ARCADIA, Calif. — After weathering Hurricane Sandy while marooned at Belmont Park last week, Shanghai Bobby survived a storm of another sort as the field hurtled down the stretch in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
The 2-year-old son of Harlan’s Holiday, after taking command turning for home, looked about to be swallowed up as the late-runners closed in around him. But under the drumbeat of Rosey Napravnik’s right-hand stick, Shanghai Bobby came on again along the rail to outgame 19-1 He’s Had Enough, winning by a head to remain undefeated in five starts.
“Once he gets to the lead, he gets a little bit lost,” said Napravnik, who joined Julie Krone as the second female jockey to win a Breeders’ Cup race. “I was a little bit worried, because he just came to a walk. [Then] he kicked on again. He’s a terrific horse.”
With victories in the Hopeful, Champagne and Juvenile, the Todd Pletcher-trained colt enters the discussion for Horse of the Year.
“It’s great to have an undefeated 2-year-old and go all the way from April to November,” Pletcher said. “It’s a real feather in his cap. He’s handled everything we’ve thrown at him. He just keeps coming.”
Heading into the clubhouse turn, Shanghai Bobby was floated wide in a duel for the lead with Title Contender and Speak Logistics to his inside, while 2-1 Power Broker was forced widest of all. After pressing Title Contender through a quick pace of 22.28 and 45.55 seconds, Napravnik gunned Shanghai Bobby to open daylight, the six furlongs in 1:10.28.
They crawled home after that. The mile went in 1:37.78, with the 1 1/16 miles completed in a tepid 1:44.58, but Shanghai Bobby’s courage was enough to clinch the 2-year-old championship while returning $4.60 as the heavy favorite in a field of nine.
The $1 exacta paid $45.40 and the $1 trifecta paid $366.70.
Turf
Little Mike pulled off a big upset in yesterday’s 1 1/2 -mile Breeders’ Cup Turf, holding off 2-1 favorite Point of Entry to win the Grade 1, $3 million race in 2:22.83, equaling the track record and breaking the Breeders’ Cup record of 2:23.42 set by Conduit over the same course in 2008.
The connections of Little Mike — coming off a disappointing, distant fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park — changed tactics, sitting him off the pace — and it paid off.
“I had so much faith in him,” jockey Ramon Dominguez said of the 5-year-old Spanish Steps gelding. “He’s been so consistent, his last race was no good. He’s always been a proven front-runner. We thought maybe today we put him off the pace, and sure enough he was on the bridle.
“ I knew it would take a very good closer to beat him. I had all the confidence in the world.”
The victory gave Ramon Dominguez and trainer Dale Romans their third Breeders’ Cup win.
The victory was especially sweet for Romans who had been running an unlucky streak this weekend, off the board in two starts on Friday, before saddling Shackleford to a fading seventh-place finish in the Dirt Mile.
“He just runs hard every time,” Romans said. “He bailed us out for the weekend. We decided to back him up off the race in New York, and just sat off the pace.”
Point of Entry finished second a half-length behind and St Nicholas Abbey was third. Little Mike paid $36.60. the $1 exacta paid $68.20 and the $1 trifecta paid $301.20.
Sprint
When Trinniberg, after pressing a hot pace in this year’s Kentucky Derby, called it quits on the far turn to finish 17th, his future appeared dim.
But whereas so many of the top 3-year-olds that finished in front of him that day have vanished from the scene, Trinniberg proved to be the last horse standing with a resounding victory in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint at 13-1, holding off The Lumber Guy by three-quarters of a length under a sweet ride by Willie Martinez.
“You can dream it, you can feel it, but when you taste it, it’s a totally different thing,” Martinez said. “I never lost confidence in him. I figured if I was first or second turning for home, he was going to be very tough to beat. This means the world to me.”
Sum of the Parts gunned to the lead in the overflow field of 14 in the six-furlong race and rocketed through a white-hot pace of 21.41 and 43.73 seconds with Trinniberg breathing down his neck. Trinniberg, blinkers on, clawed to the front and was clear with a furlong to run. The Lumber Guy, who loomed boldly turning for home, could not get to him. The final time of 1:07.98 was the fourth-fastest of the Sprint’s 29 runnings.
Trained by Shivananda Parbhoo in consultation with his father, Bisnath, and owned by the Parbhoo family from Trinidad, Trinniberg rebounded from his Derby debacle to add the Woody Stephens to victories in the Swale and Bay Shore. He also ran second in the Carry Back and Gallant Bob. Those efforts, capped by the Sprint, give him a lock on the Eclipse Award as the nation’s top sprinter.
Trinniberg paid $29.40 to key a $101.70 exacta and $2,721 trifecta with 20-1 Smiling Tiger third (prices for $1 bets).
Mile
Wise Dan put himself in a good spot for Horse of the Year honors by winning the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile, in 1:31.78 under jockey John Velazquez. The time broke the course record set in 1997, and narrowly missed Mandurah’s 1:31.23 world’s record set at Monmouth Park in 2010.
“He such a pleasure to ride,” Velazquez said. “With age, he’s gotten much better. We thought the way he was coming into the race, he was the horse to beat today. I’m very happy.”
The Mile was to be a showdown between Kentucky-bred Wise Dan and Excelebration, the European runner-up to super-horse Frankel in the five times they faced each other.
