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Eclipse Sportswire

The showdown between Eclipse Award winner Fierceness and
international stars City Of Troy and Forever Young stands out among the
pre-entries taken this week for Breeders’ Cup 2024.

Those three horses were among the likely starters named for
the $7 million Classic, the feature among the nine championship races scheduled
for Saturday, Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

Pre-entries were taken Monday and were announced Wednesday for that
card as well as five Breeders’ Cup races for 2-year-olds Friday, Nov. 1.

Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, 1 mile

In his Grade 1 races this year, 4-year-old National Treasure
won the Pegasus World Cup Invitational and the Met Mile, but he lost the Saudi
Cup, Whitney and California Crown. All the defeats were in races longer than a
mile. Trainer Bob Baffert decided then to try again in the Dirt Mile, which
National Treasure lost nearly 12 months ago by a neck to eventual horse of the
year Cody’s Wish. Three-year-old Seize the Grey comes in with triumphs in the
Preakness and Pennsylvania Derby (G1) for 89-year-old trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who
has a record 20 Breeders’ Cup victories.

Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, 5 furlongs, turf

Cogburn brings championship credentials to Del Mar, having
won all his starts this year in the Turf Sprint (G1) at Churchill Downs, the
Jaipur (G1) at Saratoga and the Turf Sprint (G2) at Kentucky Downs. The
5-year-old Not This Time horse is 7: 6-0-0 on turf and undefeated in five
starts going shorter than six furlongs. Bradsell, a 4-year-old from Europe, got
a late start this year but is 4: 3-1-0, all at five furlongs. The wins included
the Nunthorpe (G1) and Flying Five (G1). The loss came last month in the Prix
de l’Abbaye (G1), his only time trying very-soft turf.

Breeders’ Cup Distaff, 1 1/8 miles

The story of this race practically writes itself. Reigning
division champion Idiomatic, who won this race last year at Santa Anita, is 5:
3-2-0 in her 5-year-old season for Juddmonte and trainer Brad Cox. The
victories in the La Troienne (G1), Molly Pitcher (G3) and Spinster (G1) were interspersed
with losses by a head in the Ogden Phipps (G1) and Personal Ensign (G1).
Thorpedo Anna, a lock to be the champion 3-year-old filly, is 6: 5-1-0 this
year. Her 2024 has included Grade 1 wins in the Kentucky Oaks, Acorn, Coaching
Club American Oaks and Cotillion and her thrilling, second-place finish to Dornoch
when she faces seven colts in the Travers (G1).

Breeders’ Cup Turf, 1 1/2 miles, turf

Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby brings 2022 winner Rebel’s
Romance back to this race on the strength of a 5: 4-0-1 season. The 6-year-old
Dubawi gelding has won four Group 1 stakes in as many nations including the Dubai
Sheema Classic in the Middle East, the Champions and Chater Cup in Hong Kong,
the King George in England and the Preis von Europa in Germany.

Breeder’s Cup Classic, 1 1/4 miles

Three-year-olds lead the early betting both offshore and in
international markets. City Of Troy is the consensus favorite even though he
never has raced on dirt. The Justify colt owned by Coolmore and trained by
Aidan O’Brien has Group 1 victories this year in the Epsom Derby, Eclipse and
International stakes. The mercurial Fierceness, who won last year’s Juvenile, has
Grade 1 wins in the Florida Derby and Travers but also fizzed out to 15th place
in the Kentucky Derby. Forever Young comes from Japan with a 7: 6-0-1 record
with the lone loss being by two noses in the Kentucky Derby.

Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, 1 3/8 miles,
turf

Emily Upjohn has slugged it out at the top level in Europe,
but the 5-year-old Sea the Stars mare has not won since the 2023 Coronation Cup
(G1). Last out she finished third in the Prix Vermeille (G1), losing by 1 1/4 lengths. Highly regarded Friendly Soul, who had been possible for this race, will not run here. Cinderella’s Dream, the top U.S. hope, really is from Europe. Appleby
sent the Godolphin homebred 3-year-old to New York this summer for victories in
the Belmont Oaks (G1) and Saratoga Oaks (G2).

Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, 7
furlongs

Ways and Means, a 3-year-old Practical Joke filly owned by
Seth Klarman, has won her last three races for trainer Chad Brown. The last two
victories came in the seven-furlong Test (G1) and against older rivals in the 6
1/2-furlong Gallant Bloom (G2). Trainer Steve Asmussen has had Society, a Peter
Blum homebred, training up to this race from a win in the seven-furlong Ballerina
Handicap (G1) on Aug. 24 at Saratoga. The 5-year-old Gun Runner mare finished a
troubled fourth in last year’s Filly & Mare Sprint.

Breeders’ Cup Mile, 1 mile, turf

Notable Speech, a Godolphin homebred trained by Appleby, is the
7-2 favorite at Bet365 in Europe. The 3-year-old Dubawi colt won the England 2,000
Guineas (G1) and Sussex (G1) but lost on soft ground last out in the Prix du
Moulin de Longchamp (G1). Carl Spackler, a 4-year-old Lope De Vega colt trained
by Brown for e5 Racing, brings in a three-racing winning streak. He followed
his victory in the Kelso (G3) with wins in the Fourstardave Handicap (G1) at
Saratoga and in the Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland.

Breeders’ Cup Sprint, 6 furlongs

A five-length score for Cox in the Phoenix (G2) this month
at Keeneland gave 4-year-old gelding Federal Judge his second win in as many
tries at six furlongs. Three-year-old Raging Torrent has won his last three
races for trainer Doug O’Neill, including the Pat O’Brien (G2) last out Aug. 24
at Del Mar. That was the same day Mullikin won the Forego (G1) by 5 3/4 lengths
for trainer Rodolphe Brisset, bringing his winning streak to four.