Sprinters will get their chance to bid for an expenses-paid spot in the Breeders’ Cup Saturday at Aqueduct when a field of nine squares off in the Vosburgh Stakes Presented by Army Mule.
The Goodwood Stakes has long been a West Coast fall staple on the path to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and while the race has been renamed several times over the years it has frequently served as a springboard to success at the World Championships. It’s currently a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Longines Classic set for Nov.
Had he been born in a different year, there is a very good chance Baeza would have a victory in a Triple Crown race on his resume. Surely, he would have won a Grade 1 race before the Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 20 at Parx Racing.
Success in racing often depends on the ability to spot and acquire talent and to capitalize on opportunities that can present themselves when they are least expected. The distinguished career of 7-year-old gelding Gold Phoenix, headed to the $5 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf for the fourth consecutive year, vividly illustrates the point.
Arguably no region across the U.S. has been more intertwined with the Breeders’ Cup World Championships than Southern California. The first Breeders’ Cup in 1984 took place at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., and since then racetracks in SoCal have hosted the World Championships 16 more times, with another on the horizon this Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
