Breeder’s Cup (Day 2 – The Irish View)

A good if frustrating day for the Irish in Southern California yesterday.

Placed efforts from Valiant Force, Porto Fortuna, and a first and second for Unquestionable and Mountain Bear was some compensation for the vets scratching both Givemethebeatboys and River Tiber. Hopefully today all contenders make it to post.

Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (Grade 1) 

First up for the Irish are a pair of fillies, Warm Heart goes for Ballydoyle with Ryan Moore on top and Luminere Rock represents Owning Hill with Dylan Browne McGonagle aboard.

Warm Heart is a five-time winner from eight runs including a brace of G1’s last time. She took the Yorkshire Oaks and followed up in Paris in the Prix Vermeille where she beat Melo Melo and Sea Silk Road, the latter then took the G1 Prix de Royallieu at Longchamp over Arc weekend. Previously she’d also accounted for both Luminere Rock in the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot and Blue Stocking (who was second in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot two weeks ago) in a Listed Trial at Newbury.

Luminere Rock is two from eleven, she improved all season, since following Warm Heart home in the Ribbledale she’s run forth on bottomless ground in the Irish Oaks, then went down a head to Jannah Rose in the G2 Prix Alec Head at Deauville before winning the G2 Blandford Stakes beating Jackie Oh at the Irish Champions festival and was third to Blue Rose Cen and Jackie Oh in the Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp.

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This is a deep race with plenty of good opposition. John and Thady Gosden’s Inspiral is a five-time G1 winner over a mile and steps up to 1m2f for the first time while American horse, the Chad Brown trained In Italian is a four-time G1 winner and Fev Rover, ex Richard Fahy, and now with Canadian Mark Casse is a double G1 winner. Throw in the Godolphin owned, and trained by Charlie Appleby, With The Moonlight, and the depth of the race becomes obvious. The draw favours Warm Heart, from stall two, as opposed to Luminere Rock outside in stall eleven, expect Ryan Moore to be positive from the gate and he can wind it up all the way to the line.

Recommendation

Warm Heart 3/1 win

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Breeders’ Cup Turf (Grade 1)

Bolshoi Ballet has been scratched leaving Aidan O’Brien with a pair in Broome and Auguste Rodin.

Broome who’ll be partnered by Dylan Browne McGonagle, has been around a while now. The seven-year-old will be looking for his tenth win in his thirty-ninth start. He’s contested two Breeders’ Cup Turf races finishing second to Yibir in 2021 and sixth last year to Rebel’s Romance. He’s been a real money machine amassing over £2m in prizemoney, he’ll love the firm ground and while he’s a big outsider it should be recalled that he beat US Morning Line favourite Mostahdaf last year over this trip at Royal Ascot in the G2 Hardwicke Stakes.

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Auguste Rodin is a class act, a dual Derby winner, and last time out he took the Irish Champion Stakes. Against him are the 2000 Guineas and the King George flops, both on soft ground. He’s the second favourite on the US Morning Line at 3/1 however in Europe he’s the 2/1 favourite. He will love this firm ground and drawn in stall five he can be prominent as can Broome berthed next door in six.

This will be a belter with very good English, French and Japanese horses all staking claims however preference is for August Rodin to follow in the footsteps of High Chaparral, the last Derby winner to take a Breeders’ Cup Turf in the same year, in 2002.

Recommendation

Auguste Rodin 3/1 win US Tote

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Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (Grade 1)

The last chance of the night for an Irish win will fall to Aesop’s Fables in the sprint.

Aidan O’Brien added headgear which Ryan Moore believes to have transformed him. He rediscovered his good two-year-old form last time out in the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp when running third to Highfield Princess beaten 1L. A Morning Line 12/1 shot, he could run into a place or better here.

Recommendation

Aseops Fables 12/1 ew US Tote

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