BC Classic (Grade 1)- $5,000.000 Purse
KEE- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Quarter on the Dirt
October 31, 2015
There is no race on the calendar that can excite a trainer any more then the prestigious BC Classic. Sure, the KYD and Triple Crown chase will create an excitement level that will come close, but there is no other race that truly brings the best horses in the world together. On Saturday, while a bunch of kids are putting on Halloween costumes, horsemen have their eyes focused on only place: KEE. We will be treated to a fantastic day of racing as each competing division shows its best, but it will all be capped off by the 13th running of the BC Classic. Fitting, that the 13th running would be on Halloween, so does that mean we will have some kind of freak occurrence out there that shocks us with an unexpected winner? Let’s hope not. What everyone will agree upon is that we all want this race to be the best that it can be and become what it is capable of with the amount of talent that will be on the track.
Back in the day, the BC Classic was Australia Wide’s stomping ground. As a young virtual trainer starting in 2009, I saw nothing but Australia Wide victories in this race for a while, thanks to the likes of Whats Up and Madhouse. Those two horses won three Classics in a row, with Whats Up taking the bookends of the three. Whats Up would go on to win nearly $10,000.000 over the course of his career and now serves as a sire on the Robeth farms. Madhouse won the race in 2010 as a gelding and earned over $7,500.000 in career earnings. He was actually a three time BC champion overall, winning the BC Dirt Mile in 2009 and BC Marathon in 2011.
Prior to the domination of Australia Wide in the race, the earlier races were won by names that will stir up a lot of memories. How about the great Icicle, after all, who won in 2005 for Jerry Garcia Racing. Icicle earned just shy of $9,000.000 over his storied career. After winning in 2005, he just missed going back to back, finishing second in 2006 to a three year old horse named Dark Crown. Dark Crown wasn’t too shabby either, as he also earned just say of $9,000.000 for his career. His three year old campaign was fantastic, winning the PRK in 2006, and then have a pair of runner up finishes for Fuji Stable in the KYD and BEL, and he also won the Haskell and Travers that season. Unfortunately, he was never able to produce any overly successful foals to keep his name fresh in the minds of the younger generation of virtual trainers. The first winner of the race, Smokin, in 2003, had just a fourteen race career but has had modest success as a sire. Little Slick, the winner in 2004, went on to win another BC race an impressive four years later, capturing the BC Marathon in 2008.
In 2007, a horse that would ultimately have a lot of success for Australia Wide, would win the BC Classic for Spinetingling. That of course, was the great Barbarino, who won $9,300.000 over the course of his 32-race career. Spinetingling had an impressive run of success with this autogen before selling him in September of 2008 for $2,500.000 in the auction. A month later, Barbarino was back in the BC Classic and place second to Obvious Intention. Barbarino ran again in 2009, but did not have one of his better races, leading to a decision to retire him to stud after the race. Whether or not he has become a successful sire is a whole separate debate for another time. After winning the BC in 2008 for Dynark Stables, Obvious Intention, a winner of just over $5,000.000 for his career, would be retired during the late spring of 2009. Unfortunately, this sire who now calls A And I Stables home, has not had success as a sire.
Those wanting a more recent history of this race only need to look at our last three winners to be equally impressed. In 2012, the Nakamura Stabes trained Maruzensky was not the favorite as horses like Risen Ruler got a little more publicity heading into race. Maruzensky preferred to do his talking on the race track, capturing the race by about two lengths. With that win on the minds of bettors a year later, Maruzensky was the post time favorite for the 2013 Classic, and would again race well, but come up a position short. Unfortunately, he was a gelding so he will not be able to carry on his abilities to future generations. The one who can, and very much is, was that horse that edged him out in 2013. Commanding was great in his ability to show up at his best when it mattered the most. Earlier in what was his three year old campaign, he would win the KYD. After remaining very competitive and finishing well in the races that came right after that, Commanding saved his next win for this race. He would go on to win just over $6,000.000 for his career, and is showing potential in the shed. That potential may very well make him our first BC Classic winner to actually continue to produce at a high level in his post-race career. It’s early yet, but he is among the top freshman sires now. As for the 2014 winner? Well, he hasn’t gone anywhere. Niagra will be back! We’ll get into him in a little more detail in our run through the field.
So, here we are. A fantastic season has come down to this. These fourteen horses have earned the right to be in this race. There is no one taking a shot to see where their horse stands against he best. These are the best. And on Halloween, they’ll give us all the treats we need. This, is the BC Classic. Sit back, relax, and enjoy. That is of course, if you don’t have a horse in the race. If you do, feel free to be a nervous wreck. You’ve earned that right. Good luck!
