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WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- With Breeders' Cup preps all but complete, a smattering of turf races and a trio of festivals for state-breds take center stage in weekend racing. The state-bred festivities include the West Virginia Breeders' Classic races at Charles Town, featuring the $500,000 Classic itself.
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In addition, Santa Anita has a pair of turf miles for 2-year-olds.
On the international front, Australian racing continues its march toward the big spring classics with Group 1 events at Caulfield. British Champions Day looms a week away in England and the Group 1 Shuka Sho also is next weekend in Japan.
We continue our march with:
Filly & Mare Turf
Sentiero Italia drew the outside gate for Saturday's $500,000, Grade I Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup for 3-year-old fillies at Keeneland but, on recent form, looks like a real threat. The Medaglia d'Oro filly, owned by Godolphin and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, has posted back-to-back wins in the Grade II Maker's Mark Lake Placid at Saratoga and the Sands Point at Belmont. While there's some talent among the other eight, relevant wins are tough to find on their past performance pages. Return to Grace has progressed this season from third in the Grade III Regret Stakes at Churchill Downs to second in the Grade III Pucker Up at Arlington Park to winner in the ungraded but lucrative Dueling Ground Oaks at Kentucky Downs. Prize Exhibit exited England last fall to finish fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and has been competitive in California this year without winning much.
Otherwise, a lot of bridesmaids are in this field. Miss Temple City has been second twice in New York this summer and looks poised to do better. Feathered was second in both the Grade I American Oaks at Santa Anita and the Grade II Lake George at Saratoga. Blond Me was runner-up in the Sands Point in her last start. Her Emmynency finished second in the Grade I Del Mar Oaks in her last outing. Mizz Money jumped up to upset the Grade III Pucker Up at Arlington Park.
Turf
Among the week's most exciting news: It seems a better than good bet that Golden Horn will be doubling down on his victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with a swing at the Breeders' Cup Turf. "The Breeders' Cup is a possibility," Racing Post quoted owner Anthony Oppenheimer early this week. Oppenheimer said Golden Horn came out of the Arc victory "as if he hasn't had a race much." And Oppenheimer said a visit to Keeneland, where the Breeders' Cup will be run Oct. 30-31, convinced trainer John Gosden the turns are not too tight, as he previously opined. Flintshire, a gritty second in the Arc for two straight years, also was second in last year's Breeders' Cup Turf, behind Main Sequence, and is another prospect for the Hallowe'en rewewal.
Saturday's $200,000 Knickerbocker Stakes at Belmont Park has a bunch of recognizable names including War Dancer, Mr Speaker and V.E. Day -- all of whom have jumped up to one or more notable victories. German-bred Messi won his first two U.S. starts but was victimized by a bobble out of the gate in the Grade I Sword Dancer and deserves another chance against easier foes the Flintshire, who won the Sword Dancer and finished second last weekend in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Turf Sprint
Lady Shipman has won four straight races and eight of her 10 starts. That's enough to make the 3-year-old Midshipman filly the 7-5 morning-line favorite among nine in Friday's $100,000 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes for fillies and mares at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Keeneland Turf. Ageless, fourth in last year's Breeders' Cup, comes off a victory in the Grade III Royal North at Woodbine. Free As a Bird won this race last year and tries for a repeat. Richies Sweetheart won the Turf Amazon at Parx in her last outing.
Juvenile Fillies Turf
Harmonize earned a Breeders' Cup berth with a near-last to first victory in Wednesday's $150,000, Grade III JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland. The Scat Daddy filly dueled down the lane with Sapphire Kitten before prevailing by a neck. Outsider Art was 4 1/2 lengths farther outside in third. Harmonize, with Junior Alvarado up for trainer Bill Mott, ran 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:44.19 as the even-money favorite. She's 2-for-3, earlier winning the P.G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga. "You have to think 'Win and You're In'," assistant trainer and son Riley Mott said Thursday, referring to a possible next start in the Breeders' Cup World Championships. "We'll see how she does the next few days, but so far she's come out of the race well. It's obviously the next thought."
