The Breeders' Cup looms on the horizon as summer turns to autumn, and its Challenge Series races come fast and furious over the next few weeks, kicking off with four "Win and You're In' events Sept. 18.
A stakes tripleheader worth a combined $2 million at Belmont Park is climaxed by the $1 million Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes, where the winner picks up a fees-paid berth to the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T).
It's the opening week of the September meet at Churchill Downs as well, where five stakes under the lights Saturday are topped by the Iroquois (G3) and Pocahontas (G3) stakes for 2-year-olds striving toward the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented By Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). What's more, these races are also the first steps on the road to the 2022 editions of the Kentucky Derby Presented By Woodford Reserve (G1) and Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), each worth 10 qualifying points to the winner.
At Woodbine, this weekend's "Turf Racing Festival" begins with a trio of stakes Saturday, most notably the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1), which is a win-and-in for the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T). Juvenile grass runners will try to punch their tickets to Del Mar the next day in the Summer (G1T) and Natalma stakes (G1T).
Let's look at Saturday's Challenge Series races in chronological order.
Jockey Club Derby Invitational (Bel, race 10, 5:45 ET): It's no surprise the quartet of foreign-bred runners in the field will take most of the action in this test of stamina.
Charles Appleby did quite well over the summer with Goldolphin's dynamic duo of Althiqa and Summer Romance, the 1-2 finishers in both the Longines Just A Game Stakes (G1T) and Diana Stakes (G1T), and these same connections have the horse to beat here in Yibir (2).
Yibir has won four races at four different venues in England—at four distances on varying course configurations. The homebred son of Dubawi likes firm going, too: Those four wins all came on ground labeled either good or good-to-firm, and his only loss under such conditions was a close third in an exceptionally strong running of the Bet365 Classic Trial (G3) behind Alenquer, who subsequently won the King Edward VII (G2), and Adayar, who then became the first horse since the late Galileo (IRE) to win the Derby at Epsom (G1) and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1).
Soldier Rising (4) won or placed in four starts in France to begin his career, and was a clear-cut second in the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) in his United Stakes bow. Along with Yibir, he boasts a triumph at Saturday's 1 1/2-mile trip.
Calumet Farm and Jack Sisterson have teamed up to win a handful of major stakes on the New York circuit at big prices over the past year or so, and they are represented by the viable front-running threat Tango Tango Tango (1) here. The improving son of Tourist picks up Flavien Prat.
We're lukewarm about Bolshoi Ballet (8), who captured the Belmont Derby (G1) in July but then faded to fourth as the favorite in the Saratoga Derby. All three of his victories have come at 1 1/4 miles, and he was scratched from the Prix Niel (G2) Sept. 11 due to an irregularity with his vaccination records and rerouted to this race.
A — 2, 4
B — 1, 8
Ricoh Woodbine Mile (WO, race 10, 6:12 ET): Set Piece (5) and Raging Bull (7) are the marquee names in this field of 10, but we'll try to knock them off with Ride a Comet (4).
Ride a Comet, one of three entered by Mark Casse, has been competitive against Set Piece and Raging Bull at other tracks but is eligible to turn the tables at Woodbine, where he is a combined 4-or-4 on both surfaces. He has been idle since running third behind Set Piece in the Wise Dan Stakes (G2T) back in late June but has a history of firing when fresh.
Set Piece keeps churning out one peak performance after another, and the deep closer had a three-race win streak snapped when second to Got Stormy in the Fourstardave Handicap (G1) last out.
Raging Bull is the lone grade 1 winner in the field—a three-time grade 1 winner, at that—but came up flat as the even-money choice in the Fourstardave. Encouragingly, the Chad Brown-trained veteran picked up the pace noticeably in his two most recent workouts.
Duke of Hazzard (9) and Space Traveller (10) have European form and may take to Woodbine's expansive layout and long stretch.
Duke of Hazzard hasn't won in two years since taking the Ladbrokes Celebration Mile (G2) in 2019, but lacked room at a key juncture and galloped out with good energy in the Tote Celebration Mile Stakes (G2) three weeks ago when on short rest.
Space Traveller comes off a horror trip in the Mr. D Stakes (G1T) when off poorly, rank early, and in traffic on the far turn en route to a fourth-place finish in a slow-paced race at 41-1.
A — 4
B — 5, 7
C — 9, 10
Pocahontas (CD, race 8, 9:39 ET): First-crop sire Connect is represented by two contenders, Kneesnhips (7) and Hidden Connection (9) in this competitive route at 1 1/16 miles.
Kneesnhips showed promise in two turf sprints over the summer and may relish the surface switch since she is out of a dam who has produced three dirt winners. She recorded sharp workouts on the main track at Saratoga before and after her rallying third in the Bolton Landing Stakes.
Hidden Connection is stretching out from a 5 1/2-furlong debut win at Colonial Downs, where her time of 1:02.21 was just a tick off the track record. How that transfers to two turns beneath the Twin Spires remains to be seen.
Goddess of Fire (2), Maxine Machine (6), and Joyrunner (11) are in the mix as well.
Goddess of Fire got up late to win at first asking for Todd Pletcher going 6 1/2 furlongs. The daughter of Mineshaft is a half sister to the multiple grade 1 sprint winner Mind Control , and her dam has also thrown several route winners.
Maxine Machine, a turf-to-dirt proposition, showed poise and a good finishing kick to win her one-mile debut at Ellis Park for Brad Cox. She may take to dirt as well, as she is by Pioneerof the Nile and out of Emma's Encore, winner of the 2012 Prioress Stakes (G1).
Joyrunner is the lone two-time winner in the lineup, but the Gun Runner filly will have to overcome the far outside post.
A — 7, 9
B — 2, 6, 11
Iroquois (CD, race 9, 10:11 ET): Steve Asmussen became Thoroughbred racing's all-time winningest trainer when Stellar Tap (6) drew off to win his debut at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 7, and the gray colt by Tapit is out of the turf-routing mare Gioia Stella, so the stretch out from seven furlongs should be well within his scope.
Asmussen capped a memorable summer by sweeping the Spinaway (G1) and Hopeful (G1) stakes with Echo Zulu and Gunite , both Winchell Thoroughbreds homebreds by leading freshman sire Gun Runner. That team looks to strike yet again with Guntown (9), who may vie for favoritism with his stablemate after a romping second-out maiden win at Ellis Park. Guntown should love this surface: Gun Runner was 4-for-5 at Churchill Downs, the only loss in the slop, and Guntown's half sister, Untapable, won the 2013 Pocahontas as well as the 2014 Kentucky Oaks during her championship campaign.
Strike Hard (4), Major General (8), and Bourbon Heist (11) are in backup mode.
Strike Hard comes off an impressive maiden win at Gulfstream Park out of the one-mile chute, and it's worth noting the second finisher was 11 lengths clear of the rest. Major General was unveiled by Pletcher at the Spa on Alabama Day, set the pace under constant pressure and gamely withstood Bourbon Heist despite being bumped by the latter in deep stretch.
A — 6, 9
B — 4, 8, 11
