Zenyatta Headed To The Classic

Jay Privman wrote in his Sunday Daily Racing Form column that trainer John Sherriffs has said that Zenyatta is headed for her first showdown against colts and geldings in the $5 Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. 1) Saturday at Santa Anita.

Zenyatta has been pre-entered into both the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic (gr. 1) which she won last year, and the Classic. Final entries will be taken Tuesday morning with post positions drawn later that day. She is expected to garner favoritism from the wagering public either race as she tries to remain undefeated in what will be her 14th career start.

There was much a buzz about Classic hopeful Einstein at Santa Anita Sunday following a half-mile work in :47-4/5 with trainer Helen Pitts aboard. Following the work, Pitts admitted that the work was faster than she wanted, but that Einstein moves deceptively fast over Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface.

Earlier this year Einstein won the grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap at the Southern California track and later won the Grade 2 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs.

Super Derby (gr. 1) winner Regal Ransome also had an impressive work in preperation for the Classic having clicked off five furlongs in :59.36. According to clocker reports on the work, the Goldolphin-owned 3-year-old was impressive in his accelleration late in the work and looked stong in galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.63. Stablemate Girolamo also worked five furlongs Sunday. Although his :59.28 time was faster than Regal Ransom's, it came with more urging from the exercise rider and was not as impressive.


Breeders' Cup Or Bust Update
The Paulick Report and Breeders' Cup Charities are in the midst of a cross-crountry bus tour raising money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Their latest stop was in Oklahomoa. Click here to read the full story.

Arlington Million Again Rich With Talent

One of the premier turf races in North America will be run at Arlington Park near Chicago Saturday in the grade 1 Arlington Million. Run at 1-1/4 miles on the turf, it is traditionally a significant event for year-end championship honors, an early preview of the Breeders' Cup Turf to be run in November and a chance to also see some of Europe's brightest stars.

Great turf runners such as John Henry, who won the inaugural running in 1981 and again in 1984; Perrault (1982), Manila (1987) and Star of Cozzene (1993) have all traveled to Arlington Park to win the Arlington Million.

The list of winning trainers for the Million reads like a who's who of thoroughbred conditioners but only Ron McAnally and Charlie Whittingham have won the race multiple times - each winning the race on three occassions.

McAnally won the two Millions with John Henry and again with Tight Spot in 1991 while Whittingham won with Perrault, Estrapade (86) and Golden Pheasant in 1990.

Only four jockeys have multiple Arlington Million victories to their credit, each winning two including Laffit Pincay Jr., Jerry Bailey, Cash Asmussen and Jose Santos. Kent Desormeaux, who rides Mr. Sidney this year for trainer Bill Mott, is the only jockey to have a chance to join that group this year having won previously on Kicken Kris through the disqualification of Powerscourt (GB) for interference during the running of the 2004 running.

The Arlington Million had immediate noteriety as the first million dollar thoroughbred race in the world back in 1981 and the 2009 version certainly lives up to the high standard set by the illustrious history of the race.

World traveler Gloria de Campeao ships to Chicago after winning the Singapore Airlines International Cup, a group 1 race run in the Republic of Singapore in May. The winner of more than $1.4 million will join European invader Cima de Triomple (Ire) in challenging a stellar field of North American horses led by Gio Ponti, Einstein and Presious Passion.

In his most recent trip to the post in Sandown's Group I Coral-Eclipse July 4, Cima de Triomphe finished fourth, beaten by the winning Sea The Stars, Europe's outstanding sophomore; runner-up Rip Van Winkle, most recently winner of Goodwood's Group I Sussex Stakes; and Conduit, hero of last year's Breeders' Cup Turf and this year's Group I King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. Regular rider Christophe Lemaire rides again Saturday.

Gio Pointi is coming off of three consecutive grade 1 turf victories in the Man o' War Stakes in July and the Manhattan Handicap in June at Belmont Park and the Frank E. Kilroe Handicap at Santa Anita in May.

Einstein has won on every type of surface during his career having taken the Santa Anita Handicap (gr. 1) on a synthetic track and the Turf Classic (gr. 1) on grass at Churchill Downs but it has been over the grass where he is perhaps most dangerous.

Precious Passion gave us perhaps one of the more dazzling performances of the year in winning the United Nations (gr. 1) at Monmouth Park on July 4 after getting out to a 20-length lead early in that race and holding on to win by two lengths for his 12th turf victory.