The 2022 Breeders’ Cup will take place over Friday and Saturday Nov. 4 and 5 in Kentucky. That equates to a 6:00am on Saturday Melbourne start for five 2-year-old Breeders’ Cup races contested on Friday at Keeneland. Then, at the challenging hour of 2:45am Melbourne time on Sunday morning, will come the first of nine Breeders’ Cup races to take place on Saturday at Keeneland.
Recent evolution in North America now finds the Breeders’ Cup running Lasix-free for what will be the 2nd year in a row. This factor hasn’t had too much impact on foreign participation in North America’s richest weekend of racing. (in 2020 at the same venue with Lasix allowed for non-2yo’s there were 18 runners who had last raced outside of North America and for 2022 there are 24 possible among Saturday’s entries)
With that said, the 2022 Breeders’ Cup line-up is quite competitive among the top contenders in most cases. Unique in 2022 from this perspective is the sense that no race seems so challenging as to need to cover more than five runners as a prime stance in the popular multi-race exotics bets. Perhaps a significant difference for punters between Australian racing and American racing is the American trend that has been to place single wagers that string together as many consecutive winners as one can fathom. The remnants of such strategy are far too often just the story of a “close call” (or a “bad beat”) to share with your friends. If one day North American technology delivers on the promised opportunity to “sell your action” during the middle of a sequence then a day among other racegoers might become an even more crazy experience.
Most of the Breeders’ Cup events are rather wide-open, and there are many second tier-seeming runners who could win and not be a shock. It just seems like a rare year that lacks any certain race that is totally perplexing and makes you want to go deep when merely trying to have the winner covered in multi-race (dreams).
Lets have a look at each individual contest, beginning with the races to be held on Friday – all for two-year-olds:
Race #6 Friday
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint 5 1/2 furlongs
European runners typically have an advantage over North American counterparts when the best of the best get together on grass. This is a race that is quite competitive near the top while there are others just below the top tier who could certainly impact the finish. We’ll take a shot on Frankie Dettori’s mount, Persian Force, who went favored and just missed to top Euro runner Blackbeard in August. A 12-horse scrum over 5 1/2 furlongs on Keeneland turf could produce any number of results.
[6] Persian Force [2] Love Reigns [12] The Platinum Queen [4] Dramatised [5] Mischief Magic
Race #7 Friday
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies 1 1/16 miles
A field of fourteen 2yo fillies going around two turns here in another competitive event. Wonder Wheel is the choice, after she just topped a number of the others on this same course at the same distance. She drew the inside barrier last time around and was perhaps under the gun from the very start and barely lasted the trip to score by a nose then. With that experience under foot, and a better draw this time (#5) she can race from on or from off the pace and be tougher come crunch time. Runner-up in that same race was Chop Chop, who finished strongly from well back in a spot where those in front early stuck around until the end. Last was Chop Chop’s first-ever start on dirt and she has every right to go much better now. Third in the same race was Raging Sea, who drew poorly here (#14), but she could make lots of noise in what shall be just her third lifetime start.
[5] Wonder Wheel [7] Chop Chop [14]Raging Sea [10] Chocolate Gelato
Race #8 Friday
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf 1 mile
This race has the potential to be quite competitive although the feeling in this corner is that one of the better European runners will prevail. It doesn’t take much to stand behind Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore with Meditate, who seems to be improving with each race. She hasn’t conquered Gr. I company yet but was favored in each of two prior chances at the level. Lightly-raced Midnight Mile is another prime candidate from overseas but like Medidate she drew an outside barrier and may be at the mercy of the trip gods on a tighter U.S. grass course. Another chance is improving Spirit Gal, raced four times in Ireland previous to this engagement.
[10] Meditate [12] Midnight Mile [7] Spirit Gal
Race #9 Friday
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile 1 1/16 miles
Heavily favored here will be Cave Rock, from the barn of Bob Baffert. Colt by Arrogate is 3-for-3 to date having won each by a long margin. Baffert’s other starter in this race is National Treasure, who gets blinkers today and seems the best candidate to spring an upset. It is highly unlikely that the two of them will tangle with one another early so that affords even more cushion if opting to cover both in multi-race endeavors. Others to use “underneath” include Forte, Blazing Sevens, Lost Ark, and Verifying.
[3] Cave Rock [10] National Treasure
Race #10 Friday
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf 1 mile
While there are many entered here who can sort out the minor awards, it appears that Godolphin runner Silver Knott stands tall above the rest. Trainer C. Appleby is 5-for-10 in North America in 2022 while he and William Buick are 7-for-8 when combining on North American runners over the past two years. Silver Knott’s last race at Newmarket was in a league not shared by any of the others here and he is well drawn in barrier #4. Best of those suited for using “underneath” include Victoria Road, Packs a Wahlop, I’m Very Busy, Andthewinneris, and Webslinger.
[4] Silver Knott [1] Victoria Road [2] Packs a Wahlop [8] I’m Very Busy
That concludes Friday’s Breeders’ Cup offerings