Harry’s picks > Breeders Cup 2014 FINAL SELECTIONS by hs Watnik Hooray!! Two weeks of hard work dissecting remembrances and past performances, personal experiences and pedigree issues as I discern them- I’ve made my final picks for the 2014 Breeders’ Cup- post position and past performances were the last items I examined and that changed who I’d back in the 2014 spectacle, which this season appears to have a “good vibe” about it- perhaps this tumultuous year of epidemics and wars, terror, political mistrust and a economy with all the vitality of Walter Brennen in intensive care- The Breeders Cup is a chance to party and enjoy what so many of us love, the sport of Kings & Queens! I’ve come up with many long shots and I believe allowed myself to like only one horse of those who I like personally and that will be Twilight Eclipse, a gallant son of ill-fated Purim! The rest of my picks follow the parameters which I have set for myself over the past couple of years’- some of these may make less sense than the horses I’ve been writing about for the last couple of weeks- I’ll try and give an explanation or some facts concerning who I picked, so the gentle reader may decide if what I have to say is “good stuff” or “mindless bullshit” However they come in, my fervent hopes are for a good and safe BC 2014 with Jockeys and Horses coming back to the paddocks in good shape and order when the contest has been decided- good luck and may Dame Fortune be your friend BC 2014! Santa Anita Friday 103114- 1-Nazareth #2 will begin the day- a Bluegrass Cat – a 3yo filly, who just broke her maiden in a MC75K – her pedigree is full of stars with a 4th dam by superman Northern Dancer himself- the ff are 1-S and that means the 8th dam is famed Picture Play > odds 12/1 WBH9GCF “29” very good – 2- A mile and three quarters will greet the stout entrants in this stakes race-- & Irish Surf, is #3 and reckoned at 4/1 E Trujillo rides this Dan Hendricks trainee- a G3 winner last I looked Irish Surf- mightiest Secretariat sired 4th dam Cinegita of whom we spoke of concerning another horse earlier this week-- stemming from family 25, this Giant’s Causeway colt has Flanders, as grand dam and Surfside as its dam! And she was champion 3yo filly of 2000- the WBH9GCF is “25” which makes the cut- 3-State bred female stakes: and I’ll go with 12/1 chance Princes Bertrando- her family is much more interesting than she is, and harks back in time to mightiest Sceptre, one of the greatest names in the Stud Book- bred by the 1st Duke of Westminster, she was out of a full sister to notable Ormonde- remembered by many fans for her incredible race versus Ard Patrick and triple crown winner Rock Sand – (later dam sire to Man O War!) Ard Patrick, caught her a neck at the wire and received the benefit of a “historic ride” by Otto Madden who figured out how to beat Sceptre and the great mare yielded, in the last strides-….but her accomplishment of winning 4 classic races in a single season is one that seems to be impervious to ever be duplicated- Princess Bertrando, will carry a low WBH9GCF of “15”- a very slim shot here, but I’ll go for some heavenly intervention- 4- is the G2 Twilight Derby and I’ve got 7/2 Enterprising, as my selection the Exclusive Quality colt could not cope with the Del Mar Derby – perhaps this track will be better for him and rider HOF Mike Smith- TF Proctor a California veteran gives Mike a leg up and the ff is very fine; the popular Native Street clan of 3-d runners, and the granddame of Enterprising, was Beverly D Stakes winner in the windy city- that is Fire The Groom, by personal favorite sire Blushing Groom- a lot to like should get a decent run on this bay. 5- 7 furlong Damascus Stakes – I’m taking 20/1 impossibility Bellarmine, recently claimed by Bob Hess from Ken McPeek- the sire is Magna Graduate and a stakes win from that source seems very unlikely, but that is not big news considering his price may be as much as 40/1 when the chutes fly open- the ff are the powerful 4-R clan) Zenyatta & Summer Front & Angela Renee & ancient Manuel, the latter won the 1899 Kentucky Derby beating Corzan (?) and Manzo!! The outstanding Hong Kong horse The Duke, is of the instant family tree- the most interesting thing about Bellarmine, is that he’s not run this distance before and that is a good angle sometimes- 6- My man Wet Sail, kicks of the 2014 BC portion of the program in the Juvenile Turf- does he have some speed to get clear of the rail? Or will Wet Sail become a wet blanket pinned on the rail, gasping for some space to make a run? His record is particularly uninspiring and he may have run for a tag- but here I’m playing the jockey as much as anything else, Jamie Spencer has been a great rider for many a season and makes a rare appearance in America and a rider of his caliber needs to be supported- as for Wet Sail, his 4th dam is queen of the 3-L group Missy Baba one of the most influential mares in modern history- that is enough for me to cast my ballot and dive in with Wet Sail- odds 15/1 should rise to around 45/1 – his WBH9GCF is a minimal “15” – good luck H. 7- Mike Smith will accompany Carve, a 15/1 son of First Samurai, who strikes me as the sort of stud who comes with a Breeders Cup winner somewhere along the line- will it happen here with Carve? Looks up against it as the Pimlico Special, a much lesser event, sent old Carve to the sharpening board! Perhaps his pedigree will save the day? Well can’t really fine much fault when your 3rd dam is Nureyev’s half sister (5-H0 one of racing’s most glorious modern tribes the 5-H bunch has produced Sweet Reason & Tarfasha & Golan etc. by the time this board reads official I should be ready to call 911! 8- Juvenile Turf Fillies and in this jumble my puzzle came in the form of Chad Brown trained Sivoliere! Another long shot 12/1 the rider will be Gary Stevens, in pursuit of a historic return to the saddle, after being a movie star and broadcaster- so I think many a sentimentalist will support Sivoliere, who shows a couple of Euro victories …..her pedigree is exemplary, as her sire Sea The Stars, was as good as they come and he is off to a good beginning as a stud- and her 3rd dam is Serena’s Song, which is all the mare you could ask for when she was a star attraction- she became dam to Sophisticat! A 3400K yearling! Who ran 3rd in the French 2,000 guineas back in 2002- 9-this race is the awesome looking Distaff Stakes BC style 2014 and a star field is in the gates- my dice landed on ………….J. Sadler trained Iotapa, by champion Afleet Alex, a hoss good enough to win the Preakness, after nearly falling down when roughed up by a NY bred - Iotapa, is rated 6/1 by Brisnet and she has won the G1 Clement Hirsch Stakes and that is G1- her rider will be “smoking” Joe Talamo, a young man who has a lot of experience negotiating the dips and curves of the Santa Anita racetrack- Close Hatches, appears to be the toughest of the Amazonians entered for the 2014 Distaff but she will be breaking from Knott’s Berry Farm and that may cost her in the end- Iotapa has a decent post position a skilled team in the box and may make some fans some loot in the ultra challenging Distaff Bc 2014 heat- her ff looks cool with Spectacular Bid, appearing as sire of the 3rd dam Jewel of the Nile, she an unraced lass by champion Alma North, who was sired by Northern Dancer! 10- Day of Fury will get my loose change by race 10 and he is a son of Street Sense. Day of Fury, is from the line of mares’ which produced Chris Evert, a great champion race mare of the mid 70’s and here her half sister Whisper Who Cares, gets a chance to shine a bit should Day of Fury be able to run like his namesake- C’mon Fury!! That is how it will be for me come Friday- may all the best handicapping muses be by the kind readers side as you convene your BC selections -h
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 13:58:36 +0000