What Are The Available Polls And Rankings?
A good place to start
is the World Thoroughbred Championships Poll for the
John Deere Turf Division
(updated October 3, 2005). This list is compiled by a panel of
prominent international journalists and handicappers.
1. Hurricane Run - Ireland (93)
2. Powerscourt - Great Britain (84)
3. Shakespeare (58)
4. Better Talk Now (57)
5. Azamour - Ireland (56)
6. Motivator - Great Britain (52)
7. Oratorio - Ireland (50)
8. Bago - France (37)
9. English Channel (22)
10. Fourty Niners Son (18)
A few items of interest concerning this list: The list is strongly
weighted to European runners. There are no fillies
or mares on the list. This
is an independent list from the
World Thoroughbred Championship Divisional Point Standings.
Here are the World Thoroughbred
Championship Divisional Point Standings
for the John Deere Turf Division (October 3,
2005). The
World Thoroughbred Championship
Divisional Point Standings
is a Breeders Cup Championship Day qualification tool invented by
the NTRA (National Thoroughbred Racing Association) in conjunction with
Breeders Cup Limited.
1. Sweet Return - Great Britain (28)
2. Better Talk Now (24)
3. Fourty Niners Son (22)
4. King of Happiness (20)
5. Relaxed Gesture - Ireland (20)
6. America Alive (18
7. Willow O Wisp (18)
8. Gun Salute (17)
9. English Channel (16)
10. King's Drama - Ireland (16)
11. Shakespeare (16)
The
World Thoroughbred Championship
Divisional Point Standings are
compiled from North American Graded Stakes races only. As a result,
none of the European turf classics figure in these point standings.
The
World Thoroughbred Championship
Divisional Point Standings
determine which horses are automatically eligible for a Breeders Cup
Championship race.
A maximum of 14 starters are allowed in
each Championship Day race. If more then 14 horses are entered then
the race is "oversubscribed." This is where the Breeders Cup points
system kicks in. During the year, horses that finish first, second,
or third in Graded stakes races earn points. More points are earned
in Grade 1 events than in Grade 2 events. For example, a winner of a
Grade 1 race earns ten points, while a winner of a Grade 2 race earns six
points. The number of points a horse has is critical when a race is
oversubscribed. The first seven positions in an oversubscribed field
are ranked based on the point system. These seven get to run based
on their points. The last seven positions are determined by a
combination of points earned and the opinions of an expert panel.
This provides a "buffer zone" to allow late bloomers to get a chance to
race against their peers, and in the case of the Breeders Cup Turf, a
chance for the superior European turf specialists to compete.
The World Thoroughbred Championships Poll
is a better indicator of the top contenders than
The World Thoroughbred Championship
Divisional Point Standings because
it is not dependent on a rigid point system, and because it considers
horses competing in races held outside North America.
Who Are The Players ?
The Irish bred three
year-old colt
Hurricane Run
is trained by the legendary Andre Fabre
and piloted by Kieran Fallon.
Hurricane Run is fresh off a scintillating
victory in the European Group 1 Prix de L'arc de Triomphe October 2 at
Longchamp in Paris. He raced near the back of the pack entering the
2 1/2 furlong stretch before unleashing a powerful winning move to capture the
1 1/2 mile event. In the process he defeated the 2005 Epsom Derby winner
Motivator and the 2004 Prix de L'arc de Triomphe winner
Bago, who finished
third.
Hurricane Run
owns four wins in five attempts in
European Group classification turf events, and will be a force to be reckoned with should he
run in the Breeders Cup Turf.
The official winner of the 2005 Arlington Million, the British bred five
year-old
Powerscourt,
crossed the finish line first in the 2004 Arlington Million as well, but
was disqualified following a steward's inquiry.
Powerscourt
missed a scheduled start in September but is a Breeders Cup possibility.
Having defeated stalwart
Kitten's Joy in the Arlington
Million,
Powerscourt
certainly has Breeders Cup Turf
credentials.
The top U.S. bred prospect for the Breeders Cup Turf is the William Mott
trained
Shakespeare,
winner of the 1 1/2 mile Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont
October 1.