Saturday, Santa Anita hosts the $100,000 Surfer Girl at 1 mile on the lawn with 11 entered. Jakoby Jade is the morning-line favorite after winning the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf. One Last Shot, who was second in that race, gets another shot here. Mirage ships in from England after winning her only start there -- that at Brighton.
Juvenile Turf
Ten are set for Sunday's $100,000 Zuma Beach at 1 mile at Santa Anita. I'malreadythere is the narrow morning-line favorite with Dressed in Hermes and Lucky Brian also well fancied. All, however, are drawn toward the outside so the tactics could be interesting.
Festivals
Charles Town has nine races on Saturday night, leading up to the $500,000 Classic, which drew an overflow field headed by Lucy's Bob Boy. Thistledown's series for Oio-breds also is Saturday.
Already in the books is Wednesday night's program at Indiana Grand, which included four $85,000 events for Indiana-breds. In those races: Lady Fog Horn was the short-priced winner of the Hoosier Breeders' Sophomore for 3-year-old fillies, beating She Mabee Wild by a comfortable 3 3/4 lengths; Daddy Justice rallied from well back to win the Hoosier Breeders' Sophomore for 3-year-old colts and geldings by a head over Bucchero; Tornada, at 40-1 odds, held off the favorite, Hebe's Victory, by 3/4 length in the Richmond Stakes for fillies and mares; and Country Minister, at 17-1, led all the way in the Gus Grissom Sakes and won by 3/4 length over the favorite, Success In Racing.
International
Australia
In Saturday's Group 1 Caulfield Stakes, several of the combatants from the Underwood Stakes just two weeks ago -- Fawkner, Contributor and Mongolian Khan -- are joined by Criterion, who returns Down Under after a sixth-place finish in the Group 1 Juddmonte International at York in England. Criterion won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth at Randwick in the Southern Hemisphere fall before visiting Dubai and England. In all, nine are entered for the 2,000-meters affair.
On the same card, the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes at 1,100 meters features Lankan Rupee, who won the Group 1 Lightning at Flemington in February but then had two off-form starts to wind up the season. The 6-year-old won a comeback race last month and faces a sterner test.
The day also includes the BECK Caulfield Guineas and the Schwepps Thousand Guineas with, it seems, just fewer than 1,000 3-year-olds entered in each.
Some results:
Zia Park
Belleofthebeach was queen of the stretch in Monday's $55,000 Chaves County Stakes for fillies and mares, drawing off to a 9-lengths victory. What the World was second, followed by African Rose. Belleofthebeach, a 4-year-old Master Command filly, finished 1 mile on a muddy track in 1:40.27 with Alfredo Juarez Jr. in the irons.
Presque Isle Downs
Balk hustled to the lead in Tuesday's $100,000 Fritz Dixon Jr. Memorial for 2-year-olds and led thereafter, eventually holding on for a 1/2-length victory over Twirling Tiger. Bella Flor was third and the favorite, Cashel Rock, beat only one rival. Balk, a Street Boss gelding, ran 6 1/2 furlongs on the all-weather track in 1:16.86 with Erik Rodriguez up.
Miss Mischief started at the back of the field in Tuesday's $100,000 H.B.P.A. Stakes for fillies and mares, rallied into contention six-wide and won going away, by 1 1/2 lengths. Cactus Kris contested the lead and held on for second, 1 length better than serene melody. Miss Mischief, a 5-year-old mare by Into Mischief, ran 1 mile and 70 yards on the all-weather track in 1:41.14 with Antonio Gallardo in the irons.
News and notes
Premier equestrian sponsor Longines this week announced a new annual award: Longines World's Best Horse Race. The award will honor the highest-rated Group 1 or Grade I race in a given year, based on ratings of the top four finishers in each race over the past three years. Winners will be honored at a ceremony in January in London The Swiss watchmaker, which has been associated with equine events worldwide for more than 100 years, said the award will "complete" a range of honors going to racehorses, jockeys and prominent women and men of the equestrian world. Yet, racing journalists remain unrecognized at the international level.
