Breeders' Cup Friday 2012

1:19 Central Time: Happy Breeders' Cup Friday 2012, everyone! We've got six terrific Breeders' Cup races to be run later this afternoon, including the $2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (gr. I), which feature seven grade I winners.

It could not be a more beautiful day at Santa Anita Park. Although it was a bit hazy this morning, it has cleared up well and the sun is out. There have been five scratches from Breeders' Cup races -- Super Ninety Nine from the Juvenile Sprint, Worth Repeating from the Marathon, Sustained and Moulin de Mougin (the latter an also-eligible) from the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and Nereid from the Filly and Mare Turf.

The first race of the day, a nine-furlong allowance race on the turf, has just been run. The winner was the Carla Gaines-trained Big Bane Theory, a three-year-old colt that rallied from sixth with an explosive turn-of-foot to win going away in a sharp 1:47.08. Clearly, the turf is as quick as it could possibly be.

The winning rider was Joe Talamo, who is the leading rider of the meet by a substantial margin. Later today, he will be aboard Jaycito in the Marathon, Flashy Ways in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and Include Me Out in the Ladies' Classic.

1:56 CT: Joe Talamo is having a very good day.

Make that a very good day.

The jockey just swept the early double when he guided Big Tiz to a determined victory in a 6-1/2 furlong allowance race on the main track. Big Tiz did not get an easy trip at all, dueling in between D'princess and Magical Band through blazing fractions of :21.88 and :44.34 before opening up in the stretch and holding off a late run from Miss Oops to win by about a half-length in 1:17.12. Mark Glatt trains the four-year-old daughter of Tiznow, who ran second in the 2010 Hollywood Starlet Stakes (gr. I).

Hard to draw conclusions on the possibility of a track bias based off of just one race, but it is worth noting that the top three finishers all showed speed, and to be perfectly honest, I would have expected to see Big Tiz tire just a bit more than she did after such a quick pace . . .

Next race on the card is a seven-furlong main track allowance race for three-year-olds and upward. Macho Dorado has opened as the 5-2 favorite. Joe Talamo does not have a mount.

2:28 CT: Yes, I would say the track is speed-favoring.

The third race of the day is in the history books, and the winner was 7-1 shot Basmati, with Mario Gutierrez aboard for trainer Doug O'Neill and owner Paul Reddam. The three-year-old colt received a trip similar to the one Big Tiz got one race earlier, dueling with Macho Dorado and Got Even through blazing fractions of :22.08 and :44.08 before hanging on gamely to win the seven-furlong allowance in a quick 1:22.75.

Macho Dorado finished about three-quarters of a length back in second, followed along the rail by Got Even. Hmm . . .

3:07 CT: South Floyd is a late scratch from the Juvenile Sprint. Merit Man is now the favorite at 1-2, and with no other speed horses left in this race, he looks like a very deserving favorite.

3:38 CT: Thanks to a pair of scratches, this year's Juvenile Sprint went off with the smallest field (5 horses) in Breeders' Cup history, so it seemed fitting that a huge longshot should win. Hightail, who had not won a single race from eight previous starts, rallied along the fence to upset heavily favored Merit Man by a nose at odds of 15-1. The D. Wayne Lukas-trainee was not a complete surprise -- he had run well in stakes company -- but it's hard to believe that the colt managed to break his maiden in a $500,000 stakes. I'm pretty certain that's some sort of a record.

I was surprised by Merit Man's defeat, not just because he towered over the field in terms of credentials and speed figures, but because of the slow pace. The colt was able to get away with fractions of :22.41 and :45.94 -- compared to :22.08 and :44.08 in a seven-furlong allowance one race earlier -- yet still allowed Hightail to come and get him in the stretch.

Next up is the Marathon.

4:39 CT: Calidoscopio's victory in the Marathon will be remembered by I as one of the most spectacular moments in Breeders' Cup history.

Dead last early on -- some twenty lengths off the pace -- it looked as though the nine-year-old Argentinean-bred shipper was not going to fire. But turning on to the backstretch, he began to pick off tiring horses with sudden acceleration. He sustained this incredible move throughout the final turn, splitting horses gamely before shifting to the outside for racing room. And then -- just when he should have been tiring from his big run -- he simply exploded, swallowing up rivals left and right before romping to a spectacular victory.

What a performance.

Now, having watched the first two Breeders' Cup races, I no longer think that there is a strong speed bias. There might be a minor one, but if it were overwhelming, Merit Man would have romped in the Juvenile Sprint -- and Calidoscopio would not have rallied from last like he did.

Next up is the Juvenile Fillies Turf, where Sky Lantern is currently the 5-2 favorite over 3-1 shot Spring Venture. Summer of Fun at 40-1 looks intriguing.

5:08 CT: Three Breeders' Cup races, three double-digit upsets. Following the 15-1 and 17-1 victories by Hightail and Calidoscopio, French raider Flotilla showcased a brilliant turn-of-foot in the final eighth of a mile to win the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. I) at odds of 11-1.

A couple of horses affected by traffic were Waterway Run, who lacked racing room throughout the stretch, and Infanta Branca, who had to check along the rail while in the process of making a run.

The Juvenile Fillies is up next . . .

5:45 CT: As I mentioned on my selections post this morning, making the decision between Executiveprivilege and Beholder in the Juvenile Fillies is not easy. Originally, I had settled on Executiveprivilege, but after watching the first four dirt races on the card, I decided that just enough of a speed bias was evident to warrant switching to Beholder. Fortunately, I made the right decision, as Beholder held off Executiveprivilege's late run to win by about 1 1/4 lengths.

Executiveprivilege looked like a winner at the top of the stretch, but drifted out badly under pressure in the final furlong. Hard to say if it cost her the race, but it is worth noting that she has done that before -- in the Del Mar Debutante, when she closed fast despite drifting to nab Beholder right at the wire.

6:30 CT: The Fugue had a very difficult trip, and never got a clear run in the stretch, but let's give credit to Zagora. Earlier this summer, many were writing her off as past-her-prime, but the Chad Brown-trainee rallied strongly in the final furlong of the Filly and Mare Turf to win in decisive fashion over a very game Marketing Mix.

Next up is the Ladies' Classic, where seven grade I winners and an eight-time stakes winner will square off over nine furlongs. I expect to see Royal Delta near the front early on, challenging Questing and/or Awesome Feather for the early lead -- much like she did against It's Tricky in the Beldame.

Whatever happens, it should be a terrific race.

8:56 CT: When I said I expected Royal Delta to show speed, I meant the pace-pressing kind of speed that she showed in the Beldame -- not the sprinter-like speed that she showcased in winning the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic for the second straight year.

The complexion of the race changed drastically when Questing broke poorly and failed to get involved, trailing the field under the wire for the first time before being eased around the first turn. Apparently, she was uninjured -- she simply didn't feel like running.

But with the expected leader out of the race, jockey Mike Smith seized the initiative aboard Royal Delta and took command of the lead, setting blazing fractions of ::45.81 and 1:09.80. My Miss Aurelia and Include Me Out both loomed menacingly around the turn, but in the final furlong, Royal Delta simply had too much left, and held on for a classy 1 1/2 length victory.

All told, it was another wonderful day of racing. Tomorrow's action is even better, with nine Breeders' Cup races on the schedule, including the much-anticipated Breeders' Cup Classic. Enjoy the racing!

-Keelerman