O’Brien Hopes Firm Turf Brings Out Best in Luxembourg

Ten stallions will be represented by four or more starters in the Breeders’ Cup, including five that could see their first winner or winners in a World Championships.

Taylor Made Stallions’ Not This Time   has the greatest representation this year with six starters that include three-time grade 2 winner Next  in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), 7-5 favorite Cogburn  and longshot Arzak  in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), Dream On  in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T), Shareholder  in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T), and Abientot  in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T). His Tenacious Leader  was entered in the Juvenile Turf, but has since scratched.

Next with five starters each are Spendthrift Farm’s multiple leading sire Into Mischief  , Ashford Stud’s Justify  , and Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa’s Good Magic  .

Into Mischief is once again leading the general sires standings with more than $29.8 million in progeny earnings. He became the first North American sire to have his progeny amass more than $20 million in earnings in a calendar year in 2020 and is well positioned to break the $30 million earnings threshold this year.

Justify and Good Magic are currently ranked first and second, respectively, on the leading third-crop sires list and are co-leaders with three grade 1 winners apiece.

Six stallions have four entrants each: Hill ‘n’ Dale’s marquee sire Curlin  , Three Chimneys Farm’s Gun Runner  , Gainesway’s Tapit  , Tally-Ho Stud’s Mehmas  in Ireland, Ashford’s Practical Joke  , and Calumet Farm’s late sire English Channel.

Curlin is the leading sire by number of Breeders’ Cup winners to date with eight and close behind are Into Mischief and Tapit, who have sired seven winners each.

The stallions looking for their first winner are Not This Time, Good Magic, English Channel, Practical Joke, and Mehmas.

Sierra Leone Has a ‘Purpose’ in Classic 

Owners Peter Brant, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, and Brook Smith are not the only ones who could benefit financially from a top performance from Sierra Leone  in the Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

So, too, could the Backside Learning Center thanks to Brook Smith’s generosity via his participation in the Purses For a Purpose program, whereby the BLC receives donations based on either a percentage of the purse earned by a horse or a flat dollar amount. Smith donates 10% of all his purses to the BLC.

A nonprofit, the BLC provides support and resources for the community of racetrack workers and their families at Churchill Downs and surrounding tracks and training facilities. The BLC offers access to education and programs for youth and adults that support health and well-being and supports them through case management, human services, and other systems emphasizing culture and community engagement.

Smith has been instrumental in developing and promoting the Purses For a Purpose program. A second-place finish from Sierra Leone  in the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) contributed to the BLC, as did other starts.

Smith calls the BLC “vital for the community” and says that the Purses For a Purpose program “has developed a lot of momentum. I mean, there are checks coming in every month. So if you’re an owner, to me it’s a no brainer to support the community, and Sierra Leone, if he’s across the line first (Saturday), it would be a really nice check to hand over.”

Sierra Leone has not been victorious since April when he won the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, though he has not been out of the money in four starts since. Since his runner-up finish in the May 4 Derby at Churchill Downs, where he bumped with third-place Forever Young  down the stretch, the Chad Brown-trained 3-year-old son of Gun Runner   also finished third in the Belmont Stakes (G1), second in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), and third in the Travers Stakes (G1). The latter three races were at Saratoga Race Course.

The Derby was a memorable experience for Smith, a Louisville, Ky., resident.

“Being a part of the greatest two minutes in sports—unbelievable,” he said. “To this day, just talking to you about it gives me goosebumps.”

Now his horse pursues the Classic over the same 1 1/4-mile trip, facing some familiar rivals in Forever Young and Fierceness , who beat Sierra Leone in the Jim Dandy and Travers. In addition, he faces European star 3-year-old City of Troy , a son of Justify   and a second representative in the race for Magnier, Tabor, and Derrick Smith.

Brook Smith conversed with some of City of Troy owners Thursday morning after the O’Brien-trained colt returned to the quarantine barn after training.

Both horses are coveted stallion prospects whose value would increase further with Breeders’ Cup success.

“It’s interesting to bring him here and give him a crack,” Brook Smith said of City of Troy. “The classic has so many storylines.”

Watch City of Troy, Next, Fierceness and many others train Oct 31 at Del Mar

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Publish date : 2024-10-30 17:00:00

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