Wise Dan closed into a strong pace set by front-runner Obviously, who held on gamely through the stretch, with Excelebration to his outside. Animal Kingdom, off an eight-month layoff closed like a rocket to finish, short by 1 1/2 lengths at the wire for trainer Graham Motion. Obviously held third and Excelebration finished a disappointing fourth.
“We hoped he’d run like this,” Motion said. “It looked like [jockey] Raphael [Bejarano] checked a little bit at the top of the stretch. He ran a good race.”
Wise Dan, a 5-year-old gelding by Wiseman’s Ferry gave trainer Charles Lopresti his first Breeders’ Cup victory.
“A couple of days before we left Keeneland, I got him in the last eighth [of a mile] in 11 [seconds] flat,” Lopresti said. “I said, if he’s not ready now, he’ll never be.”
Wise Dan paid $5.60 to win. The $1 exacta paid $27.30 and the $1 trifecta paid $124.70.
Turf Sprint
The question of who would win the most wide open race on the Breeders’ Cup card was answered when one of two fillies in the field of 14, Mizdirection, came from way back to close with a strong kick on the outside to win the Grade 1, $1 million Turf Sprint under jockey Mike Smith.
The 6 1/2-furlong downhill race was timed in 1:11.39 after the half-mile was run in an eye-popping, 42.39 seconds.
The win gave Smith his 17th Breeders’ Cup victory and trainer Mike Puype his first.
“She ran with the boys, and I couldn’t be happier with her today,” Puype said. “We’ve had this race as our goal all year. I’m so proud of her.”
The 4-year-old filly by Mizzen Mast, co-owned by sportscaster Jim Rome, had been listed as 20-1 on the morning line, but was sent off at odds of 6-1 at post time.
Mizdirection made her first start since a second-place finish at Hollywood Park on May 27, and became the 15th female to beat the males since Goldikova won the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 2010.
The Kentucky bred had six wins from 11 starts with $374,621 in earnings before the victory. Unbridled’s Note finished second, a half-length behind Mizdirection. Reneesgotzip, the other filly, finished third. Mizdirection paid $15.80 to win.
The $1 exacta paid $40.10 and the $1 trifecta paid $360.50.
Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
Bettors had a hard time choosing between Emcee and Shackleford in the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, sending them both off at 5-2, with Emcee the slight favorite.
The two chalk horses started in different fashion. Emcee, stretching out to a mile for the first time, set a pressured pace to the far turn, and Shackleford stumbled at the break and never made his customary spot on the lead as both faded to finish sixth and seventh, respectively, as 15-1 Tapizar after pressing Emcee on the lead, took command turning for home and kicked clear to win by 2¹/ lengths under Corey Nakatani.
Tapizar — who finished 17 lengths behind Shackleford last out in the Kelso — is a horse-for-the-course. The 4-year-old son of Tapit, trained by Steve Asmussen, romped by 4 1/4 lengths in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita as a 3-year-old and posted a 3 1/2-length score in the San Fernando last January.
“The Kelso was a bad race,” Asmussen said. “He acted the day after the Kelso like he hadn’t run. We threw it out and he sure performed great today. His success at Santa Anita allowed us to think about this race to begin with, especially off such a bad race in the Kelso. He trained as good as ever out here, looked a picture of health, and ran well.”
Tapizar ran the mile in 1:35.34 to pay $32.60. The 7-year-old Rail Trip came on late for second to anchor a $122.80 exacta (for $1). Delegation, making his first start on dirt, continued on well for third to complete a $1,950.70 trifecta (for $1).
Filly & Mare Sprint
Groupie Doll, the most heavily favored runner in this week’s Breeders’ Cup made a gradual run down the backside before a wide, sweeping move on the turn to take the lead over Dust and Diamonds by 4 1/2 lengths and win the Grade 1, $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint.
Groupie Doll stopped the clock under jockey Rajiv Maragh in 1:20.72 for seven furlongs, a little more than a second over the track record.
It was fifth win in eight starts for the 4-year-old filly this year and should lock up an Eclipse Award in the division. Groupie Doll had earned $775,314 this year before the win.
Dust and Diamonds held second, and long shot Strike the Moon finished third. Groupie Doll paid $3.40 to win. The $1 exacta paid $6.00 and the $1 trifecta paid $3.10.
Juvenile Turf
Going into the Juvenile Turf, which kicked off the nine Breeders’ Cup World Championship races at Santa Anita, Ireland’s George Vancouver was not the most highly regarded of the five Europeans running in the $1 million Grade 1, $1 million event. But he sure was afterward, knifing through the crowded 14-horse field in mid-stretch under Ryan Moore to take command and win by 1 1/4 lengths over America’s Noble Tune, the 7-2 favorite.
“Ryan gave him an absolutely brilliant ride,” said trainer Aidan O’Brien, who won last year’s Juvenile Turf with Wrote. “[George Vancouver] has been crying out for fast ground all year.”
George Vancouver — whose sire, Henrythenavigator, ran second in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita — sported just one win from his previous six starts. Last out, however, he finished third in the Grade 1 Dewhurst at Newmarket, England, behind Dawn Approach, the top 2-year-old in Europe.
“We were in a nice position the entire way,” Moore said. “He traveled very well and quickened when he needed to. Everything worked out.”
George Vancouver ran the mile in 1:33.78 to pay $20.60. Noble Tune and 9-1 Balance the Books — both trained by New York-based Chad Brown — ran 2-3, a neck apart, to complete a $62.80 exacta and $553.10 trifecta (for $1 bets).