Two trainers each won two Breeders’ Cup races Saturday at Del Mar, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end between them.
The first to do it was Jose D’Angelo, a 34-year-old native of Venezuela who until Saturday had started three horses in the Breeders’ Cup, never winning. He had just two starters this year — and both won within 40 minutes of each other: Shisospicy ($12.60) in the Turf Sprint and Bentornato ($5.40) in the Sprint.
D’Angelo’s feat was followed several hours later by the most familiar face in racing: Bob Baffert, a 72-year-old native of Arizona who is already in the racing Hall of Fame. Among his accomplishments is winning more money than any other trainer in Breeders’ Cup history.
Baffert added to his total — and also moved into a tie with Aidan O’Brien for the most Cup victories with his 20th and 21st when Splendora ($7.80) romped to a win in the Filly & Mare Sprint and Nysos ($3.40) won a thrilling duel with stablemate Citizen Bull in the Dirt Mile. Flavien Prat rode both winners.
“I was hoping for a dead heat,” Baffert said of the latter race. “It’s a shame one of them had to lose.”
D’Angelo didn’t have to sweat out either of his victories, with Irad Ortiz Jr. in the saddle for both front-running victories. Shisospicy, a 3-year-old filly, beat Ag Bullet by 2 1/2 lengths and Bentornato, a 4-year-old colt who finished second in the Sprint last year behind Straight No Chaser, outran that rival for the lead this time and wound up 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Baffert’s Imagination.
Asked to describe what those 40 minutes were like, D’Angelo said, “Probably I don’t know what’s going on here. In two days when I wake up, I’m going to feel out everything.”
Vet scratches criticized
The controversy over veterinary scratches at the Breeders’ Cup reignited with the withdrawals of multiple contenders, primarily Sweet Azteca and Tamara, the top two favorites in the Filly & Mare Sprint, as well as 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan from the Dirt Mile.
The trainers of all three horses told the Daily Racing Form they disagreed with the decisions.
“This industry is analysis paralysis,” said Mystik Dan’s trainer, Kenny McPeek, who also had Blackout Time scratched from the Juvenile by vets. “They don’t trust trainers.”
Said Richard Baltas, who trains Sweet Azteca: “It’s devastating. … That being said, sometimes things, I hate to say it, they happen for a reason. I don’t know what the reason is.”
Said Tamara’s trainer, Hall of Famer Richard Mandella: “I don’t know what to say. Maybe they’re right and we’ll find something, but she looked acceptable to me.”
Led by California, the industry adopted several safety reforms after more than three dozen horses died in 2019 at Santa Anita. Last year, Scott Chaney, executive director of the California Horse Racing Board, which regulates the sport in the state, said fatal musculoskeletal injuries in racing and training dropped by more than 50% in California over the previous four years.
“The standards are always the same. I think there’s this perception that there’s heightened scrutiny for Breeders’ Cup or other big events. That’s simply not true,” Chaney said Saturday on FanDuel TV. “… For us, we always err on the side of caution. California, maybe we have the reputation for being strict when it comes to animal welfare. I’m proud of that.
“… I will say, we’ve done some work in California and around the globe looking at vet scratches. and regulatory vets are really good at their jobs. They’re good at identifying high-risk horses and most of those horses that they scratch don’t come back to the races in any short order.”
There were no breakdowns in any of the races Friday or Saturday. The same was true a year ago, though the French colt Jayarebe died of an apparent heart attack after completing the Turf.
Other races
A year ago, Charlie Appleby needed Notable Speech to win the Mile to make history as the first trainer to win the same Cup race four years in a row. He finished third, but Rebel’s Romance gave Appleby a victory in the Turf.
This year, Appleby needed Rebel’s Romance to win to become the first horse to win the Turf three times and join Goldikova and Beholder as the only horses to win three Cup races; he finished second but Notable Speech won the Mile.
Either way, Appleby was happy to get his 12th Cup win from just 32 starters. Only six trainers have won more and they all have at least 130 starters.
Of Rebel’s Romance, Appleby said: “Delighted. When you’re beaten, you’re disappointed. Split-second, I thought he’s going to do it, old boy, but full credit to the winner.”
On Notable Speech: “We fully intended to come here again 12 months later and sort of try and correct what we didn’t get done last year.”
• The upset winner of the Turf was Ethical Diamond ($57.40), a 27-1 longshot who until this summer was running in hurdle races. It was the first Cup starter for legendary Irish steeplechase trainer Willie Mullins. Dylan McMonagle earned his first Cup victory as a jockey.
• Trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado figured to have a quiet week once Sovereignty was withdrawn from the Breeders’ Cup Classic with a fever, but the pair had other ideas. Scylla ($17.20), a 5-year-old mare making the final start of her career, pulled off a 7-1 surprise in the $2 million Distaff. It was her first win in nine attempts since June of last year, and her first Grade I victory.
• The final race, the Filly & Mare Turf, was won by Gezora ($20.20), a 3-year-old French filly ridden by Mickael Barzalona for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. She rallied late to beat the American filly She Feels Pretty and give European imports five wins in seven Cup grass races this weekend.