clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

BREEDERS' CUP 2011: Training, not racing, to Louisville (Updated)

New, 5 comments
Big Drama was the only horse at the 2010 Breeders' Cup to win a race off of a layoff of nine weeks or longer.  Tizway and Twirling Candy will attempt to duplicate that feat in 2011.
Big Drama was the only horse at the 2010 Breeders' Cup to win a race off of a layoff of nine weeks or longer. Tizway and Twirling Candy will attempt to duplicate that feat in 2011.

Update: At the bottom of the post I've added data of Breeders' Cup winners and their time off for every race since 2005.

Original Post: News from both coasts today indicated two horses will train up to the Breeders' Cup instead of running in a prep race sometime in the next two weeks.  Met Mile and Whitney winner Tizway was expected to run in next Saturday's Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, but a spiked fever will cause him to miss the race.  He will now train towards the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Out West, Twirling Candy will bypass the Grade 1 Goodwood at Santa Anita and also opt to train up to the Breeders' Cup.  Unlike Tizway, it appears that Twirling Candy is not suffering from a current injury or illness, but he did miss some training time earlier due to a bruised foot, as reported by the Daily Racing Form. Twirling Candy is expected to run in either the Classic or the Dirt Mile.

It remains to be seen whether or not a prep race will harm the chances of either of these horses at the Breeders' Cup, but I help thinking about Quality Road last year, a horse with obviously some distance questions, trying to also "train up" to the Classic, instead of running in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.  As you may recall, Quality Road finished last in the field of 12, over 29 lengths behind Blame and Zenyatta. He was the only horse in the Classic that hadn't had a race since September 25th.  The only other horse that didn't have a prep race in October was First Dude, and he finished 8th, over 10 lengths back.

Just looking at last year's results, it's not an easy thing to win at the Breeders' Cup without a race in October, let alone September. 

Below is a look as last year's Breeders' Cup winners and the date of their last race prior to running at Churchill Downs:

Race Winner LastRace
Marathon Eldaafer TP - 9/11
Juvenile Fillies Turf More Than Real WO - 9/18
Filly & Mare Sprint Dubai Majesty KEE - 10/9
Juvenile Fillies Awesome Feather CRC - 10/16
Filly & Mare Turf Shared Account BEL - 10/2
Ladies' Classic Unrivaled Belle BEL - 10/2
Juvenile Turf Pluck WO - 10/18
Sprint Big Drama SAR - 9/4
Turf Sprint Chamberlain Bridge KEE - 10/9
Juvenile Uncle Mo BEL - 10/9
Mile Goldikova (IRE) LCH - 10/3
Dirt Mile Dakota Phone OTH - 10/2
Turf Dangerous Midge NBY - 9/17
Classic Blame BEL - 10/2

 

Last year, four horses won a Breeders' Cup race without the benefit of a race in October, but all three did run in September.  Additionally, Big Drama was the only horse to win off a layoff of nine weeks or more, something that both Tizway and Twirling Candy will be trying to duplicate. (Sprint contender Smiling Tiger will also come into the Breeders' Cup off of an extended layoff.) Will they be able to pull it off?

Below is the data for every winner since 2005.

