Weekend Takeaways: Roaring Lion intriguing in Breeders' Cup

It seems we won’t know until the last minute whether Roaring Lion, fresh off his British Champions Day victory at Ascot, will run in the Breeders' Cup. He could still go on to the Breeders' Cup Classic on dirt or face John Gosden stablemate Enable in the Turf.

Whichever is selected by connections -- if any -- the likely European champion certainly showed his grit by winning the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) at Ascot.

"He had a tough race yesterday because he was running on ground he's not made to run in," David Redvers, racing manager for Roaring Lion owner Sheikh Fahad al-Thani, said in an interview on Racing UK's Luck On Sunday program. "If he can do what he's done all season and bounce back, he may well take his chance."

Cutting back to a mile, Roaring Lion gutted out a win over soft turf. He's already proven at 10 furlongs having won multiple top-level races at that distance, just not yet on the dirt.



Connections have said they'll consider a Breeders' Cup try, or wait until December to run in Hong Kong before Roaring Lion, the flashy gray son of Kitten's Joy, retires.

"Sheikh Fahad is very keen to go to the Breeders' Cup," Redvers said on Luck On Sunday. "He believes this horse is very much the best mile-and-a-quarter horse in the world and he can overcome all of the difficulties that would go with running a horse on dirt for the first time."

So, let’s say Roaring Lion does make the trip and run on two weeks' rest. Which race is the best option?

There’s a large group of horses eyeing the Classic, but no standout, with Accelerate the expected favorite coming from the West Coast. While the distance is right up Roaring Lion's alley, Kitten's Joy is known more for as a turf sire.

But in the Turf, Roaring Lion would have to stretch out even farther to cap a rigorous season, and he'd be up against arguably the best horse in the world, Enable. Soft turf is a possibility, if not a probability, this time of year in Kentucky, and Roaring Lion favors a more firm surface. The one time he ran 1 ½ miles, Roaring Lion finished third in the Epsom Derby (G1) over good turf.

It's a choice of his preferred distance or surface. Either way, having only gone a mile could leave enough in the tank for the quick turnaround.

Richard’s Boy's Breeders’ Cup route works for him

Richard’s Boy has not won a race since May of 2017. He also had an untraditional final Breeders’ Cup prep in the California Flag Handicap against state-breds. While he didn’t win his final prep, he’s on the same route that led him to a runner-up finish behind stablemate Stormy Liberal in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

After setting a blistering opening quarter in 20.94, Richard’s Boy could not maintain his speed in the California Flag and was caught by Brandothebartender. It wasn’t a win for Richard’s Boy, but the race showed he is back on his game at the right time. He was second one race earlier in the Green Flash Handicap behind Stormy Liberal, which marked his comeback race after two off-the-board finishes in March. 

Richard’s Boy was also second in the California Flag a year ago. From 33 starts, he holds a 9-10-5 record and looks like he could continue that consistent form right into Breeders’ Cup.

Keeneland displays impressive safety feature

While this isn’t so much a takeaway on a race itself, it’s a takeaway from an added safety measure at Keeneland. During the Valley View Stakes (G3), Daddy Is a Legend moved up the rail in the homestretch before ducking in and taking the rail down. The Mawsafe safety rail did its job, keeping Daddy Is a Legend and jockey Manny Franco safe and out of the path of other horses. It’s an impressive feature the track added in 2016 and stopped what could have been a terrifying accident in front of the grandstand. Read how it works and watch the slow motion replay.