Breeders' Cup hopefuls highlight Keeneland's Saturday card

Breeders' Cup hopefuls

highlight Keeneland's Saturday card

Keeneland will play host to five Thoroughbred stakes on Saturday as part of

its opening FallStars Weekend, but the main attraction will be four major

Breeders' Cup contenders making their final preps in advance of the

Championships at Churchill Downs November 5-6. GIO PONTI (Tale of the Cat),

PROVISO (GB) (Dansili [GB), INFORMED DECISION (Monarchos) and CALIFORNIA FLAG

(Avenue of Flags) will all line up in an attempt to get one more win before

heading to Louisville, Kentucky.

Gio Ponti was honored as both champion turf horse and older male for 2009

following a second-place run in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), and that

race is still under consideration for the Christophe Clement trainee despite

being contested on a conventional dirt track this time around. The bay horse

will use Saturday's $600,000

Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) as his final major prep for either that 10-furlong

test or the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) at 1 1/2 miles. He'll only have to face five

other runners in that eight-furlong test but is looking for just his second win

of the year.

The five-year-old opened his 2010 campaign with a nose second in the Tampa

Bay S., then ran fourth in the Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) at Meydan in March. His

only win this year came in the Man o' War S. (G1) in July, with that one

sandwiched between runner-up efforts in the Manhattan H. (G1) and Arlington

Million (G1). Gio Ponti owns a victory over Keeneland's turf, taking the Bourbon

S. in his second career try in 2007, and will be looking to keep his record over

the course perfect while entering the Breeders' Cup on a winning note. Ramon

Dominguez, who has successfully guided the bay to half of his 10 scores, will be

in the saddle.

Gio Ponti isn't the only Shadwell Turf Mile contender who took a sojourn to

Dubai earlier in the year. COURAGEOUS CAT (Storm Cat) recorded a head victory in

the Canadian Turf S. (Can-G3) at Gulfstream before heading to Meydan for a run in

the Dubai Duty Free (UAE-G1). The Bill Mott pupil didn't have as much success as

Gio Ponti, ending up ninth in that test, and hasn't been seen in competition

since. The four-year-old became a player in last year's Breeders' Cup picture

following wins in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. (G2) and A Gift

S. as well as a third in the Jamaica H. (G1). He parlayed that latter run into a

half-length second in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1), just caught in the stretch by

U.S. and multiple European champion Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa). Courageous Cat

could face that same rival on November 6 following a game effort here under

jockey Pat Valenzuela.

While Gio Ponti and Courageous Cat are Breeders' Cup veterans, GET STORMY

(Stormy Atlantic) may use the Shadwell Turf Mile as his entry into the

Championships. The bay has captured seven of his last eight races, including the

Bernard Baruch H. (G2), Fourstardave H. (G2), Bryan Station S. (G3) and

Commonwealth Turf S. (G3) over the past two seasons. The Tom Bush charge will

keep Javier Castellano aboard for Saturday's race.

Proviso will tackle a slightly tougher task in the

$400,000

First

Lady S. (G1) against eight opponents, one of whom is WASTED TEARS (Najran).

That distaffer brings a 10-race turf win streak into Saturday's one-mile grass

test for trainer Bart Evans, but has yet to face Grade 1 competition the way

Proviso has. In fact, Proviso has run in nothing but Grade 1 events since

shipping stateside last fall.

The bay actually captured her U.S. bow in the Spinster S. (G1) over

Keeneland's Polytrack, but was disqualified to second for interference in the

stretch. She headed straight to the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (G1) off that

one and ran a decent fourth, weakening late after holding the lead in the

stretch. The five-year-old has done much better this season, running second in

her seasonal opener, the Santa Monica H. (G1), before switching to the turf.

Proviso has gone undefeated on the stateside green while adding the Frank E.

Kilroe Mile H. (G1), Just a Game S. (G1) and Diana S. (G1) to her record. She

hasn't been seen since that latter race in late July, but layoffs have held no

problems for the mare in the past. The Mott charge will keep Mike Smith in the

irons for her return to Keeneland.

Informed Decision went straight from winning the

Thoroughbred

Club of America S. (G2) to wrapping up champion female sprinter honors with

a 1 1/4-length decision in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) last year,

and the Jonathan Sheppard trainee could do so again on Saturday in the $200,000

renewal. If she succeeds

in her title defense, the gray mare will follow in the hoofsteps of Excitable

Lady (1982-83) as a consecutive winner of the Thoroughbred Club of America (TCA).

Informed Decision entered the 2009 edition of Saturday's six-furlong test off

a score in the Presque Isle Downs Masters, and duplicated that performance on

September 11 in the newly upgraded Grade 3 running of the Masters. The

five-year-old will also bring a 4-0-1 line from five tries over Keeneland's

Polytrack into the TCA, and will have regular rider Julien Leparoux in the

irons.

Among her main rivals in the race will be back-to-back Winning Colors S. (G3)

victress DUBAI MAJESTY (Essence of Dubai), who closed within a head of Informed

Decision in the Masters last out, and sophomore CHAMPAGNE D'ORO (Medaglia

d'Oro), scorer of the Acorn S. (G1) and Test S. (G1).

Informed Decision is not the only Breeders' Cup winner competing on Saturday

at Keeneland. California Flag participated in both editions of the Breeders' Cup

Turf Sprint to date, finishing 10th in the inaugural running before taking last

year's edition by 1 3/4 lengths, and will use the 5 1/2-furlong, $100,000

Woodford S. (G3) as his final steppingstone to this year's third running of

the now Grade 2 event.

Following his Breeders' Cup win, California Flag journeyed to Sha Tin to take

part in the Hong Kong Sprint (HK-G1), finishing a decent fifth by just 1 3/4

lengths. Trainer Brian Koriner stamped the gelding's ticket once again when

shipping him to Dubai for his first outing as a six-year-old in the March 27 Al

Quoz Sprint (UAE-G3). California Flag ran third on that day, and has lined up in

the starting gate just once more this season, defending his title in the Green

Flash H. at Del Mar last out on August 18.

Among those looking to take advantage of California Flag's light campaign are

Grade 3 winner CHAMBERLAIN BRIDGE (War Chant), Grade 3 veteran SILVER TIMBER (Prime Timber)

and multiple stakes victor AWAKINO CAT (Stormy Atlantic). The

former two bring three-race win streaks into the Woodford, a race which

Chamberlain Bridge captured in 2008 when it was ungraded, while Silver Timber

actually took last year's upgraded version. That gray seven-year-old has so far

this year also added the Churchill Downs Turf Sprint S. (G3) and Shakertown S.

(G3) to his record. Awakino Cat will be making his graded bow in this spot.

MAYBESOBAYBENOT (Sunday Break [Jpn]), LOU BRISSIE

(Limehouse) and MAJOR GAIN (More Than Ready) are the only

stakes winners in Saturday's 11-horse

Breeders' Futurity (G1), contested at 1 1/16 miles for a purse of $400,000. Major Gain is the most recent of those to score

against stakes company, taking the Arlington-Washington Futurity (G3) on

September 11 to break his maiden. Maybesomaybenot captured the Sanford S. (G2)

in late July before finishing fourth by 1 3/4 lengths in the September 4 Sapling

S. (G3). Lou Brissie hasn't actually visited the winner's circle since adding

the Kentucky Juvenile S. (G3) to his resume in April.

Also included in the field are ROUGH SAILING (Mizzen Mast), who finished

second in the Arlington-Washington Futurity, and With Anticipation S. (G3) third

TYPHOON SLEW (Stormy Atlantic).