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Breeders’ Cup Preps Coming Together

With Saratoga and Del Mar closed down, the major Breeders’ Cup preps that will be offered this weekend will mostly occur in Ireland.

Five ‘win and you’re in’ races will be run across the pond. Three will run at Leopardstown and 2 will be staged at the Curragh. The Willis Champions Juvenile Stakes winner will get an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. The Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes winner will have the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf as an option.

The last ‘win and you’re in’ race run this weekend at Leopardstown will be the Group 1 QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes and the winner will have a look to the Breeders’ Cup Turf. World-class trainer Aidan O’Brien has several candidates that could be heading to the Breeders’ Cup after the Irish Champion Stakes. He has at least 6 runners that could compete in the Leopardstown fixture and a number of them are solid.

Found could very well lead the contingent. This 4-year-old filly, a daughter of Galileo, has had a lot of tough luck this year. She is only one for 6 in 2016 but has never been out of the money with 4 seconds. This miss came from 26 lengths back last year taking the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland and she appears to be set for a Turf defense.
Five for 17 in her career, Found has earned over $2.4 million and in her win this year, the Group 3 Mooresbridge Stakes, the filly adored the soft turf and won going away.

Highland Reel has an edge on some of his rivals in that he has already won in the United States. He won the Grade 1 Secretariat at Arlington Park last year. He did it in wire-to-wire fashion cashing by over 5 lengths with a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. Highland Reel has been consistent as the day is long, has been in the exacta in 10 of 16 in his career and has earned over $3.8 million.

Long Island Sound is an interesting O’Brien student. The colt is lightly-race, he has only run one bad race and he was bumped that day. The son of War Front has speed and that will give him the first run on the deep closers.
On Sunday September 11 the Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes will go at the Curragh as will the Moyglare Stud Stakes. The winner of the Derrinstown could opt for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and the winner of the Moyglare will have punched her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

The Flying Five Stakes is a Group 2 5-furlong turf affair and a full field is in prospect. Cotai Glory has the credentials to make some noise in this race. The colt has had a tough year but he was only beaten a neck in the Group 1 Kings Stand Stakes at Ascot in June. He beat 15 other runners home that day.

A horse that rates a long shot look in the Flying Five Stakes is Take Cover. I’m a bit biased here because I lived on a horse form in Colts Neck, New Jersey, and this runner is owned by Colts Neck Stables. It took him time to figure it out but he was troubled in his last race and has trained fast since. He also won a $150,000 stakes in June. If he makes the trip, look out.

The Group 1 Moyglare pits youngsters going 7 furlongs on grass. Brave Anna is just that. She may not have adored the good grass course in her debut but she is a perfect 2 for 2 since. She will not be intimidated either. She broke poorly last time against 15 rivals but raced wisely beyond her years settling and getting up in the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Ascot. Brave Anna also has a pedigree to die for. Her dam won over $100,000 and the dam is a sibling to an over $300,000 earner. But more importantly, Brave Anna is a sibling to Hit It a Bomb, who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last year, is 2 for 3 in his career and has earned over $550,000.

Don’t underestimate these foreigners if the make it to the Breeders’ Cup. They will not come for the frequent flyer miles and the value should be there.

Written by Brian Mulligan

I have been lucky enough to be a public horseracing handicapper for nearly 4 decades and I know how fortunate I am to do something I truly love. Hopefully, we can cash a lot of tickets and progress on this mission known as cashing tickets.
Brian Mulligan

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