Here are our fantastic fourteen! The SRF attempted to reach out to each trainer for their thoughts about their entry or entries several days before press time, but did not get responses back from all involved trainers.
#1- Niagra (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J L Ortiz, 5th BC Classic Points)
The reigning BC Classic champion will look to repeat while starting on the rail. It was another great season for this Sir Speedy colt, as until the J C Gold Cup, he had either won every race he was in, or was in a photo with the race winner while at the line. Technically, the Grade 2 CT Classic is the only race he did win this season but with a little bit more luck, he could have won five races. There have been many BC Classic champions who have tried to defend their title the next season, and so far none of them have been able to do it. Whats Up took a year off between his two wins, and Maruzensky may have come close but did not quite too it. The trainer places J L Ortiz aboard this year which is not a surprise, but when he got the mount for the Classic last year it was the first time he had ever been aboard Niagra. Since then, he never came off. Niagra has done it before, but is he good enough to do something Whats Up, Icicle, and Dark Crown could not do? We shall see.
#2- Viking Shield (Delta Farms, ridden by S X Bridgmohan, 9th BC Classic Points)
This Viking Rage colt really emerged this season, and while a run through the TC races were not his best showing, Viking Shield was a force in every other race that he was in this year. He will be coming off a win in the Grade 3 Durham Cup at WO earlier this month, but it was a win earlier this season that was particularly special to the trainer. Back in April, Viking Shield was victorious in the AR Derby, impressively coming from behind to win and earning his ticket into the triple crown. While a great way to get into the KYD, the win carried extra significance for Delta Farms as the owner resides not to far from OP. During that meet, this trainer can often be found there and has never missed the real AR Derby, making Viking Shield’s win there extra special. The trainer does believe that Viking Shield is on some of the best form of his career currently though understands that he will likely be a longshot here. To win, the trainer hopes for a good trip and room to run.
#3- Outward Bound (Eastern Equine, ridden by J Talamo, 3rd BC Classic Points)
One of two great chances that longtime trainer Eastern Equine will have to win the BC Classic for the first time. He’s brought some greats to the party before, including Fusion, Allfusionallthetime, and Hallelujah. Outward Bound began showcasing his potential to be a superstar late in 2014, but it was in the 2015 Grade 1 Donn Handicap at GP that the five year old Out Of The Park horse realized that potential. He didn’t win, but placed second against some very strong company. It was the first time he had ever been in a graded stake making his performance particularly impressive. Over the course of the year, he would accumulate $1,320.000 in earnings which were highlighted by wins in the Grade 1 Foster Handicap in June at CD, and then the prestigious Pacific Classic at DMR in late August. It was that race that the trainer calls the biggest win of the season for Outward Bound. In that win, he matched his career high SRF and has been able to rest up to run in this race. He likes going ten furlongs and could surprise those who might be overlooking him, and I wouldn’t count out a return to this race next year based on the continued progress that he is showing.
#4- Visa Vice (Mb Stables, ridden by M E Smith, 13th BC Classic Points)
Last season, Visa Vice won five of the nine races in which he competed in, and that sent him to the 2014 BC Classic. He was the pacesetter in that race, leading much of the way before a handful of horses were able to get by, sending the autogen gelding to a sixth place finish. At eight years old, he started off 2015 quite well, winning the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at SA, a race in which he defeated Niagra. Unfortunately for the trainer, he has not won since. The finishes have been decent, and with another length, he could have also won the Metropolitan Handicap and the Whitney this year, so no one should be quick to dismiss his chances here. Mb Stables agrees that the San Antonio was the highlight of his season, but he was particularly impressed with the manner in which it was done, which was while coming from off the pace. To win, the trainer will be hoping for “a lot of luck, and a clean ground saving trip. Then, more luck, and maybe for a wall to be placed in front of the field!”
#5- A One (Eastern Equine, ridden by R J Albarado, 1st BC Classic Points)
Many eyes will be glued to this three year old superstar as he figures to be one of the betting favorites. It was season that got a fortunate break due to others scratching out of the PRK. Even though A One had put together several great races in the TC prep races, including a second place performance in the TAM Derby, he did not have enough points to get into the KYD and would end up on the also eligible list for the PRK. In that race he impressively came from off the pace to win, and that would kickstart the great run he has been on. In the BEL, he just missed with a runner up finish, and then in what was surprising to some, Sanny Village looked to cash out on him and sold him to Eastern Equine for $1,400.000. Since the sale, he has raced twice, both coming at beautiful Saratoga Race Course, and won the G2 Dandy and the G1 Travers. Eastern Equine was understandably hesitant to say too much about his horse, but he does like the way he ran in his last race (the Travers), and expects him to run big here.