Shakespeare
defeated a representative field in the Hirsch, clocking in at 2:27.22 for
the 1 1/2 mile affair. The Kentucky bred four year-old is a perfect
four wins in four attempts, and will no doubt face the toughest
competition he has yet seen in the Breeders Cup Turf.
Good Reward, trained by Shug
McGaughey III, has run recent Graded Stakes races on both the turf and the
dirt. He finished a disappointing eighth in the Arlington Million in
August, well behind
Powerscourt
and
Kitten's Joy. In June,
Good Reward won the Grade 1
Manhattan at 1 1/4 miles on the turf at Belmont, defeating favorite
Artie Schiller,
who managed to finish third.
Fourty Niners Son,
trained by Neil Drysdale, captured the 1 1/4 mile Grade 1 Clement L.
Hirsch turf Championship October 2 at Santa Anita. The victory
illustrated an appreciation by the four year-old son of
Distorted Humor
for longer distance turf events.
Fourty Niners Son
finished third in a blanket
finish for runner-up in the Grade 1 Arlington Million in August, three
lengths shy of the winner
Powerscourt.
The four year-old French bred
Bago
is another member of the
talented European contingent which hopes to invade the U. S. to
participate in the Breeders Cup Turf. Winner of the 2004 Group 1
Prix de L'arc de Triomphe, Bago
returned in 2005 to run a strong
third some 3 1/2 lengths behind this year's Prix de L'arc de Triomphe
winner
Hurricane Run.
Racing in almost exclusively European Group 1 company,
Bago
also posted a third place finish behind
Azamour
in the King George VI Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Newbury July 23.
Bago
merits serious consideration in the Breeders Cup Turf.
English Channel, a fast
improving three year-old Kentucky bred trained by Todd Pletcher, ran the
best race of his developing career in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
at Belmont October 1.
English Channel
fought the eventual winner
Shakespeare
determinedly the entire length of the
stretch before yielding. In July
English Channel
posted a victory in the Grade 3 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs.
No conversation concerning the Breeders Cup Turf would be complete
without mention of the 2004 winner
Better Talk Now.
A six year-old gelding bred in Kentucky,
Better Talk Now
finished fourth in the Grade 1 Arlington
Million in August of this year, about three lengths behind the winner
Powerscourt. Most
recently, in the Grade 1 Man O' War Stakes September 10 at Belmont Park,
Better Talk Now
defeated Irish bred
King's Drama
by a neck.
Other possibles for the 2005
Breeders Cup Turf include Irish bred
Azamour,
winner of the King George VI Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Newbury in
July, British bred Motivator,
winner of the Group 1 Epsom Derby at Epsom in June, and Irish bred
Oratorio,
winner of the Group 1 Baileys Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown
September 10.
What is the quality of the
field for the 2005 Breeders Cup Turf?
The Turf Division is dominated by European runners in 2005, not unlike any
other year. The personality of the 2005 Breeders Cup Turf is in large
part dependent on which European runners are entered and then selected by
the expert panel of
Breeders Cup Limited. To get an idea how the 2005
Turf Division compares to previous years, we revisit champions of the
past. Notable previous winners include
High Chaparral,
Fantastic Light,
Daylami,
Chief Bearhart,
Kotashaan and
Theatrical. Notable beaten favorites are
Sky Classic,
Montjeu
,
Paradise Creek
and
Royal Anthem.
When remembering these historical names one begins to consider the
strength of the Class of 2005. It is evident, only days
before the running of the John Deere Breeders Cup Turf,
Hurricane Run is
the one name that stands out among the hopefuls. He has plenty of
challengers, though, to vie for the Breeders Cup Turf championship October 29.
NEW
Our
internet site
Horse-Race-Handicapping.com
has unveiled the Premier Selection
Plus premium handicapping plan.
The
Premier Selection
Plus is a new Horse Race Handicapping Service designed for internet users.
Browse the
Archives
Page for a look at its success, and check out the
Order Page
to view the reasonable pricing. This internet service
provides quality and value.
Photographs of our winning
2005 Belmont Stakes betting tickets
are displayed on the
Home Page.
All selections are documented and verified.