English shipper Peace and War hopes to take Alcibiades route to BC

English shipper Peace and War hopes to take Alcibiades
route to BC

Peace and War breezed over the dirt at Keeneland Sunday (Courtesy of Robins Farm Racing via Twitter) Qatar Racing’s Peace and War made the trip to Keeneland from England in hopes of earning an automatic spot into the Breeders’ Cup World Championships to be held at Santa Anita October 31-November 1. “The owner (Sheikh Fahad and his family) wants to run in the Breeders’ Cup,” trainer Olly Stevens said. “You have to run here and qualify the right way. You don’t want to qualify on an all-weather surface at home and then go to dirt.” Stevens hopes Peace and War can get in Friday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Alcibiades going 1 1/16 miles on the new dirt track, a race that is a “Win and You’re In” event for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Alcibiades field is limited to 14 starters with preference given to horses that have finished first, second or third in graded stakes and then highest earnings. “She is nominated to all four (“Win and You’re In”) races,” Stevens said referring to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on the main track Saturday, the Grade 3 Bourbon on Sunday and the Grade 3 Jessamine on October 8. The latter two races are on turf.

“We started thinking of coming here after her second race at Royal Ascot,”
said Stevens, who worked as an assistant to Kellyn Gorder here for five years.

“At Royal Ascot, she had a bad draw but still ran well (finishing sixth in a
field of 21 on the turf) and the winner of that race (Cursory Glance) came back
to win a Group 1 (the Moyglare Stud Stakes).

Peace and War cleared quarantine late last week and joined Gorder’s barn. On
Sunday, she worked five furlongs in 1:01 4/5 on the fast main track after the
renovation break under Julien Leparoux.

“She did it nicely,” Stevens said of the move in which Peace and War started
a couple lengths in back of two Gorder horses, drew even at the top of the
stretch and finished well clear of the others.

“We will see how things go. She may have to go in an allowance on dirt or
turf and then go to Florida,” Stevens said. “If she was not a Florida-bred, the
decision to come here would have been harder. If she were to win an allowance
here and then a Florida-bred race, she would make more money than she would at
home and pay for her trip.”

Listed as probable for the Alcibiades are Fashion Alert, Gap Year, Milehigh
Butterfly, Naval Command, Paige, Pangburn, Ryabinka, Slava, Take Charge Brandi,
Taylor S and Top Decile.

Friday’s opening day card also includes the Grade 3, $200,000 Phoenix, a “Win
and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Bakken, Bern Identity,
Brothersoftime, Eastwood, Nates Mineshaft, Rainbow Heir and Work All Week are
all likely to compete.

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