Azeri to face the boys

Azeri led wire to wire in 2002 Distaff; can she steal the Classic on the front end?  (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)

Michael Paulson’s 2002 Horse of the Year AZERI (Jade Hunter),
who was cross-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) and
Distaff (G1), will face males in the $4 million Classic, trainer D. Wayne Lukas
announced Tuesday.

“This is Texas. The Breeders’ Cup is kind of a ‘Texas Hold ‘Em,’
and we’re going all-in,” Lukas said. “(The decision) wasn’t
easy. A lot of thought went into it. Michael Paulson and I really agonized
over it.

“We went over the pros and cons. We looked at all the
situations,” Lukas explained. “It was our unanimous decision. We
decided last night we would like to try the Classic.”

Winner of the 2002 Distaff, the six-year-old mare will be making her second
start at 10
furlongs in the Classic and second attempt against males. She placed second to Distaff contender Storm
Flag Flying (Storm Cat) in the 1 1/4-mile Personal Ensign H. (G1) at Saratoga two starts
back, and finished eighth in the Met Mile (G1) at Belmont Park in May. At the nine-furlong Distaff
distance, Azeri proved nearly unbeatable, winning six of seven starts (all Grade 1
victories).

Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Azeri captured three of seven starts this
year, including the Spinster S. (G1)
at Keeneland in her last outing. She owns an overall record of 23-17-4-0,
including 11 Grade 1 wins, and lifetime earnings of $3,959,820.