HorseCenter: Awesome Again and Woodward top picks

By Brian Zipse and Matt Shifman
Photo:

This week on HorseCenter, your hosts Brian Zipse and Matt Shifman handicap and offer top picks for a pair of Saturday prep races for the Breeders' Cup Classic - the Grade 1 Awesome Again at Santa Anita and the Grade 2 Woodward Stakes at Belmont at the Big A.

A pair of Bob Baffert runners, the Preakness winner National Treasure and Defunded, headline a wide-open field of nine in the Awesome Again that will be run at the home of this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.

In New York the Woodward drew a field of 10 horses with hopes of going to California for the world championships in November. Zandon has five recent second-place finishes against top competition from the older male dirt division. This Woodward field is where he might just return to the winner’s circle.

HorseCenter will continue its Breeders’ Cup coverage for the next four weeks, so keep watching Matt and Brian. As always thanks for watching the show.

Read More

Further Ado crushes Blue Grass by 11 lengths in Derby statement
Lexington, Ky. It was not supposed to line up this way for Spendthrift. Undefeated Eclipse Award winner Ted...
Albus pulls off Wood Memorial upset to punch Derby ticket
New York A late rally by Albus to win the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial gave trainer Riley Mott...
So Happy stuns Santa Anita Derby, punches Derby ticket
So Happy stalked the dueling leaders three deep, swept to the front at the top of the stretch...
Meaning wins Santa Anita Oaks with authoritative stretch run
Odds-on favorite Meaning stalked from the inside, angled out at the five-sixteenths pole and powered clear in the stretch...
Oaks prep: Always a Runner beats the odds in the Gazelle
Always a Runner launched a sweeping rally from off the pace, angling six to seven wide into upper...