Torres to ride in Breeders’ Cup Friday
When racing concludes Thursday, Oct. 30 at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino, Jockey Francisco Torres will be headed to Indianapolis International Airport to catch a flight to Southern California. Torres will join an elite group of jockeys competing in the rich and prestigious Breeders’ Cup races held at Santa Anita Friday, Oct. 31 and Saturday, Nov. 1.
Torres will guide Nicky’s Brown Miss from post eight in Friday’s Grade I $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Estimated post time for the race is set for 6:50 p.m. EST. The two-year-old daughter of Big Brown is a longshot with odds of 20-1 and will be seeking only her second career win in seven career starts. The Breeders’ Cup event will mark the third straight start for Torres aboard Nicky’s Brown Miss, who guided her to her only win in the $200,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Kentucky Downs in early September. Her next start was in the Grade III $200,000 Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont Park where she didn’t fare as well, finishing 10th.
“The trainer (Savino Capilupi) is based out on the East Coast and after her (Nicky’s Brown Miss) win at Kentucky Downs, he flew me out to New York (Belmont Park) for her next start,” said Torres. “She likes to come from off the pace, and in that race, there wasn’t a lot of pace up front and she just couldn’t close on them. She won’t have that trouble in the Breeders’ Cup race. There will be a lot of pace early.”
Torres, who is currently in fourth place with 68 wins and more than $1.6 million in purse earnings among the leading rider ranks at Indiana Grand, is no stranger to success. In a career that has spanned more than three decades, Torres is a multiple Graded Stakes winner and has made two appearances in the Kentucky Derby, a race every jockey dreams of riding in. He has also ridden in the Preakness Stakes, but Nicky’s Brown Miss will mark the first time he has ever competed in a Breeders’ Cup race.
“I’ve flown in and ridden at Santa Anita before, but I’ve never ridden in a Breeders’ Cup race, so I’m really excited to be going out there,” said Torres. “Then, I’ll catch a ‘red eye’ back to Indiana Friday night and be back in time for closing night at Indiana Grand Saturday.”
Torres is slated to ride in nine of the 10 Thoroughbred races on the program Saturday, Nov. 1 at Indiana Grand, including all four stakes races on the program.
Torres has accumulated more than 2,800 career wins and purse earnings in excess of $59 million since beginning his career in 1986. A native of Mexico, Torres grew up in the Chicago area and first gained prominence there before expanding out to other tracks. He has numerous leading rider titles to his credit from tracks in Kentucky, Illinois and Louisiana. Torres has won many major races over the years from the Grade II Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs to the Grade III Hawthorne Derby in Chicago. He also won the 1996 Indiana Derby held at Hoosier Park in 1996 with Canyon Run.
Following the meet at Indiana Grand, which concludes Saturday, Nov. 1, Torres will move his tack to Churchill Downs to ride full time during the fall meet through Nov. 30.
Indiana Grand also has several other ties to the rich Breeders’ Cup event. Tom Amoss, who will earn his fourth straight leading trainer title at Indiana Grand Saturday, will saddle Ria Antonia in the Grade I $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff, slated as the ninth race. The three-year-old daughter of Rockport Harbor starts from post nine at odds of 15-1 with jockey Paco Lopez aboard.
The Breeders’ Cup Distaff also includes Unbridled Forever, who finished second in this year’s Grade II $200,000-added Indiana Oaks on Indiana Derby Night. She starts from post five at odds of 20-1 for Jockey John Velazquez and trainer Dallas Stewart.
Earlier on the Friday program, Vicar’s in Trouble will be part of the field for the Grade I $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. The three-year-old son of Into Mischief was a second place finisher in the 2014 Grade II $500,000-added Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand. He will be ridden by Velazquez from post three at odds of 12-1.
Source: Indiana Grand