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DEL MAR, Calif. Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Saturday's $7 million Grade I Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar takes international racing to a new level, with the three best 3-year-olds in the world lining up for dramatic showdown. Representing the United States: Fierceness, last year's American 2-year-old champ and winner of three Grade I races this year.
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He's looking to permanently banish the memory of a 15th place finish as favorite in the Kentucky Derby and lock up the 3-year-old championship. Todd Pletcher trains the City of Light colt for enthusiastic and outspoken owner Mike Repole. John Velazquez rides.
Representing Ireland: City of Troy, winner this year of the Epsom Derby, Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International, all Group 1 races.
Trained by Aidan O'Brien for the Coolmore partners and ridden by Ryan Moore, he tries the dirt for the first time, but his connections are heartened by his pedigree. His sire, Justify, won the U.S. Triple Crown in 2018 and his offspring have been winning on all surfaces.
Representing Japan: Forever Young, hard-luck third in the Kentucky Derby, two noses from victory after a rough trip down the stretch. Those two noses keep the Real Steel colt from a perfect record after seven starts.
The victories include the Group 3 Saudi Derby in February and the Group 2 UAE Derby in March. He got a break and won the Japan Dirt Classic on Oct. 2 in a warmup for this. Yahagi Yoshto trains the colt, whose pedigree traces back to 1989 Kentucky Derby winner Sunday Silence.
Is it a three-horse race? Not necessarily.
Also set for the 1 1/4 miles are Sierra Leone, who finished second in the Kentucky Derby after leaning all over Forever Young in the stretch run; Highland Falls, just off a win in the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup; Mixto, last-race winner of the Grade I Pacific Classic; Senor Buscador, winner of the $20 million Group 1 Saudi Cup in February; and Tapit Trice, last seen winning the Grade II Woodward.
Japan backs up Forever Young with Derma Sotogake, sixth in the 2023 Derby and second in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic; and Ushba Tesoro, the 2023 Grade I Dubai World Cup winner, fifth in the Classic and second this year in both the Group 1 Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup.
Next, a marathon specialist, enters the Classic 4-for-4 this year and won those events by margins of 11 1/4, 9 1/4, 22 1/4 and 10 lengths.
It truly shapes up as a race for the ages. But it's only the cherry on the sundae of the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships. The races are deep and competitive, so for handicapping help, check out the wit and wisdom of former trainer, track exec and ace handicapper Jude Feld at popejude.com
In the other races Saturday on the Del Mar dirt:
The $2 million Longines Distaff lost what promised to be one of the day's best matchups when last year's winner, Idiomatic, was ruled out with a minor injury.
That leaves Thorpedo Anna, winner of five straight races including the Kentucky Oaks and second to Fierceness in a bold effort in the Travers, as the odds-on favorite. She already is a cinch to be champion 3-year-old filly.
If any American is going to challenge Thorpedo Anna, it would seem to be Raging Sea, 4-for-5 this year and winner by a head over Idiomatic in the Grade I Personal Ensign at Saratoga. Awesome Result arrives from Japan undefeated after seven starts, but there are question marks about the quality of the competition.
Last year's $1 million Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile produced one of that day's most thrilling finishes as National Treasure came within a nose of upsetting sentimental favorite Cody's Wish.
Neither is back for this year's renewal, but Skippylongstocking, who finished well back in third at Santa Anita, does return and is second-favorite on the morning line, despite drawing the outside gate.
Domestic Product is the oddsmaker's favorite off back-to-back scores in the Grade II Dwyer and the Grade I H. Allen Jerkens. Saudi Crown, third in the $20 million Saudi Cup in February, has been better at 1 mile and could be poised to steal this on the front end from the inside gate.
Preakness Stakes winner Seize the Grey is 10-1 on the line, but will be bet down by the thousands of microshareholders in the My Racehorse partnership, which owns him.
The $2 million Cygames Sprint would look like a toss-up, even without the presence of three Japanese entries. One of those, Remake, has credentials with victories in the Group 1 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia and the Group 3 Korea Sprint in Seoul. The other two are mysteries.
The American contingent for the 6-furlong dash includes five last-race winners, all of them in graded stakes. The issue is, if they run to form, all of them could be fighting for the early lead.
Saturday's Breeders' Cup program starts with the $1 million PNC Bank Filly & Mare Sprint.
The 7 furlongs around one turn drew a tough field topped by Society, last-out winner of the Grade I Ballarina Handicap at Saratoga, and Ways and Means, winner of three straight sprint or mile races since finishing fourth in the Kentucky Oaks. Vahva and Scylla, both ultraconsistent graded stakes competitors, merit a look.
Frost at Dawn, previously raced in Dubai, England and Scotland, had a nice prep at Keeneland.
