Breeders' Cup Pre-Entries: Pletcher again has small army

The deadline to submit pre-entries for the 11 Breeders' Cup races was Monday. The pre-entered fields will be announced on Wednesday. Final entries will be taken and post positions drawn for all 11 races next Tuesday at Monmouth Park, which will be hosting the Breeders' Cup for the first time. Three new Breeders' Cup races - the $1 million Juvenile Turf, $1 million Filly and Mare Sprint, and $1 million Dirt Mile - will be run on Oct. 26. The eight traditional Breeders' Cup races - topped by the $5 million Classic - will be run Oct. 27.

Trainer Todd Pletcher has 15 horses pre-entered. He set a record last year with 18 pre-entries. Breeders' Cup Ltd. will not release a complete list of pre-entries until Wednesday morning, but Pletcher indicated he has representatives for six of the 11 World Championships races.

Grade 1 winners Any Given Saturday and Lawyer Ron are Pletcher’s contenders for the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic. English Channel, Icy Atlantic, Honey Ryder, and Sunriver are pre-entered in the John Deere Breeders’ Cup Turf. Icy Atlantic, winner of the Red Bank Stakes at Monmouth on September 1, also is pre-entered in the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile, and Honey Ryder has first preference in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Pletcher also has four pre-entries in the Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Distaff —Indian Vale, Octave, Panty Raid, and Unbridled Belle. Panty Raid, winner of the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes on October 7, also is pre-entered in the Filly and Mare Turf with the Distaff as her first preference.

Wait a While is another Pletcher candidate for the Filly and Mare Turf, and Host (Chi), a stakes winner at Monmouth in May, is pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Pletcher pre-entered stakes winners The Leopard and Why Tonto and maiden winner Cowboy Cal in the new Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Technorati tag(s):