Year Date Race Winner LastTrack LastDate DaysOff WeeksOff
2006 4-Nov Classic Invasor (ARG)
SAR  5-Aug 91 13
2010 6-Nov Sprint Big Drama SAR  4-Sep 63 9
2008 25-Oct Sprint Midnight Lute DMR 24-Aug 62 9
2007 26-Oct Filly & Mare Sprint Maryfield SAR  26-Aug 61 9
2006 4-Nov Turf Red Rocks (IRE) YOR 6-Sep 59 8
2007 27-Oct Sprint Midnight Lute SAR  1-Sep 56 8
2006 4-Nov Filly & Mare Turf Ouija Board (GB) LEO 9-Sep 56 8
2010 5-Nov Marathon Eldaafer TP  11-Sep 55 8
2007 26-Oct Dirt Mile Corinthian SAR  1-Sep 55 8
2005 29-Oct Juvenile Stevie Wonderboy DMR 7-Sep 52 7
2010 6-Nov Turf Dangerous Midge NBY  17-Sep 50 7
2005 29-Oct Classic Saint Liam BEL  10-Sep 49 7
2010 5-Nov Juvenile Fillies Turf More Than Real WO  18-Sep 48 7
2008 25-Oct Mile Goldikova (IRE) LCH  7-Sep 48 7
2006 4-Nov Juvenile Fillies Dreaming of Anna WO  17-Sep 48 7
2005 29-Oct Sprint Silver Train BEL  11-Sep 48 7
2008 24-Oct Filly & Mare Sprint Ventura WO  7-Sep 47 7
2009 7-Nov Dirt Mile Furthest Land TP  25-Sep 43 6
2008 25-Oct Turf Conduit (IRE) DON 13-Sep 42 6
2005 29-Oct Juvenile Fillies Folkore BEL  17-Sep 42 6
2007 27-Oct Mile Kip Deville WO  16-Sep 41 6
2009 7-Nov Turf Sprint California Flag OSA  30-Sep 38 5
2010 6-Nov Dirt Mile Dakota Phone OTH  2-Oct 35 5
2010 6-Nov Classic Blame BEL  2-Oct 35 5
2009 7-Nov Sprint Dancing in Silks OSA  3-Oct 35 5
2009 7-Nov Mile Goldikova (IRE) LCH  3-Oct 35 5
2010 5-Nov Filly & Mare Turf Shared Account BEL  2-Oct 34 5
2010 5-Nov Ladies' Classic Unrivaled Belle BEL  2-Oct 34 5
2010 6-Nov Mile Goldikova (IRE) LCH  3-Oct 34 5
2009 7-Nov Juvenile Turf Pounced LCH  4-Oct 34 5
2009 7-Nov Turf Conduit (IRE) LCH  4-Oct 34 5
2009 6-Nov Juvenile Fillies Turf Tapitsfly BEL  4-Oct 33 5
2009 6-Nov Filly & Mare Turf Midday (GB) LCH  4-Oct 33 5
2008 25-Oct Turf Sprint Desert Code OSA  24-Sep 31 4
2009 7-Nov Classic Zenyatta OSA  9-Oct 29 4
2008 25-Oct Marathon Muhannak (IRE) DUN  26-Sep 29 4
2010 6-Nov Turf Sprint Chamberlain Bridge KEE  9-Oct 28 4
2010 6-Nov Juvenile Uncle Mo BEL  9-Oct 28 4
2009 6-Nov Juvenile Fillies She Be Wild KEE  9-Oct 28 4
2009 6-Nov Ladies' Classic Life Is Sweet OSA  9-Oct 28 4
2008 25-Oct Dirt Mile Albertus Maximus OSA  27-Sep 28 4
2008 25-Oct Classic Raven's Pass ASC 27-Sep 28 4
2007 27-Oct Filly & Mare Turf Lahudood (GB) BEL  29-Sep 28 4
2006 4-Nov Juvenile Street Sense KEE  7-Oct 28 4
2006 4-Nov Sprint Thor's Echo OSA  7-Oct 28 4
2006 4-Nov Mile Miesque's Approval KEE  7-Oct 28 4
2006 4-Nov Distaff Round Pond BEL  7-Oct 28 4
2010 5-Nov Filly & Mare Sprint Dubai Majesty KEE  9-Oct 27 4
2009 6-Nov Filly & Mare Sprint Informed Decision KEE  10-Oct 27 4
2009 7-Nov Juvenile Vale of York (IRE) MIL  11-Oct 27 4
2008 24-Oct Juvenile Fillies Stardom Bound OSA  27-Sep 27 4
2008 24-Oct Ladies' Classic Zenyatta OSA  27-Sep 27 4
2008 25-Oct Juvenile Midshipman OSA  28-Sep 27 4
2007 27-Oct Distaff Ginger Punch BEL  30-Sep 27 4
2007 27-Oct Turf English Channel BEL  30-Sep 27 4
2007 27-Oct Classic Curlin BEL  30-Sep 27 4
2005 29-Oct Mile Artie Schiller BEL  2-Oct 27 4
2005 29-Oct Turf Shirocco (GER) LCH  2-Oct 27 4
2008 24-Oct Juvenile Fillies Turf Maram BEL  1-Oct 23 3
2009 6-Nov Marathon Man of Iron DUN  16-Oct 21 3
2008 24-Oct Filly & Mare Turf Forever Together KEE  3-Oct 21 3
2008 25-Oct Juvenile Turf Donativum (GB) NEW 4-Oct 21 3
2007 27-Oct Juvenile Fillies Indian Blessing BEL  6-Oct 21 3
2007 27-Oct Juvenile War Pass BEL  6-Oct 21 3
2010 5-Nov Juvenile Fillies Awesome Feather CRC  16-Oct 20 3
2005 29-Oct Filly & Mare Turf Intercontinental (GB) KEE  9-Oct 20 3
2005 29-Oct Distaff Pleasant Home KEE  9-Oct 20 3
2010 6-Nov Juvenile Turf Pluck WO  18-Oct 19 3
2007 26-Oct Juvenile Turf Nownownow KEE  7-Oct 19 3

 

Of the 69 races run at the Breeders' Cup since 2005, 52 have been won by horses with a race within 43 days (six weeks).  There were only seventeen winners with a greater than six week layoff, and only one, Invasor (ARG), with a layoff of longer than nine weeks.