First Turn - 12/3

FIRST TURN

DECEMBER 3

How important is the Breeders' Cup?

by James Scully

PICO CENTRAL (Brz) (Spend a Buck) dropped two of

his final three starts this year and his connections elected not to take on the

best sprinters in the world when skipping the Breeders' Cup. They took an easier

route, Saturday's Cigar Mile H. (G1), but wound up losing. Pico Central couldn't beat Lion Tamer (Will's Way),

Badge of Silver (Silver Deputy), Kela (Numerous) and Domestic Dispute

(Unbridled's Song) in the final half of the year.

The five-year-old deserves major

kudos for his victories in the Carter H. (G1), Met Mile (G1) and Vosburgh S.

(G1), a feat never before accomplished in a single season, and the repetitive

trips back and forth from California may have taken something out of him by the

end of the year. When Pico Central was on his game in 2004, nobody wanted to

face him. If he had finished the year with a loss in the Breeders' Cup Sprint

(G1) to any horse besides SPEIGHTSTOWN (Gone West), Pico Central would still

deserve championship honors.

Pico Central would have drastically changed the way this year's Sprint was

run. He was clearly at the top of his game in the six-furlong Vosburgh, winning

by four lengths and earning a 107 BRIS Speed rating, and would have likely shown

up with a much better performance than he did in the Cigar. The eight-furlong

distance, combined with a wicked pace battle on the front end from his rail

post, were the main factors for his 1 1/4-length defeat on Saturday. He still

earned a 106 Speed figure. Pico Central would have been a serious factor on the

backstretch of the Breeders' Cup Sprint and might have rolled to a convincing

victory in Texas. We'll never know because his connections didn't feel the Breeders' Cup was

important enough.

Instead, Speightstown wound up finishing out a tremendous year with a 1

1/4-length victory at Lone Star. The Todd Pletcher trainee won five of six starts

this season and didn't duck any horse. His lone defeat came over a

drying out, cuppy Belmont track that he didn't care for in the Vosburgh. Voodoo (Petionville)

placed ahead of Speightstown there, and that rival wouldn't finish in

the same area code as Speightstown over a fair track. The Vosburgh wasn't

the definitive test to decide who was better between the top two sprinters. That was

scheduled for October 30, but Pico Central didn't show up.

The Met Mile, Carter and Vosburgh are all major events, but the Breeders' Cup

Sprint is the championship race

for sprinters. It's the most important race every year. Pico Central would have

had to been supplemented, but the fee wasn't the deciding issue in his

participation because owner

Gary Tanaka, one of the biggest supporters of Thoroughbred racing, has been

willing to supplement in the past. Trainer Paulo Lobo explained the decision by

saying that there was nothing to be gained by shipping to Lone Star Park. The

Breeders' Cup wasn't important to them.

The integrity of the Breeders' Cup is an issue in this year's contest for

champion sprinter. Last year's best horse, Mineshaft, wasn't even pointed toward

the richest event in North America, the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

His connections already had the title sewn up by September and opted to run

against four grossly overmatched rivals in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) rather

than showcase the colt's skills in front of a worldwide audience in the Classic. Thoroughbred racing fans

were big-time losers. We also witnessed the connections of several top two-year-olds skip

the 2003 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), citing the unimportance of the event.

The trend continued this year. SIGHTSEEK (Distant View) won three Grade 1 races

and earned more than $1 million in 2004. She deserves serious consideration for

champion older mare, but trainer Bobby Frankel never had any intention of

running her in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). Sightseek split two meetings with

AZERI (Jade Hunter) and may have taken to the Lone Star track like another

Frankel trainee, Breeders' Cup Classic winner GHOSTZAPPER (Awesome Again).

The only poor performance of Ghostzapper's career came at Santa Anita in an

allowance race where he was beaten 7 1/2 lengths at 2-5 while finishing fourth. It was his

only appearance ever at Santa Anita and he took to the track like Sightseek, who

also disliked Arcadia, California. Ghostzapper sure loved Lone Star, though.

Sightseek should have been given the opportunity as well.

Does Thoroughbred racing need the Breeders' Cup anymore? It showcases the

sport. All eight races are televised on NBC. There's a tremendous build-up for

it. But how important is it for Eclipse Award voters?

Pico Central would have been a lock for championship honors with a victory in

the Cigar, but he blew that chance. Speightstown did enough to earn the title

with five dominant stakes victories, winning all by more than a length. If Pico

Central wins the Eclipse Award, horsemen will have a prominent and current

example of how important the Breeders' Cup is to the awards process.

Voters can either reward taking the path of least resistance or recognize a

worthy candidate whose connections were willing to take part in Thoroughbred

racing's biggest day.