It’s hard to believe the 2021 thoroughbred racing season is coming to a close and the Breeders Cup World Championships at Del Mar Racetrack have come and gone. The fourteen Breeders Cup races were conducted on Friday, November 5 and Saturday, November 6 under ideal weather conditions. You won’t find a nicer setting than Del Mar “where the turf meets the surf”.
While we (Woodford Racing) did not have any horses in the Breeders Cup this year, I was particularly interested in the $2 Million Breeders Cup Sprint. The Sprint was the race briefly considered for Flightline’s next race. Ultimately, Flightline’s trainer John Sadler opted to skip the Sprint and target the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on December 26. It’s hard to say how Flightline would have fared in the Sprint but the winner (Aloha West) and second place (Dr. Schivel) finishers are targeting the Malibu Stakes as well so that might provide a barometer.
Flightline training for Malibu Stakes
I had breakfast with Bobby Flay on both Friday and Saturday morning of Breeders Cup weekend. On Friday morning he was unsure how his filly Pizza Bianca would run that afternoon in the Juvenile Fillies Turf race. His primary concern was she had never run on firm turf which would certainly be the condition of the turf for the race. On Saturday morning he shared what’s it’s like to win a Breeders Cup race as Pizza Bianca went from last to first to capture the Juvenile Fillies Turf! The win by Pizza Bianca was the first Breeders Cup win for her trainer Christophe Clement which was great to see.
If you have never been to the Breeders Cup, you might want to plan on attending next year at Keeneland Racetrack in Lexington, Kentucky. What could be better than seeing the best thoroughbred horses in the world compete and experiencing the Bourbon Trail?