Events / Kieran Packman / 06 November 2010 /

Timeform's Kieran Packman is back at Churchills downs for the second day of the Breeders' Cup meeting.

23:27

At the furlong marker, the Hollywood producers would have been considering which A-lister could do the weight to play Mike Smith, but, alas, it wasn't to be.

A wonderful sporting moment, but probably sums up the special beauty of racing that the script had a different ending to that which most expected.

Here's a final thought for today - how about nine furlongs, polytrack, Goldikova versus Zenyatta. How would you price that?

23:05

How close was that?

22:32

The contrast in reception for the turf Mile winner and the Dirt equivalent couldn't be starker. If Goldikova was rapturous for race fans, Dakota Phone was hideous, the principal reaction being head-scratching bemusement.

The Turf turns into a sprint, in similar fashion to the Filly and Mare twenty-four hours ago, and who knew that Dangerous Midge, a handicap scorer at Doncaster in the spring, would make such astounding progress as to wind up the year as a Breeders' Cup winner, albeit in a poor renewal. Fair play to Brian Meehan for being brave enough to have a crack, something he'd done just as successfully with the arguably similarly limited Red Rocks. Plenty of European trainers should be considering what might have been.

Zenyatta is making her way to the paddock. I can only describe it as being like a pop star showing up. Crazy scenes.

20:56

Simply stunning performance from Goldikova, taking over so smoothly and never looking in any danger. An extraordinary mare and so ambitiously campaigned.

Gio Ponti in second seemed a horse without a race, a 10f event on turf what he'd ideally need. Sidney's Candy had most in trouble turning in but had no hope of shaking Goldikova, who was simply a class apart.

Peslier waves a French flag and a Euro blank is thankfully avoided. Historic stuff. The dream double of super mares lives on.

20:02

Turns out the group Pick 6 I was in were still in after Leg 1. Turns out we instead bombed in Leg 2!

Uncle Mo blew them away to justify strong favouritism in the Juvenile. Rogue Romance plugged on out wide for third but no chance with a hugely impressive winner.

The Mile next. Perfect appetiser for the Zenyatta mayhem if Goldikova can make it an unprecedented treble.

19:37

So the theory went that the short run to the turn would mean a low draw was imperative, Chester-style, Central City has plenty of speed, so could dominate from 2. He did just that, only to be reeled in by the horse from 1! I'll worry about the $4 million that's gone begging when a couple more legs have gone by.

The suspicion coming over was that the European contingent could only feel genuinely confident in the Mile and the Turf and with an array of average to rank bad efforts so far, that is now definitely the case. Workforce's defection has obviously weakened our hand in the Turf and Gio Ponti has been very strongly touted to topple Goldikova. 40/1 or thereabouts was the price for a Euro blank earlier this week, a hindsight bet if ever there was one.

18:57

Two Breeders' Cup races down and two ambulances required. Not great at all and I'm sure questions are now being asked about the suitability of the turf track. Let's hope the Turf Sprint, where there's not more than a furlong's run to the turn, doesn't throw up an unpleasant hat-trick.

The Pick 6 kicks off in this race too and it's being tackled with trepidation as the opening leg in particular gets no easier as it gets closer. Then we're onto some genuine quality in the Juvenile, in which Jaycito is attracting plenty of coverage from the informed TVG pundits.

16:59
Glorious sunshine in Louisville, although still bitterly cold, as the first non-Breeders' race of the day flashes by. The crowd is expected to be nearly double that of yesterday's 40,000 and all is set fair.

I've largely been trying to get my Pick 6 legs down from four figures, but in doing so I've landed on a couple of singles in the Dirt races, I think Rogue Romance is likely to be unjustly ignored in the Juvenile so have played him small win and place and I am struggling to find holes in Here Comes Ben in the Dirt Mile, the race should set up perfectly for him, so he takes a hit too.

14:49

So, amber turns to red for Workforce. Disappointing through to downright unsporting summing up the reaction here. My personal view is that it's baffling, I neither saw nor heard any of those involved yesterday (publicly at least) blaming an overly quick surface for defeat, including Tom Queally after Midday's run in the same colours. Overcoming potentially adverse circumstance is surely what can define champions. As it is, we're left with a weak renewal of the Turf.

Thankfully, Goldikova and Zenyatta haven't been packed off with the barbecue and lawnmower for winter and both provide plenty of compelling sport to look forward to.

Zenyatta banners are being distributed around the hotels and she features in news bulletins across the US channels. She is as short as 3/5 on the early show and I sense similarities to Deep Impact's appearance in the Arc, when the PMU pool was all but overwhelmed by sentimental and souvenir wagers.

Her destiny in the final leg adds further pondering to a huge Pick 6 pool. Getting through Leg 1 (Turf Sprint) could be the most difficult part, as it's genuinely open, Central City and Silver Timber my tentative stabs.

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