Weekend horse racing brings focus to major overseas events

Oct. 18 (UPI) -- As American racing slows down in preparation for the Breeders' Cup, things pick up on the international front during the weekend with the King and Queen of England potential spectators for the "world's richest race on turf" in Australia, the finale of Japan's Triple Crown and Champions Day at Ascot.

Champions Day also includes the last two "Win and You're In" races on the long Breeders' Cup Challenge slate.

Things don't grind to a halt in North America, either. Keeneland offers three graded stakes. Gulfstream Park hosts the last leg of the Florida Sire Series for 2-year-olds and Woodbine has the Ontario Derby.

Let's start with a look at the global scene.

Around the world, around the clock

Australia

Saturday's AUS$20 million Group 1 TAB Everest at Royal Randwick is billed as the world's richest turf race and the money and speed put to shame Churchill Downs' claim to the most exciting two minutes in sports.

The Everest is 1,200 meters, or just 3/4 mile, and should be run in 1 minute, 8 seconds, give or take. The 12-horse field is put together by "slot holders," who pony up AUS$700,000 each to own a spot in the starting gate.

The race is wide open, and includes 2022 winner Giga Kick and last year's second, I Wish I Win, neither of whom is likely to be the favorite.

Saturday's AUS$5 million Group 1 Caulfield Cup is 2,400 meters and a lead-up to the Group 1 Melbourne Cup.

Buckaroo is well-fancied among the locals, but far from a sure thing in a big field. Zardozi was last seen second in the Metropolitan and lost a claim of foul against the winner in that. Sayedaty Sadaty is in from England off a third-place finish in the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood on Aug. 3.

Saturday's AUS$5 million Group 1 King Charles III at Royal Randwick (formerly the George Main Stakes) is 1,600 meters and drew Pride of Jenni as the antepost favorite in a very, very tough field.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are in town for the weekend and are rumored to have the races on their agenda.

Japan

Speaking of royalty, Sunday's Group 1 Kikuka Sho or Japanese St. Leger is the third leg of the Triple Crown, but that headgear isn't available, as the winner of the first leg is ducking the 3,000-meters test, citing "distance suitability."

That means his trainer doesn't think he's cut out to go the nearly 2 miles. But none of the runners actually in the race has gone that far, either, so it's a pretty hard field to judge. Danon Decile, the winner of the Tokyo Yushun, or Japanese Derby, is entered for the Kikuka Sho.

England

Saturday's QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot pretty much wraps up the flat racing season in England and has the added attraction of offering "Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup spots to the winners of two of the races.

Isa Salman Al Khalifa's Economics and the Aga Khan's Calandagan face off in the Group 1 Champion Stakes at 1 1/4 miles, a "Win and You're In" for the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf.

Economics, a 3-year-old Night of Thunder colt, has won all four starts this year and comes off a hard-won decision over Auguste Rodin in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes on Sept. 14 at Leopardstown.

Calandagan, a 3-year-old Gleneagles gelding, won the Group 2 King Edward VII at Royal Ascot, took a two-month break and returned to finish second, just 1 length adrift of City of Troy, in the Group 1 Juddmonte International at York in August.

The other Breeders' Cup-blessed event is the Group 1 Filly & Mares Stakes at just less than 1 1/2 miles. The solid favorite is the Juddmonte homebred 3-year-old filly Kalpana.

The Andrew Balding trainee has had a solid season with four wins, two seconds and a third from seven starts, but makes a jump in class. After her, it's a toss-up.

Charyn tops the early handicapping for the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at 1 mile.

The 4-year-old Dark Angel colt has won four of six starts this season with the win column including the Group 1 Queen Anne at Royal Ascot and the Group 1 Jacques le Marois at Deauville. He was last seen finishing second to Tribalist in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.

The Group 1 Sprint has 20 takers seems wide open. Kyprios is the one to beat in the Group 2 Long Distance Cup at 2 miles looking for his seventh straight win.

Meanwhile, back in the States ...

Keeneland

Book'em Danno's connections, eschewing a shot at the Breeders' Cup and an outside chance at some year-end honors, opted to enter the Bucchero gelding instead in Saturday's $300,000 Grade III Perryville for 3-year-olds at 7 furlongs.

Saturday's $350,000 Grade II Lexus Raven Run, also 7 furlongs, attracted 10 3-year-old fillies with the Brad Cox -trained Emery as the solid morning-line favorite.

A full field will face the starter in Sunday's $300,000 Grade III Rood & Riddle Dowager for fillies and mares at 1 1/2 miles on the turf. It's a handicapping puzzle with the 3-1 morning-line favorite, Neecie Marie, drawn in the No. 12 gate. Pick 'em and profit.

Gulfstream Park

Saturday's program includes the second leg the three-race Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-olds and 2-year-old fillies with matching $200,000 heats.

Aqueduct

Friday's $135,000 Carle Place for 3-year-olds includes as a major player Little Ni, who suffered his first career defeat when just a nose short of Book'em Danno in the Jersey Shore. He then, however, finished last of 12 in the H. Allen Jerkens.

Saturday's $150,000 Athenia for fillies and mares, 1 1/8 miles on the turf, has a well-matched field of eight with three for main track only.

Eight are set for Saturday's $150,000 Awad for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Chad Brown saddles the favorites, Valuation Metric and Aviator Gui.

Sunday's $150,000 Chelsey Flower for 2-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles on the turf, has six plus one "main track only".

Woodbine

Dresden Row, Swift Delivery and Bail Us Out, Kentucky-breds all, are the morning-line favorites in a field of seven entered for Saturday's $135,000 (Canadian) Grade III Ontario Derby, 1 1/8 miles on the all-weather course.

Remington Park

Friday's Oklahoma Classic Program has eight six-figure stakes races for state-breds.