If the Breeders' Cup were a round hole, the Marathon Would Be ITS square peg. The Marathon is the ill-fitting componint of championship weekend.
The only Grade 3 Among the 14 BC races, It Is Also The Only One with a burr under $ 1 million. (It goes for $ 500,000.) And Also it has the Distinction of Being the only Breeders 'Cup races run on Ladies' Day That Is not Exclusively for distaffers.
Be That As It May, the Marathon is once again the leadoff event for Breeders' Cup weekend. Extended by a quarter mile for last year's running, the 14-furlong test is - fittingly - The Longest BC race. The first two were won by Runnings horses coming from off the pace. (Muhannak tracked the longshot Booyah before over-taking That rival to win the Inaugural running in 2008 at 1 1 / 2 miles. Man of Iron Came from far off the pace, Thurs nose out Cloudy's Knight last year, "when the distance was extended Thurs March 1st / 4 miles.) But this is the sort of distance Where a solitary FrontRunner Can Get loose on the lead, his competition lull to sleep through easy fractions, and Enough have energy in reserve Thurs Negotiate the long Churchill Downs stretch. The question is, is Such a horse - and pace scenario - Thurs likely emerge from this year's Marathon cast?
There is. Temple City.
A Lightly raced five-year-old son of Dynaformer, Temple City Earned a berth in the Marathon by Taking the Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar in July. That in a win-and-you're-in 12-panel heat, they set dawdling splits (50.4 and 1:16.0) and cruised to a 3 1/4-length, track-record Tally.
"He was just so relaxed today, going around there so easy," jockey Joe Talamo said after the race. "He's Got Such A big, fluid stride is him. When They Came Thurs him, they just kicked away. I asked him, and they was gone. "
That race Came back key. The third-place finisher was Richard 'Kid, WHO Went on Thu successfully Defend his Pacific Classic title in August, and That Followed the try with a big win in the Goodwood Breeders' Cup Handicap at Oak Tree at Hollywood Park. But in his last race (the Hawthorne Gold Cup), Temple City Earned a Beyer speed figure of 0 He's worked well Enough Thurs assuage posting Fears of Another goose egg, But they Returns against two horses beat him by WHO, roughly 89 lengths.
Giant Oak Edged AU Miner out of second in the Gold Cup, and the 4-year-ol son of Giant's Causeway Seems To Be the now horse in the Marathon. Besides topping the AU Miner in Both of Their meetings, Giant Oak has Performed admirably against tougher. They Comes in Third off the layoff and is training forwardly. The Knocks against him are an 0-3 record at Churchill, and no trips to the winner's circle in 2010.
The Brazil-bred Alcomo Comes in off a 3 1/2-month break. He's run well fresh, and his last two tries - Both at 12 furlongs - were solid. Tactical Speed Gives him an advantage over a field of Mostly one-paced runners. And the Marathon has Been his target since spring.
"This is a nice horse, a real pleasure to Train," assistant trainer Caue Caramori said on Alcomo's victory in the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap. "The Breeders' Cup is at Churchill Downs this year, and that's our main goal."
Foreign-based horses won the first two Marathons. Of this year's overseas contingent, Bright Horizon Might Be the most intriguing. A true STAYER, they are tractable brings speed to the table But the dirt is untried.
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