#6- No Trippin (Mb Stables, ridden by I Ortiz Jr, 8th BC Classic Points)
It isn’t often that horses will come from STK in their prior start to the BC Classic, but No Trippin is doing exactly that. He was here last year, but would only muster a 12th place finish in last year’s race, and when he could only finish fourth in an allowance in his next race there had to be some wondering if his best days were behind him. Mb Stables then sent him to PM for a confidence boost, and No Trippin, as expected, annihilated that field. More importantly then that was the after effect of the win as No Trippin got his mojo back and would win three graded stakes in his next four starts: The G2 New Orleans Handicap, the G3 PIM Special, and the Grade 1 Gold Cup. In that last one, he defeated Niagra. After a disappointing run in the Jockey Gold Cup, the trainer did what worked before, and sent him to an easier race to get his confidence back. The trainer was pleasantly surprised with how he regained his form an overall basis this season, and points to the Gold Cup as being the horses biggest moment. To win, Mb Stables is hoping for a return to that form. If he just needed the confidence booster like he did last time, No Trippin may do exactly that.
#7- Port On The Horizon (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by B J Hernandez Jr, 10th BC Classic Points)
The three year old gelding by Risen Ruler has shown that when he is on top of his game, he can be very tough to beat but also has shown then when he not on top of it, he can be beaten. He has raced eight times this year, and has picked up three very nice victories. He won the G1 Wood Memorial, the G2 LA Derby (the one held at LA, not the same named G2 at LAD), and he is coming off a win in his last start, the PA Derby, where he defeated his former stablemate Unsuited. That proves that he can be very good, but he has had some other starts where he just never really got involved and he struggles to have two big races back-to-back it seems. That trend must stop and he must bottle up that impressive form that saw him win the PA Derby in a time that was faster then Whats Up and Five Fives managed in the same race years ago. The talent is obviously there. For the trainer’s sake, hopefully he brings it to KEE.
#8- Fumble (Mb Stables, ridden by P Lopez, 14th BC Classic Points)
This three year old gelding was a bit of a late bloomer, not having much of a two year old campaign to write home about, and after 2015 season began with a flat performance in a TAM allowance, Mb Stables was left with one option: the geld. This created an immediate turnover for Fumble in terms of his results. He would win four straight, starting modestly in a CA-bred allowance at SA and ending with a win in the Grade 3 All American at GG. He hasn’t won since that race, but he has still has been finishing in the money in some of the biggest races out there: placing 2nd in the Dandy and Awesome Again, and 3rd in the Travers. The trainer was especially proud of the way he battled all the way to the end in the Awesome Again and proved that he could run well regardless of where his beginning post position was. Mb Stables also notes that in his last three starts, Fumble has only lost to A One, Chrystal Pip, and Mister Major, and that’s definitely nothing to be ashamed of. To win, the trainer will be hoping for those three to have a bit of trouble, but believes that Fumble will be right with them at the end.
#9- Unsuited (Hawaiian Shirt Guy, ridden by G Olguin, 7th BC Classic Points)
When this year started, Unsuited seemed to be one the top of the contenders for the TC races. Prep races seemed to go pretty well as he captured the Grade 3 Southwest at OP, and then would later win the FL Derby in impressive fashion at GP in late March. This sent him to the KYD, but he was never able to showcase the kind of talent that we had seen from him previously. If you believed he just had a bad trip, you would have expected a much better run in the PRK, but it was a dismal 9th place showing there that may have sealed his fate with former trainer, D J C Racing Stables. He was sold in mid-June to Hawaiian Shirt Guy for $450.000, or about $1,000.000 less then A One sold for when he went to Eastern Equine. Those dollar amounts show that Unsuited was no longer viewed as highly as he once was. His first race for Hawaiian Shirt Guy didn’t go well, but he would recapture his old form in the Grade 2 WV Derby in August, and then placed 2nd in the PA Derby in September. Unsuited is on the rebound, there is no denying that, but it is notable that when he won the WV Derby, none of today’s rivals were in the field. The trainer considers his three graded wins this year to be equally meaningful for the Well Informed colt and believes a good start will be important to his chances to win the race.
#10- Duca Di Toscana (Nakamura Stables, ridden by R Bejarano, 12th BC Classic Points)
After being claimed by Nakamura Stables in late 2014 from breeder Jerry Garcia Racing, Duca Di Toscana put together a three race winning streak that saw him win the PA Derby that season. It was late blooming potential that year, and the gelding was not part of that BC weekend. In 2015, he immediately showed that he would be picking up where he left off and captured the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes against a pretty good field that included the likes of Sparks Nevada. For the most part, he has run consistently this year, and grabbed himself a Grade 1 win in the Foster Handicap in June, defeating Outward Bound that day. The trainer was not that concerned with his eighth place finish in the Whitney, which is his most recent start, pointing to the outside post he had that day. However, being given this post position here could possibly re-ignite some of those concerns. Nakamura Stables feels as though his fate in the BC Classic will be all about how he handles the final furlong.
