For those horses who may prefer alternate conditions than those offered by the Breeder's Cup, this Saturday at Belmont provides a nice variety of Grade 1 races for 5 different categories.
First up will the 9 furlong Beldame Stakes for the ladies on the main track. Only 5 horses are entered, and Music Note will be an overwhelming favorite with Unbridled Belle looming as her main competition. Originally, Icon Project was supposed to appear in this race, however, her path has been re-routed to Keeneland for the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes next weekend. Keeneland has a synthetic track, and her connections though it wiser to give the synthetic a try before the Breeder's Cup to see how she handles it.
After the Beldame will come the 6 furlong Vosburgh Stakes for the boys. Fabulous Strike, the leading sprinter on the east coast, looks like the one to beat. He is an absolute beast at 6 furlongs with his ability to fly through the first half of the race and still have enough in the tank for the stretch drive. Four horses will oppose him, three of which seem to have at the most a decent shot of defeating the favorite. Kodiak Kowboy has squared off against Fabulous Strike before, but the only time he was able to get the better of him was in the 7 furlong Carter Handicap. Munnings, the lone 3-year old in the field, and Go Go Shoot both have a chance based on their form over the course of the year. The 15-1 longshot Peace Chant completes the field.
Next up will be the 10 furlong Flower Bowl Invitational for the ladies on the grass. Pure Clan is the likely favorite with Dynaforce close behind. If Dynaforce is able to set a nice, easy pace on the front end, she will be tough to beat. However, the presence of another speedster, Criticism, will make that a difficult task. Not far behind in terms of chances is Carribean Sunset, who came just a hair short of defeating divisional leader Forever Together last time out in the Grade 1 Diana Stakes at Saratoga.
The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at 12 furlongs on the grass for the boys will be Gio Ponti's attempt at a remarkable five straight Grade 1 victories. Due to the fact that the ground will likely have some give in it, his only competition appears to be the old warrior, Grand Couturier. Grand Couturier won this race last year by an impressive 10 1/2 lengths and he is at his best when the course has received some rain. Gio Ponti has never had to race this far, however, he appeared to have plenty left towards the end of his previous races.
Lastly we have the Jockey Club Gold Cup at 10 furlongs on the dirt for the boys. Summer Bird will be taking his first crack at older horses following his victories in the Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes and second place finish to super-filly Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell. He will likely go off as the favorite, but he is anything but a sure thing. Multiple-course-record setter Quality Road is looking to regain his form from earlier in the year when he was on the triple crown trail. He was sidelined for several months and has had two good prep races to prepare for this spot. If he turns in a huge effort, no one will be surprised. Macho Again got closer to defeating Rachel Alexandra than anyone else in recent history, so he naturally has a good chance since she will not be appearing in the starting gate. Asiatic Boy won multiple stakes overseas and has run very respectably since moving to the states. Dry Martini won the Suburban Handicap on this same track earlier this year and if he steps back up to that form, he will also be tough.
This quintet of races may have little effect on the Breeder's Cup, but it is an important day nonetheless in terms of purse sizes and the quality of the horses involved. Also scheduled for this weekend is the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Perhaps the second most famous race in the world, "The Arc" is Europe's most prestigious race, as is evidenced by it's nearly $6 million purse. Sea The Stars will surely go off as the favorite (as long as the ground isn't too soggy for his liking), as he is being hailed as one of the best horses to race in Europe over the past decade. There is also a strong chance that he will come across the pond to compete in the Breeder's Cup following his race in France, and that would surely add some much needed flair to Breeder's Cup Day.
