Oscar Performance winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita (Photo by Zoe Metz/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders Cup)
With the Breeders’ Cup just over five weeks away, a huge slate of key prep races will be held this weekend at racetracks across North America. Most of the action will be focused at Belmont Park and Santa Anita, which will host a total of 11 graded stakes races on September 30th and October 1st, including eight Grade 1 events.
The New York Racing Association and Santa Anita have recently published lists of the expected starters for many of these graded stakes races, allowing racing fans and handicappers to get an early look at the prospective fields. Here are the probable and possible starters for each race…
BELMONT PARK
Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (gr. I)
Probable: Beach Patrol (Chad Brown); Channel Maker (Bill Mott); Erupt (Graham Motion); Fanciful Angel (C. Brown); Highland Sky (Barclay Tagg); Hunter O’Riley (Jimmy Toner); Money Multiplier (C. Brown); Oscar Performance (Brian Lynch); Sadler’s Joy (Tom Albertrani)
Possible: The Grey Gatsby (Dermot Weld); Zhukova (Weld)
Beldame Stakes (gr. I)
Probable: Elate (Mott); Eskenformoney (Pletcher); Money’soncharlotte (Kelly Breen); Verve’s Tale (Tagg)
Possible: Bishop’s Pond (Jason Servis); Line of Best Fit (Kieron Magee); Martini Glass (Keith Nations)
Vosburgh Stakes (gr. I)
Probable: El Deal (Jorge Navarro); Green Gratto (Gaston Grant); Mr. Crow (Pletcher); Stallwalkin’ Dude (David Jacobson); Takaful (Kiaran McLaughlin); Weekend Hideaway (Phil Serpe)
Possible: Favorite Tale (Guadalupe Preciado)
Pilgrim Stakes (gr. III)
Probable: Desert Stone (Rudy Rodriguez); Evaluator (Michael Dilger); Maraud (Pletcher); Morrison (Joe Sharp); Phone Funky Munky (David Donk)
Possible: Seabhac (Pletcher); Stolen Pistol (Sharp); Voting Control (C. Brown)
Miss Grillo Stakes (gr. III)
Probable: Africa (C. Brown); Bramble Queen (Michael Dini); Codrington (Donk); Life Time Citizen (Serpe); Orbolution (Pletcher); Significant Form (C. Brown); Thewayiam (Motion)
Possible: Southampton Way (Horacio DePaz)
Temperence Hill Invitational
Probable: Archanova (Ian Wilkes); Madefromlucky (Pletcher); Scuba (Brendan Walsh); Testosterstone (Gary Sciacca)
Possible: Turco Bravo (David Cannizzo)
SANTA ANITA
Awesome Again Stakes (gr. I)
Accelerate, Breaking Lucky, Cupid, Curlin Rules, Donworth, Dortmund, Midnight Storm, Win the Space
Zenyatta Stakes (gr. I)
Faithfully, Midnight Toast, Motown Lady, Paradise Woods, Shenandoah Queen, Vale Dori
Chandelier Stakes (gr. I)
Alluring Star, Dancing Belle, Just a Smidge, Moonshine Memories, Piedi Bianchi, Spectator, Super Good, Terra’s Angel, True Royalty
FrontRunner Stakes (gr. I)
Axelrod, Ayacara, Bolt d’Oro, City Plan, Solomini, Texas Wedge, Zatter
Rodeo Drive Stakes (gr. I)
Amboseli, Avenge, Decked Out, Fourstar Crook, Frenzified, Goldy Espony, Goodyearforroses, Harmonize, Insta Erma, Madame Stripes, Majestic Heat, Rainha Da Bateria and Responsibleforlove
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