FIRST TURN
DECEMBER 3
How important is the Breeders’ Cup?
by James Scully
PICO CENTRAL (Brz) (Spend a Buck) dropped two of
his final three starts this year and his connections elected not to take on the
best sprinters in the world when skipping the Breeders’ Cup. They took an easier
route, Saturday’s Cigar Mile H. (G1), but wound up losing. Pico Central couldn’t beat Lion Tamer (Will’s Way),
Badge of Silver (Silver Deputy), Kela (Numerous) and Domestic Dispute
(Unbridled’s Song) in the final half of the year.
The five-year-old deserves major
kudos for his victories in the Carter H. (G1), Met Mile (G1) and Vosburgh S.
(G1), a feat never before accomplished in a single season, and the repetitive
trips back and forth from California may have taken something out of him by the
end of the year. When Pico Central was on his game in 2004, nobody wanted to
face him. If he had finished the year with a loss in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint
(G1) to any horse besides SPEIGHTSTOWN (Gone West), Pico Central would still
deserve championship honors.
Pico Central would have drastically changed the way this year’s Sprint was
run. He was clearly at the top of his game in the six-furlong Vosburgh, winning
by four lengths and earning a 107 BRIS Speed rating, and would have likely shown
up with a much better performance than he did in the Cigar. The eight-furlong
distance, combined with a wicked pace battle on the front end from his rail
post, were the main factors for his 1 1/4-length defeat on Saturday. He still
earned a 106 Speed figure. Pico Central would have been a serious factor on the
backstretch of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and might have rolled to a convincing
victory in Texas. We’ll never know because his connections didn’t feel the Breeders’ Cup was
important enough.
Instead, Speightstown wound up finishing out a tremendous year with a 1
1/4-length victory at Lone Star. The Todd Pletcher trainee won five of six starts
this season and didn’t duck any horse. His lone defeat came over a
drying out, cuppy Belmont track that he didn’t care for in the Vosburgh. Voodoo (Petionville)
placed ahead of Speightstown there, and that rival wouldn’t finish in
the same area code as Speightstown over a fair track. The Vosburgh wasn’t
the definitive test to decide who was better between the top two sprinters. That was
scheduled for October 30, but Pico Central didn’t show up.
The Met Mile, Carter and Vosburgh are all major events, but the Breeders’ Cup
Sprint is the championship race
for sprinters. It’s the most important race every year. Pico Central would have
had to been supplemented, but the fee wasn’t the deciding issue in his
participation because owner
Gary Tanaka, one of the biggest supporters of Thoroughbred racing, has been
willing to supplement in the past. Trainer Paulo Lobo explained the decision by
saying that there was nothing to be gained by shipping to Lone Star Park. The
Breeders’ Cup wasn’t important to them.
The integrity of the Breeders’ Cup is an issue in this year’s contest for
champion sprinter. Last year’s best horse, Mineshaft, wasn’t even pointed toward
the richest event in North America, the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
His connections already had the title sewn up by September and opted to run
against four grossly overmatched rivals in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) rather
than showcase the colt’s skills in front of a worldwide audience in the Classic. Thoroughbred racing fans
were big-time losers. We also witnessed the connections of several top two-year-olds skip
the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), citing the unimportance of the event.
The trend continued this year. SIGHTSEEK (Distant View) won three Grade 1 races
and earned more than $1 million in 2004. She deserves serious consideration for
champion older mare, but trainer Bobby Frankel never had any intention of
running her in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1). Sightseek split two meetings with
AZERI (Jade Hunter) and may have taken to the Lone Star track like another
Frankel trainee, Breeders’ Cup Classic winner GHOSTZAPPER (Awesome Again).
The only poor performance of Ghostzapper’s career came at Santa Anita in an
allowance race where he was beaten 7 1/2 lengths at 2-5 while finishing fourth. It was his
only appearance ever at Santa Anita and he took to the track like Sightseek, who
also disliked Arcadia, California. Ghostzapper sure loved Lone Star, though.
Sightseek should have been given the opportunity as well.
Does Thoroughbred racing need the Breeders’ Cup anymore? It showcases the
sport. All eight races are televised on NBC. There’s a tremendous build-up for
it. But how important is it for Eclipse Award voters?
Pico Central would have been a lock for championship honors with a victory in
the Cigar, but he blew that chance. Speightstown did enough to earn the title
with five dominant stakes victories, winning all by more than a length. If Pico
Central wins the Eclipse Award, horsemen will have a prominent and current
example of how important the Breeders’ Cup is to the awards process.
Voters can either reward taking the path of least resistance or recognize a
worthy candidate whose connections were willing to take part in Thoroughbred
racing’s biggest day.