Breeders' Cup Buzz Horse: #7 Verrazano

 

Breeding: More Than Ready - Enchanted Rock (Giant's Causeway)

Three-year-old Colt

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owner: Let's Go Stable, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith

Breeder: Emory A. Hamilton

*Timeform Master Rating: 127

Most Impressive Prep Race: Grade 1 Haskell Invitational, Monmouth, July 28, 2013

**TimeformUS Speed Figure earned: 118

 

 

Analysis: Verrazano started 2013 with a bang, a debut win on New Year’s Day in a Maiden Special Weight race at Gulfstream Park. He scored by nearly eight lengths and earned an impressive TimeformUS speed figure of 97. He continued to roll against three-year-olds, moving from maiden win to allowance romp to an easy Grade 2 score in the Tampa Bay Derby, a race where he was assigned a 108 speed figure. He has been a bit of an enigma since. He stepped up to Grade 1 competition and won the Wood Memorial, but received a TimeformUS speed figure of only 98.  He was considered a strong contender in the Kentucky Derby next, but pressed a very fast pace and faded to be well beaten. Later, he seemed to have recovered, dominating both the Grade 3 Pegasus and the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth, the latter victory earning him a lifetime-best speed figure of 118. But once again, on the big stage, he flopped. He was dominated in the Travers by fellow three-year-olds Will Take Charge, Moreno, and Orb. He’ll enter the Dirt Mile having not raced for 69 days, and still an enigma.

- Analysis by Craig Milkowski

 

#10 Vorda (FR)

#9 My Conquestadory  

#8 Havana 

 

For Breeders’ Cup Advance Past Performances – complete with best-in-class foreign running lines and European and North American speed figures on the same scale – and expert selections and analysis, get the TimeformUS Breeders’ Cup Package. 

 

**In TimeformUS past performances, neither the Timeform Performance Ratings nor the TimeformUS Speed Figures are adjusted for age.