I still think this race will be as popular as Streufex.
:rolleyes:
:lol:
And, nothing to do with WC but watched Unique Bella in the Santa Ynez GII - very impressive win IMO 
[QUOTE=gumtree;9000317]
I went to all of the BC in the 80s. Didnāt strike me that it had a āslow startā. But memories get tricky with the passage of time. We tend to remember things the way we want to remember them.[/QUOTE]
It was a ārhetoricalā answer. It was a hit right from the start. Pretty much a no brainer.
[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;9001075]I wouldnāt say the Breedersā Cup was slow at all. Huge interest due to efforts of the late John Gaines (Gainesway Farm) from corporate sponsors (Mobile, Budweiser, deBeers, Chrysler) and also tv (NBC). What was also unique and absolutely unprecedented about the BC was that from the first running (1984) the races were all granted Grade 1 status.
[January 17, 1984: The graded stakes panel of the TOBA announces their unprecedented decision to assign grade I status to all seven Breedersā Cup races.]
The second running (1985 at the Big A) broke all wagering record for a single dayās card on-site & simulcast at $28M.
An aside, I was incorrect in my prior posting of the race being ungraded. The PWC will be a Grade 1 due to it being the conveyed replacement for the [discontinued] Donn Handicap. Otherwise it would take 2-years after 1st running for consideration by the American Graded Stakes Committee to be graded.[/QUOTE]
āThe graded stakes panel of the TOBA announces their unprecedented decision to assign grade I status to all seven Breedersā Cup racesā
Yes, but The Breedersā Cup was an āunprecedentedā race day and concept. The criteria, qualifications for a horse to get into the races pretty much guaranteed the field of horses in each race would meet the standards set by the Committee for a Grade 1 Status.
I discussed this with Mr. Gaines. He said there was little to no grumbling, descent by any committee members. Though he had āissuesā over other things with the founding Board members and resigned shortly there after.
The Breedersā Cup is and has been a success as far as the race day attendance with existing fans and members of the industry. But IMO and other including Mr. Gaines it has failed in its original āmission statementā and intent. Which was to raise the profile promote to a much wider audience. The Super Bowl of racing. IMO very poor promotion pretty much from the get go.
āThe second running (1985 at the Big A) broke all wagering record for a single dayās card on-site & simulcast at $28M.ā
Which is interesting because it was a cold, crappyt overcast day. The Big A was a bit of a dated, tired and rundown facility. At least the boxes had over head heaters for those who were fortunate to have one. But the masses were hurdled where ever it was warm.
gumtree, I think weāre in full agreement as to how/why the Breedersā Cup worked.
Jan 11th - another entry for the Pegasus: Canadian bred Breaking Lucky
Heās won three of 16 starts and earned $612,376 to date. His biggest win was the G3 Seagram Cup Stakes at Woodbine (ON) last August. Most recent start was in the G1 Clark Handicap in Nov at Churchill where he took 2nd to Gun Runner.
So this makes 9 confirmed starters in the PWC.
I was just the other day watching an old recording Iāve got of Discrete Cat vs. Invasor in Dubai. Iāve got the whole TV broadcast, and itās billed all the way as what a great 2-horse match up. Invasor delivered. Discrete Cat ran a horrible race for some reason, nothing like his previous form.
So with that in mind, just hypothetically, if one or both of the big two were to have a headache or something that day and not feel themselves, who among the others do you think would have a chance to pick up some pieces? There could be some real prices if anybody other than those two gets first or second.
Duplicate post.
Keen Ice? Frosted? If they start and arenāt retired. Sad to say not keeping up with other probables and maybe might starters.
For whatever reason (compared to say the KY Derby or BCC) there isnāt a decent source for entries. No idea why as this isnāt covert ops with the CIA - its only a mega pursed horse race just two weeks ago with very little room for a shocking entry. Juddmonte isnāt going to cut a deal with a slot owner and pull Frankel out of stud duty to take a shot it. Although it would be far more interesting of a race if they did
Horse Racing Nation on Jan 13 listed these as likely:
- Arrogate
- Breaking Lucky
- California Chrome
- Eragon
- Keen Ice
- Neolithic
- Semper Fortis
- Shaman Ghost
- War Story
Edited to add that 12 people/groups put up the stake money to kick off this race. So that means 3 slots need to still be filled. Again not to be negative but the some of the names passed around sound like the B-squad at best in the context of a $12M/Grade 1 race.
Case in point: Prayer for Relief is being made āavailableā should a slot holder want to have him run in their place. Dale Romans trained/Zayat owned is 45 8-6-10 lifetime. His last victory was the ungraded Tenacious Handicap (Fairgrounds) 12/21/2013.
Too bad Gun Runner is still stuck at Fairgrounds. Heād be a great addition to the field.
Do folks think that maybe one reason why āB squadā types are being entered is that there is a slight chance they might hit the board in a G1?
I donāt think Gunrunner is completely off the table yet. It is unclear if heāll clear quarantine and I havenāt heard a drop dead date when heād need to get out of the Fair Grounds to be able to compete at Gulfstream.
I have always liked gun runner, I think it will be a shame if he cant compete in the Pegasus. Heās a good one.
I think the length of the race is better suited to Chrome than Arrogate. the Breeders Cup worked in Arrogateās favor; I think the Pegasus could go the other way depending upon how everyone breaks from the gate.
On paper, it still looks like a two horse race.
It appears the field of 12 is complete (alpha order)
- Arrogate
- Breaking Lucky
- California Chrome
- Eragon
- Keen Ice
- Neolithic
- Noble Bird
- Prayer for Relief
- Ralis
- Semper Fortis
- Shaman Ghost
- War Story
Each runner would is guaranteed a minimum of $250,000 in prize money, as the purse was structured so that the winner would get $7 million, $1.75 million for second, $1 million for third and $250,000 for each of the remaining nine runners.
TVG was talking about purse $$ over the weekend that you need to hit the board (3rd or better) to make the slot cost :eek:
I wonder if any of the contracts for āsoldā spots allow a change in the event Gun Runner gets out of quarantine.
You wonāt earn back your purchase price for a spot in the gate even with a third place finish, either, by the time everyone takes their cut.
But supposedly the share in the handle and revenues is supposed to make up for this fact? Color me skepticalā¦
Iām still the raceās #1 hater, so I plan to go watch it on simulcast and not wager a cent on Gulfstreamās card. 
Iād be interested to see what the post positions play out like, If Arrogate gets the rail, might not be to his favor. Will be interesting to see Keen Ice in this race also. He hasnāt been a super star but hes a hard tryer
I didnāt say with a 3rd youād make a profit but at least you get back what you paid for the slot. Yeah, Iād like to see all the financial funniness going on with all the slot shenanigans as well as trainer and jock payments (wonder if they are getting their standard %'s).
Will be interesting to see how popular it ends up being as a betting race with the public (i.e., the handle after the race).
needs to have a much deeper field to be long-standing IMHO. All good horses in the field but some have been rather lackluster for prolonged periods of time now.
Do we know what time this race starts?
