Ever Rider looks to emulate Calidoscopio in Breeders' Cup Marathon

No one who witnessed last year's Breeders' Cup Marathon will ever forget the unprecedented rally turned in by Calidoscopio, the nine-year-old Argentinean-bred that rallied from more than twenty lengths back to win by 4 1/4 lengths. It was without doubt one of the most amazing performances in the history of the Breeders' Cup -- perhaps in the history of the entire sport! -- and it was made all the more amazing by the fact that Calidoscopio had prepped for the Marathon in his native country. There have been several Argentinean-bred horses that have won Breeders' Cup races -- Paseana and Bayakoa come to mind -- but they all prepped for the Breeders' Cup in the United States, not Argentina.

But as unprecedented as Calidoscopio's feat may have been, history could be about to repeat itself this November. Another Argentinean has arrived.

The horse's name is Ever Rider. He is a five-year-old grey/roan son of Rider Stripes out of Alleg Dancer, by Il Corsaro. On the surface, his career record does not look very good. From twenty-three starts, he has won just four races, and earned just $76,513. In fact, he has only ever run in one graded stakes race, that being the grade II Clasico General Belgrano at Hipodromo Argentina De Palermo. The 1 9/16th-mile race is a "Win and You're In" prep for the Breeders' Cup Marathon, and was won last year by Calidoscopio in his final start before the Breeders' Cup. This year, the race was won by Ever Rider, at odds of 28-1. Shortly afterward, his owner -- Alberto Ruben Ibanez -- announced that Ever Rider would be shipped to Santa Anita in the fall to contest the Breeders' Cup.

Fast forward to the present, and Ever Rider has already recorded five workouts at Santa Anita Park, including a bullet half-mile breeze in :46 3/5 on October 7th. With a little more than three weeks remaining until the Breeders' Cup, Ever Rider seems to have settled in nicely, and looms as a major contender for the race in which his compatriot made history last year.

There is still much to be learned about Ever Rider. We don't know who will ride him. We don't know his preferred running style. In regard to the latter question, we may not know the answer until the first two or three furlongs of the Breeders' Cup Marathon have elapsed.

But what we do know is this -- history can repeat itself this November at Santa Anita, and for those who weren't on board when Calidoscopio won at 17-1 last year, now is your chance to strike with another talented Argentinean-bred.