Breeders' Cup Betting: Meehan's Mantoba to get Europe off to a flyer?

Breeders’ Cup Ante-Post Previews / Timeform / 01 November 2010 / Leave a Comment

Mantoba wins at Newmarket

"With just three runs behind him, Mantoba is still in the ‘could be anything’ category."

The Europeans look to hold all the aces in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf...

One of the races that was added when the Breeders' Cup became a two-day fixture in 2007, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf has twice gone the way of the Europeans, or more specifically John Gosden. Nownownow won the first renewal for America, but Gosden has since sent over Donativum and Pounced to make the score 2-1, the pair both ridden by Frankie Dettori.

With the best of the American juveniles more like to be aimed at the dirt event, that should again leave the way open for the Europeans, though Gosden's intended runner this year, Utley, has plenty to find judged on the form of his maiden success and his subsequent fifth in the Jean Luc-Lagardere, for all he's likely to improve again.

The favourite is among the European contingent, namely Aidan O'Brien's Master of Hounds, who left the form of his Tipperary maiden win well behind when third to Casamento in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster. He had previously split Dunboyne Express and Sunday's Criterium International winner Roderic O'Connor at Leopardstown, and shaped at Doncaster as if there was more to come from him.

Brian Meehan has tasted Breeders' Cup success before and he sends over Mantoba. Like most from the yard, Mantoba stepped up markedly on his debut effort, winning a Newbury maiden. In following up in a strong Newmarket minor event he showed himself a smart colt, one well up to winning pattern races. With just three runs behind him, Mantoba is still in the 'could be anything' category.

Another with three runs under his belt is Godolphin's unbeaten colt Biondetti, who is trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni. Biondetti took the step up in class in his stride when landing the Group 1 Gran Criterium in Milan. Godolphin had the runner-up in Italy last year, Vale of York, who went on to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (on the Pro-Ride at Santa Anita), and Biondetti has every chance of giving the operation another Breeders' Cup success in either that race or this one. It wasn't a particularly strong renewal of the Gran Criterium that he won, but he's progressing well.

The pick of the American entries, Kenny McPeek's Rogue Romance, is more likely to go for the Dirt race, so the most interesting of the home contingent is Soldat. Kieran McLaughlin's colt has produced his best efforts in Grade 3 events on turf on his last two starts, winning the With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga in September easily by three lengths before 1½ lengths second to Air Support in the Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont.

In theory, this should be a race that gets the Europeans off to a flyer on Saturday, and Brian Meehan's Mantoba is narrowly preferred over Aidan O'Brien's Master of Hounds.

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