Roaring Lion leads 5 Breeders’ Cup pre-entries surprises

The Breeders’ Cup 2018 pre-entries announced Wednesday show a full-14 horse field for the featured Breeders’ Cup Classic with five also-eligibles. This is on pace to be the first year since 2014 the gate fills. That wasn't so much of a surprise, but here are five things we did learn from the pre-entries reveal:

Roaring Lion to receive big test at Breeders’ Cup

Roaring Lion, a likely European champion, has strung together four consecutive Group 1 wins on grass, but the odds are against him in the Breeders’ Cup. He is cross-entered in the Classic and the Turf and would make it into either. But connections have made the Classic on dirt their preference.

Roaring Lion appears to relish the 1 1/4-mile distance, whereas he's yet to win at 1 1/2 miles, the Turf's length. Also helping is that his last race, Saturday's Queen Elizabeth II, was run at just a mile. He still won over soft turf. But that is where the positives end.

The 3-year-old colt has never before run on dirt, and he's by noted turf sire Kitten's Joy. before, Roaring Lion is also making a quick turnaround having just raced over the weekend. Mendelssohn and Catholic Boy made the surface switch from turf, but they also have breeding that suggests they'd like it.

Trainer John Gosden told RacingUK.com the decision by ownership to press on to the Classic is "extremely game and sporting." He added that kickback, not the surface itself, is the challenge.

"I don’t need to tell you that we don’t want a sloppy track," Gosden said in the RacingUK.com interview. "A sloppy track is a real acquired taste – and usually the jockeys with the cleanest silks win, which tells you something."

Decisions made for Mind Your Biscuits

Known as a top sprinter, Mind Your Biscuits showed versatility this season by running a close second in the Met Mile (G1) and then finishing second in the Whitney (G1), his first route race. The New York-bred followed that up with a win in the Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill Downs. 

Trainer Chad Summers knew Mind Your Biscuits would head to Breeders’ Cup, but the Classic, Dirt Mile and Sprint were all options. The horse could only be pre-entered in two races, and it was revealed Wednesday he has first preference in the Classic and second preference in the Sprint, a race in which he's already finished second and third in past years. The Classic will mark his longest career race to date.

Classic also-eligibles play a role

Of the five also-eligibles, Bravazo tops the list but has first preference for the Dirt Mile. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas has not shied away from facing the top 3-year-olds this year. Bravazo has now run in six straight Grade 1 races and finished second in the Preakness and Haskell and third in the Travers. 

Gunnevera has second preference on the also-eligible list. His last win in graded stakes company came on the Kentucky Derby trail and he is multiple Grade 1-placed. He was last seen finishing second to Yoshida in the Woodward (G1).

Collected, runner-up in the Classic a year ago to Gun Runner, is the fourth also-eligible. He’s only had two runs far apart from each other this year, but Bob Baffert has been gearing him up for this race. He was away for eight months after running seventh in the Pegasus World Cup and was last seen finishing fourth in the Pa Derby Champion Stakes at Parx. Although he has no “Win and You’re In” qualifier and no points, it’s surprising not to see him up higher on the AE list after a big run last year.

City of Light was admitted into the Classic field but has first preference in the Dirt Mile, a field he is also in. Should he and Bravazo both go to the Dirt Mile, Gunnevera could get another shot in the Classic after finishing fifth a year ago.

A group of U.S. Turf horses could miss the Mile

The Breeders’ Cup Mile also has some big names on the also-eligible list, including Almanaar, Divisidero and Qurbaan. The 14 spots belong to a talented group of both international and local horses, but field could be missing a few well known U.S.-based names. 

After more than a year away, Grade 1 winner Almanaar won an allowance optional claiming race before finishing second to Robert Bruce in the Arlington Million (G1). He was a disappointing eighth in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) and is second on the also-eligible list. Divisidero is third in line, and although he rebounded in the Arlington Handicap (G3), he was third in the Fourstardave (G1) and fifth in the Woodbine Mile (G1). Qurbaan is fifth on the AE list but made a successful U.S, debut winning the Bernard Baruch (G2) before finishing third in the Shadwell Turf Mile.

Only one of the 14 entered horses has first preference for another race, and that is A Raving Beauty in the Filly & Mare Turf.

Insta Erma pops up in pre-entries

Richard Baltas left Shadwell Turf Mile winner Next Shares in Kentucky ahead of the Breeders’ Cup Mile, and stablemate Insta Erma remained with him. Insta Erma is entered in the Keeneland November sale as a racing or broodmare prospect, though assistant trainer Aimee Dollase indicated connections could run her again. She showed up in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint pre-entries as fifth on the also-eligible list.

Insta Erma won the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf before finishing sixth in the First Lady (G1) at Keeneland, which wasn’t too bad considering she fell to her knees at the break.