb 7 1/4-length winner of the Secretariat S. (G1) at Arlington, return to the United States this fall. But the horse every racing fan will covet is the three-year-old filly ZARKAVA (Zamindar). The unbeaten dynamo exits a victory in Sunday's Prix Vermeille (Fr-G1) and will be favored over males in the Arc on October 5. The Arc could yield a couple of Turf participants. If Zarkava exits the race in fine order, the Turf is a definite possibility. She would add plenty of star quality to the Breeders' Cup. CHAMPS ELYSEES (GB) (Danehill) re-established himself as a top North American contender with his victory in the Northern Dancer S. (Can-G1) at Woodbine on September 7. Trained by Bobby Frankel, the five-year-old opened 2008 with a fine win in the San Marcos S. (G2) and recorded a commendable third with a late-charging finish in the Santa Anita H. (G1) over Cushion Track, but his season then went off course with upsets in the Jim Murray Memorial H. (G2), Charles Whittingham (G1) and United Nations (G1). He appears headed in the right direction again. 2006 Turf winner and last year's third-placer RED ROCKS (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) exits an excellent score over Curlin in the Man o' War (G1) but has been dogged by a physical issues since then. We only hope he returns to the worktab soon. BETTER TALK NOW (Talkin Man) finished third in the Man o' War and second in the Sword Dancer Invitational (G1) prior to a subpar seventh in the Northern Dancer last out. The nine-year-old gelding has competed in the last four runnings of the Turf, winning in 2004 and finishing second in 2006, and he'll have to rate as a sentimental favorite at Santa Anita. Del Mar H. (G2) winner SPRING HOUSE (Chester House), a two-time graded stakes winner over the turf at Santa Anita, is among the best turf runners based in California. Filly & Mare Turf -- MAURALAKANA (Fr) (Muhtathir [GB]) established herself as the cream of the U.S. crop with her smart win in the Beverly D. (G1) at Arlington and currently owns a four-race win skein (6-5-1-0 overall this season). She's proven on firm ground, but the five-year-old mare didn't run well over the Santa Anita turf last fall when sixth in the Lady's Secret (G1). PRECIOUS KITTEN (Catienus), a three-time Grade 1 winner in Southern California, didn't offer her best when fifth as the favorite in the Yellow Ribbon S. (G1), but she figures to relish the change in venue in late October. FOREVER TOGETHER (Belong to Me) quickly developed into a top-class turf distaffer when switching surfaces in May for Jonathon Sheppard, and the Diana S. (G1) winner is eligible to rebound from her third as the favorite in the Canadian S. (Can-G2) last out. However, WAIT A WHILE (Maria's Mon) could prove to be the biggest threat among U.S. runners. After earning more than $1.7 million over her first three seasons of racing and earning an Eclipse Award for champion three-year-old filly in 2006, the gray mare could have easily headed to the breeding shed. Her connections instead decided to bring her back into training, and Santa Anita has to be the reason. Conditioned by Todd Pletcher, Wait a While has won stakes races at Saratoga, Belmont and Gulfstream, but she's at her best over those firm courses in Southern California. She's won the American Oaks Invitational (G1), Yellow Ribbon and San Gorgonio H. (G2) (the latter two at Santa Anita) in California so far, and the Kentucky-bred appears to be rounding back into her best form off a victory in the Ballston Spa H. (G2) last out. BLACK MAMBA (NZ) (Black Minnaloushe) has come on for John Sadler in recent months, winning the John C. Mabee H. (G1) and Beverly Hills H. (G2) in her last two starts, but she hasn't faced stiff competition in either spot. I'll cover the Mile (G1), Sprint (G1) and both Juvenile races on the Pro-Ride tomorrow.
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