Breeders’ Cup notes: 7-year-old poised for first try at World Championships

The most talented horses and humans in the Thoroughbred racing industry are gathering in Lexington this week for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland. There’s sure to be plenty of intrigue on tap among the 14 stakes contests which will play out over two days, none more so than in the Classic, in which the top younger horses confront revered champions year in and year out.

One of those seasoned veterans is Tom’s d’Etat. The 7-year-old winner of multiple graded stakes contests put in a jog at Churchill Downs on Monday in front of trainer Al Stall Jr.

Though Tom’s d’Etat is the oldest horse in the Classic, he has made just 19 career starts because of physical setbacks — including a pair of ankle surgeries. Since November 2018, however, the son of Smart Strike has remained healthy. After ending his 2019 season with consecutive wins in the Fayette and Clark, the bay horse has this year produced victories in the Oaklawn Mile and Stephen Foster.

“The continuity has just helped him where instead of starting and stopping, he’s been actually good since November of 2018,” Stall, who won the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic with Blame, said. “He’s basically been going forward since then. He’s been a straight forward, regular horse for over two years now. That continuity has got his cardio perfect and has his mind just right. I think that’s why we’re where we are today.”

Tom’s d’Etat hasn’t started since finishing third in the Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 1, a race in which he stumbled at the break. Stall gave Tom’s d’Etat extra time to make sure no physical problems popped up after that troubled start and Tom’s d’Etat has been training solidly since.

“I’m just happy for the horse. He deserves to be this type of horse,” Stall said. “We’ve felt that way all along and a lot of horses might have had this kind of untapped potential and not get to it. But for him to show up on this type of stage at this point in his career, I’m happy for him and the owners. My crew worked hard on this horse for a long, long time. It’s a feel-good story.”

A Classic rematch

The Classic also features a rematch between two Triple Crown winners.

Tiz the Law was installed as the 3-1 co-morning line favorite — along with Improbable — for Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic. It’s no surprise that the Barclay Tagg trainee is considered a top contender in the championships’ headline event; After all, the New York-bred colt has had a spectacular 12 months, winning five Grade 1 stakes races since October 2019, including the Belmont in June.

But last time out, Tiz the Law was beaten for just the second time in his career. As the consensus favorite, he was runner-up in the Kentucky Derby — bested in a thrilling finish by Bob Baffert’s Authentic.

Tiz the Law gets another go at Authentic in the Classic on Saturday. He has not competed since the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5. On the advice of Tagg, Tiz the Law’s owners decided to skip the Preakness on Oct. 3 and prepare for the Classic. Tagg worked him at Belmont Park on Oct. 16 and shipped him to Keeneland two days later to give him three weeks — and two works — to become accustomed to the track.

Exercise rider Heather Smullen said Tiz the Law is ready. Last Saturday under Smullen, Tiz the Law breezed 5 furlongs in :59.20. They were back on the track Monday for more exercise, and Smullen said the son of Constitution was happy to be out.

“Yes, he drug me around for a mile and a half,” she said with a laugh.

Authentic was installed as the 11-2 fourth choice for the Classic. He’s coming off a second-place finish in the Preakness on Oct. 3 and was scheduled to arrive at Keeneland from California on Tuesday along with five other Baffert trainees.

Baffert is scheduled to have three starters in the $6 million Classic: Authentic, Improbable and Maximum Security. He has won the Classic three times. Also scheduled to compete this weekend from the Baffert barn are Gamine (Filly and Mare Sprint), Princess Noor (Juvenile Fillies) and Classier (Juvenile).

‘The best that the sport has to offer’

TVG analyst and handicapper Todd Schrupp is delighted to be spending this week prepping for one of his favorite events at one of his favorite places.

“There’s no place I’d rather be than Keeneland Race Course,” Schrupp told the Herald-Leader in a phone interview. “It’s my favorite racetrack, by far, in the country.”

Schrupp said the packed pool of talented horses and the variety of different type contests are a big part of what makes the Breeders’ Cup World Championships one of the marquee events in Thoroughbred racing.

“The Breeders’ Cup, to me, is the best that the sport has to offer,” Schrupp said. “There are some days at your local racetrack where the card might be pretty thin, but that’s never the case at the Breeders’ Cup.”

Schrupp has been with TVG since its launch in 1999 and has spent more than 30 years in the horse racing industry. Asked what he’s most looking forward to this weekend, Schrupp said: “I know it seems cliche to say the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but I do think this is one of the deepest fields we’ve seen in recent years.”

“I love the fact that you get this matchup each and every year ... where we get to see, ‘can the 3-year-olds match up against the older horses?’ You get Tiz the Law, who’s been the leader of the 3-year-old division, you get Authentic, who won the Kentucky Derby — and now you get to see them against older horses.”

This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 5:34 PM.