导出博客文章The Breeders Cup always has been intended to take the breath away.In the
beginning, it was the money, more purse money than American racing ever had seen
before. As it evolved, it was the competition, international in scope, dizzy
with intensity. At one point, it became the action and how astounding it was to
see just how much people wanted to bet, upward of $150 million over a two-day
show.Now, in a social environment so completely attuned to the cult of
personality, the Breeders Cup is all about the stars. Its not enough just to
brag about going to the Breeders Cup. There have been 32 of them. The novelty
has worn off. Now, the question is, Who did you see? And if the answer is, I saw
Zenyatta, or Wise Dan, or Goldikova, or American Pharoah, then youve got their
attention.This year, the main attraction is California Chrome, a horse of such
universal appeal that even the opposition saves room to root.You cant help it,
said trainer Jimmy Jerkens, who will try to beat California Chrome with the
longshots Effinex and Shaman Ghost in the $6 million Breeders Cup Classic. Hes
just such a neat horse, and a great story.No question, when California Chrome
shows up, he tends to suck all the air out of the room. The 1-1/4 miles on dirt
is right up his alley, and his six races this year -- from the winter in Dubai
to his final rehearsal at Santa Anita -- have unfolded as if hewing to a script
already chiseled in stone.However, by the time California Chrome takes the track
late Saturday afternoon against Travers winner Arrogate, Met Mile winner
Frosted, Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Hoppertunity, and Santa Anita Handicap
winner Melatonin, the story of the 2016 Breeders Cup already may have been
written by the half-dozen world-class fillies and mares who have made this party
something to remember.Never before has the Santa Anita Park backstretch been
home to such depth of female talent. A stroll through the stables is like
walking a wing of the Louvre, with masterpiece after masterpiece staring down
from the walls.Fridays $2 million Distaff has been predicted to be the best race
ever run in the U.S. on a weekday that wasnt a holiday. No one really did the
research, but it sounds about right for an event that attracted champions
Songbird, Beholder, and Stellar Wind as well as the multiple Grade 1 winners
Curalina, Im a Chatterbox, and Forever Unbridled.Songbird and Beholder each have
one foot in the Hall of Fame, while Stellar Wind spent the last three months
defying the conventional thinking that there could be yet another filly of
similar caliber on the West Coast. Yes, the Distaff should be run on a Saturday
on network TV alongside the Classic -- especially this Distaff -- but thats an
argument well save for another day. Anyway, Zenyatta won the same event on a
Friday, so at least this years winner will be in good company.If the true test
of a great filly or mare is her ability to defeat males at the highest levels,
then the three on the marquee for Saturday have passed with flying colors.Found
is the durable daughter of Galileo who runs for Coolmore and trainer Aidan
OBrien. She upset Golden Horn in the Breeders Cup Turf at Keeneland last year,
the same Golden Horn who was acclaimed European Horse of the Year, and she is
back to defend her title on Saturday, with a purse of $4 million on the
line.Found is also making her 10th start of the season and her third in the last
five weeks, after winning the Arc de Triomphe on the first Sunday in October and
finishing second to likely European Horse of the Year Almanzor in the Champion
Stakes on Oct. 15. By finishing first, second, or third in the Turf, Found will
pass Zenyattas $7.3 million as the all-time leading earner among females with at
least one start in North America. It is assumed, however, that they didnt send
her to California to finish second or third.If Found gets points for her
international adventurism, save some credit for Miss Temple City and the Graham
Motion crew. They have on their hands a long, full-figured filly who has stood
the gaff of trips abroad in each of the last two years for dates at Royal
Ascot.She was a competitive fourth in both tries -- no shame in that -- while
back home in the States, Miss Temple City manhandled males in both the Makers 46
Mile and the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland. Among her victims in the Shadwell
were Ironicus, Tourist, What a View, and stablemate Ring Weekend, all of them
trying her again on Saturday in the $2 million Breeders Cup Mile.Fillies and
mares do not win the Mile all the time, it just seems like it. Royal Heroine was
first out of the box in 1984, followed by Miesque (1987-88), Ridgewood Pearl
(1995), Six Perfections (2003), and the era of Goldikova (2008-10).Then came
Tepin, whose performance in the 2015 Mile at Keeneland capped a championship
season that began in relative obscurity, with an allowance-race win at
Gulfstream Park coming after a seven-month layoff.That was then. Now Tepin
reigns as a bona fide American hero, the winner of the Queen Anne Stakes at
Royal Ascot last June and the Woodbine Mile in her return to competition in
September. Earlier this week, trainer Mark Casse stood admiring the mare in the
corner stall of her temporary Santa Anita barn as she dropped in her straw,
scratched an itch, and then jumped up to playfully charge her webbing.Guess she
shipped okay, he deadpanned. This was Tepin. All she ever does is ship okay.You
know, this is really a deep Breeders Cup across the board, but especially with
the mares, Casse said. And a lot of that is because people have kept these good
ones in training. Beholder is 6, Tepin is 5. They could have been bred by
now.Casse broke his personal Breeders Cup drought by winning two of the 13 races
last year with Tepin and Catch a Glimpse, who runs on Saturday in the Filly and
Mare Turf.Weve got seven running in Breeders Cup races, and I think four of them
have a legitimate shot, Casse said. Someone asked me if Id be happy if I could
only win one. It didnt take me long to answer. Of course, I would. Who wouldnt?
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Wellington Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick admits the clubs next match could be his
last chance to fire the clubs faltering A-League campaign.The Nix are yet to
register a point in four games and were downright embarrassing in patches during
Monday nights 6-1 defeat to Melbourne Victory.Merricks side were competitive,
even at 2-0 and a man down, and did find a first goal of the season from the
penalty spot after five-and-a-half-hours of searching.But from 2-1, the New
Zealanders gave out and let in four goals in 20 minutes, limping to one of the
biggest routs in their history.In isolation, the result can be washed away as
one bad night.In the context of a tricky opening month, the signs arent great
for the Kiwis.Merrick has bemoaned the impact of international fixtures and
senior players heading off for All Whites duties.And his big problem is upcoming
World Cup qualifiers against New Caledonia this month will again rock their
campaign.According to Merrick, the Nix will be without six players for their
round six away trip to Central Coast and will have to rush them back into the
siide on a short break and international travel to play Victory in round
seven.dddddddddddd.It makes this Saturdays home date with Newcastle Jets one
hell of a fixture.Youve got to win games and weve really got to win games next
week. Weve got to start next week, Merrick said.In November weve been told six
players will be out of the squad for the qualifiers.I came into the job knowing
that could be the case (but) I didnt think Id lose so many first-team
players.Merrick said he couldnt take anything out of the Etihad Stadium match
but did defend his team for attempting to play to their gameplan even as Victory
dominated the contest.We should have been playing better. We should have kicked
on from where we left off against Sydney, he said.I think we started off very
nervously and it took a while really before we played any fluent possession play
at all.We were a little bit intimidated ... I didnt think we started to play
until we conceded two penalties. ' ' '
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