A trio of two-year-old fillies, Wyomia, Delightful Mary and New Normal, head a list of 10 runners with Canadian connections pre-entered to the 27th Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, set for Churchill Downs
, in Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, November 5, and Saturday, November 6.
Dan Vella trainee Wyomia and Delightful Mary, conditioned by Woodbine’s leading trainer Mark Casse, finished first and second, respectively, in the Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes on October 9. Wyomia shares her name with two-time Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Wyomia Tyus. Owned by Beverly Anderson and Ed Seltzer, she is pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Wyomia is by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Vindication.
Delightful Mary, also two-for-three in her young career, is pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at 1-1/16 miles. She defeated colts and geldings in a two-turn allowance on September 12 before finishing two and three-quarter lengths behind Wyomia in the Mazarine. The daughter of Limehouse will test the dirt, a surface on which she has yet to race. Casse says her most recent workout, over the Churchill dirt, may have been her best ever.
New Normal, a Robert Evans homebred, earned her way to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with an impressive one and a half length victory in last month’s Grade 3 Natalma Stakes, a Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ event. The daughter of Forestry is trained by Mark Frostad and has captured two of her three starts, all on turf.
Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield, who seeks his first ever Breeders’ Cup score, has two possible runners. Miss Keller, the runner-up in the $1 million E.P. Taylor Stakes, is pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She won the Canadian Stakes on September 19. He could also be represented by Society’s Chairman, Charles Fipke (who also owns Seeking The Title -- pre-entered in the Ladies Classic) and George Waud charge that rallied to be second to Gio Ponti in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile. An earner of over $600,000, the son of Not Impossible’s lone score came in the Grade 3 Appleton on March 20.
Sam-Son Farm-owned Grand Adventure earned Breeders’ Cup consideration on the strength of a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Nearctic Stakes (also a ‘Win and You’re In’ event) over Woodbine’s E.P. Taylor Turf Course. Pre-entered in the Turf Sprint, the son of Grand Slam won this year’s Grade 2 King Edward and Grade 3 Connaught Cup Stakes.
Toronto native Eugene Melynk has pre-entered his turf star Bridgetown in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at five furlongs. The Ken McPeek trainee had a two-race win streak snapped in the Nearctic. The son of Speightstown won the 2009 Summer Stakes before finishing second by three-quarters of a length in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
Eugene George’s Milwaukee Appeal hasn’t visited the winner’s circle since her score in the 2009 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, but the daughter of Milwaukee Brew has maintained strong form against top company. Most recently, the millionaire Scott Fairlie trainee came within one length of a Grade 1 triumph in the Spinster Stakes. She is pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic.
Windsor native John Paul Reddam has pre-entered Waveline in the Filly and Mare Turf as well as the Turf Sprint. He also has Quiet Oasis pre-entered in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Aside from the Canadian connections, Zenyatta will put her 19-0 record on the line when she defends her title in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic, going against the boys for the second consecutive year. Zenyatta was pre-entered in the Classic, along with 13 others, including Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky and runner-up First Dude, Whitney winner Blame and Woodward and Metropolitan Mile winner Quality Road, a Todd Pletcher-trained horse who was scratched at the gate before last year's Classic.
"It's the first Classic ever that everybody is going to be rooting for one horse," said Bob Baffert, who trains Lookin At Lucky but counts himself a Zenyatta fan. "That mare has done so much for racing. We all want to win, but we don't mind getting beat by her."
Zenyatta has won all five of her starts this year and will be looking to end her spectacular career with a victory in the 1-mile Classic. It will be her second start on dirt this year. She won the Apple Blossom for the second straight year at Arkansas' Oaklawn Park in April.
"She just looks terrific. The races really haven't taken anything out of her," trainer John Shirreffs said. "She's handling everything very well."
Final entries will be drawn on Tuesday, November 2. Complete pre-entry fields and updates are available at breederscup.com. The 2010 Breeders’ Cup races will air on TSN and TSN2 in Canada.
(with files from WEG)