American Contingent Looking for Success at the 2012 Breeders Cup

10/23/12 - With the loss to retirement of potential superstar I’ll Have Another, American success in the major races at this year’s Breeders Cup World Championship will be heavily dependent on some of their older and more experienced racehorses.

The five year old Game On Dude for instance, is the big American hope in the "Blue Riband" event, the Breeders Cup Classic, a race in which he finished in second place in 2011, 1½ lengths behind Drosselmeyer. Certainly the bookmakers believe that he can win the race, particularly after his excellent year in 2012 which has seen him win four from six races. He has been installed on the top of most antepost lists with a general price of around 7/2.

William Mott, who trained Drosselmeyer to success last year looks likely to run both Royal Delta and Flat Out in the race and the two follow Game On Dude in the betting currently with odds of 7/1 and 8/1 respectively. Royal Delta has also enjoyed an excellent year during which she has finished in the first two in five of her six starts. She has won once at Grade One and twice at Grade Two level and her only disappointment came in the Dubai World Cup at Meydan at the end of March.

Her stablemate, Flat Out, was fifth in the ‘Classic’ in 2011, finishing just over three lengths behind the winner, Drosselmeyer. This was after finishing more than two lengths in front of him in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park just a month previously. The six year old clearly loves the Belmont Park track as he won for the third time there last time when taking the Jockey Club Gold Cup for the second successive year just three weeks ago. He will clearly go to Santa Anita for the ‘Classic’ in great form, although it is a track that he has never raced on before.

The Charles Lopresti trained Wise Dan is clearly an improving five year old who is enjoying his best ever year in 2012. 4 wins from 5 starts, including two at Grade 1 bear testimony to his new found ability. It is true that he has never raced over 10 furlongs and is regarded as a specialist miler, but Lopresti is in no doubt that he will get the 10 at Santa Anita and as such is keeping his options open; Wise Dan also has an entry for the Breeders Cup Mile for which he is the 3/1 favourite to win.

Kentucky Derby 3rd and Belmont Stakes 7th, Dullahan, appears to be the best backed of the American three year olds to win the Classic. By and large, the Dale Romans son of Even The Score has had a mixed bag of results in 2012, with his highlight being his close up third place behind I’ll Have Another in the Kentucky Derby, over 10 furlongs at Churchill Downs in May. His 7th place behind Union Rags in the Belmont Stakes was hugely disappointing considering he went off as the 5/2 favourite but he did reward connections with a ½ length victory over Game On Dude in the Grade One TVG Pacific Classic Stakes over 10 furlongs at Del Mar at the back end of August. He was last seen back at Belmont Park two weeks ago where he came only 5th in the Grade One Jamaica Handicap over nine furlongs, but at least he got a run in and will come to Santa Anita fully fit.

More information, previews and odds ahead of the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita on Firday 1st and Saturday 2nd of November can be found at http://www.breederscupraces.net/.