#11- Graceful Shadow (Aer Stables, ridden by P Husbands, 28th BC Classic Points)
Hoping for the best for his horse when he nominated certainly worked out for the trainer as he gets the 28th ranked horse into the biggest race of the year. For Graceful Shadow, however, there is nothing “28th” about him. He has been a consistent runner all season, taking four of the six races he has been in. Included in those wins are the Grade 2 Brooklyn, which is a 1 ½ mile event, and the Grade 3 Premiers earlier this month, at 1 3/8 miles. Last year, he won an unofficial BC race, taking the Grade 2 Marathon at SA in the first year in which that race lost that designation. This six year old gelding wants to go longer then today’s race will be run, but he will be an interesting player here because of that fact.
#12- Mister Major (Sanny Village, ridden by J R Leparoux, 2nd BC Classic Points)
The trainer who sold A One is completely confident that he kept his best horse in his barn and fully believes that Mister Major can win the BC Classic. Everyone else should believe Mister Major is a top player in this field as well, but the looming showdown between him and A One does create an interesting subplot for this race. At seven years of age, this gelding may be in the best form of his career right now (and that’s saying something!). Mister Major has raced five times this year, and his last four races have resulted in victories. This run began when he destroyed the field at the Grade 2 Alysheba at CD, and then earned wins in three Grade 1’s: The Metropolitan Handicap at BEL, the Whitney at SAR, and then the Awesome Again at SA. In those three races, he has been beating many of the rivals that he sees here, though he has never gone up against A One. He has plenty of experience in BC races as well, finishing 5th in last year’s Classic. If you go back another year, he has a victory in the BC Marathon (the last time that the race was truly a BC race). Sanny Village declined to comment when asked about his horse, but certainly Mister Major is one that will do all the necessary talking on the race track.
#13- Chrystal Pip (Chili King Stables, ridden by G L Stevens, 16th BC Classic Points)
We might have become used to seeing the best Pip Boy runners becoming turf stars, but Chrystal Pip is proving to us that his sire can produce top horses in all divisions. It’s been a great season for him, although it started off with a handful of near-misses more then anything else. Those close calls were able to get him into the PRK, and while he was only fifth in that race, it seemed to be the race that carried him into bigger and better things. On the fourth of July, he was victorious in the BEL Derby (from post 12), which is held on the grass, and he did beat a few who will be running in the BC Turf today. After that came his biggest win, the Grade 1 Haskell at MTH, topping the likes of Port On The Horizon and Generals Companion. That is the result which punched his ticket into this race. If anyone was still doubting his ability after that race, a second place performance in the Travers (from post 12) would have erased them. His last race is one we will forget ever happened. As long as things aren’t sloppy on race day, it’s a non-factor. As you can also see, he’s had a couple big races from outside posts before and should not be bothered by having one again here.
#14- Hyper Silver (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez, 4th BC Classic Points)
On the far outside, Night Rider Stables brings us Hyper Silver, who should be one of the favorites for this race. He is fourth overall in BC points, and helping the cause in that was his win in the sloppy Jockeys Gold Cup at the beginning of the month. In that win, he beat several that he will see here today including Niagra and Chrystal Pip. It was one of four victories this year for the six year old gelding by the late Hyper Success. Other wins include the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap at BEL in July and the Grade 3 Excelsior earlier in the year. Even when Hyper Silver hasn’t won, he has still looked strong as he was second in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic this August. The trainer points to the Jockeys Club Gold Cup though as the biggest race of his season because of the manner in which it was won. In that race, he was faced with some adversity and was shuffled back to the rear of the field with a wide trip. Despite that, Hyper Silver showed tremendous heart to come from behind and win this race, and that is a performance that should erase concerns about his outside draw here. To win, the trainer will simply be hoping that nothing happens during the race that can drastically hinder his ability to give his best effort.
Prediction:
I’m not going to go out on a limb here. If you ask around HRP, you will find that many people consider A One, Mister Major, and Niagra to be the strongest horses in the field and rightfully so. Historically, the BC Classic on HRP does not produce upset winners, as it is often a race where the best of the best are able to be at the top of their game. Others are very capable, Eastern Equine has a great “B” option in Outward Bound and Chrystal Pip is a very intriguing entry here. If Port On The Horizon has one of his strong races, he could stun this field as well. Fumble is in great forum and also very capable.
They’re all good horses. Enjoy the race.
My picks: 5-12-8-1
— NS
Categories: BC 2015-17, THE BREEDERS CUP
