Breeders' Cup update: Benny in Miami

This is the second of 15 weekly news releases focusing on the horses and races leading to the 25th Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25 at Santa Anita Park.

Challenge moves on to Florida, Delaware

Benny the Bull, the top sprinter in the country, headlines Saturday’s $400,000 Smile Sprint Handicap at Calder, the first of four Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifiers for the $2 -million Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Oct. 25 at Santa Anita Park. In addition, Saturday’s $400,000 Princess Rooney Handicap at Calder, featuring Dream Rush, will offer the winner a starting berth in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Oct. 24 at Santa Anita. Both the Smile Sprint and Princess Rooney are part of Calder’s $1.3 million Summit of Speed card.

Sunday the action turns to Delaware Park and the $1 million Delaware Handicap, the first of four qualifying events that will land the winner a spot in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic, Oct. 24. Last year’s Delaware Handicap winner, Unbridled Belle, is among the expected starters.

The Delaware Handicap will be shown live Sunday on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. ET. The Smile Sprint, with a scheduled post of 4:54 p.m. ET, and the Princess Rooney (4:26 p.m. ET), will be shown live Saturday on HRTV.

Benny the Bull, who runs for the connections of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown, enters the six-furlong Smile Sprint undefeated in three starts this year. The 5-year-old son of Lucky Lionel began his 2008 campaign by winning the Sunshine Millions Sprint at Gulfstream Park in January. A trip to Nad al Sheba Racecourse in Dubai earned Benny the Bull a win in the Golden Shaheen. Benny the Bull returned to action June 7 at Belmont Park, and was up in time to win the True North Handicap by a neck for owners IEAH Stables, Andrew Cohen, and Greg James, and trainer Richard Dutrow Jr.

Indian Chant is coming off a win in the Aristides at Churchill Downs for trainer Tom Amoss and owner Maggi Moss. Man of Danger, who runs for Monmouth Park’s leading trainer, Bruce Levine, has strung together four second-place finishes in stakes, including a neck loss to Benny the Bull in the True North. Paradise Dancer, trained by Calder’s leading trainer, Kirk Ziadie, finished second in last year’s Smile Sprint.

Dream Rush, who raced last year for West Point Thoroughbreds before the syndicate group sold her at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Selected Fall Mixed Sale for $3.3 million to Minor Stables, seeks her first win since capturing the 2007 grade I Test at Saratoga for trainer Richard Violette. Still trained by Violette, Dream Rush, a 4-year-old daughter of Wild Rush, was second in her most recent start, the Vagrancy at Belmont Park May 25. In addition to the Test, Dream Rush won the Grade I Prioress at Belmont in 2007, a year that saw her win four of seven starts. Her only off-the-board performance last year came in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint over a sloppy track at Monmouth Park. She was fifth in the Filly & Mare Sprint, before being acquired by her new connections. Dream Rush was assigned highweight of 120 pounds in the six-furlong Princess Rooney, the first of four Breeders’ Cup qualifiers for the Filly and Mare Sprint. Dream Rush worked a bullet five furlongs in 1:00.67 at Aqueduct on Sunday.

Looky Yonder, trained by Richard Dutrow Jr., was scratched from the July 4 First Flight at Belmont Park to run in the Princess Rooney. She won the Vagrancy by one length over Dream Rush. Mistical Plan, who hails from the barn of California-based Doug O’Neill, seeks her first win since the 2007 Fair Grounds Oaks.

Unbridled Belle, a winner of four of five starts at Delaware Park, headlines the grade II Delaware Handicap, a 1 ¼-mile race for fillies and mares. Spring Waltz, a winner of her last four starts for Hall for Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, is among those expected to challenge Unbridled Belle.

Unbridled Belle, trained by Todd Pletcher for Team Valor Stables, won last year’s Delaware Handicap by 7 ¾ lengths under Ramon Dominguez, who has the assignment again. A 5-year-old daughter of Broken Vow, Unbridled Belle seeks to become the sixth horse to win two runnings of the Delaware Handicap. Last year, Unbridled Belle was 8-1 in the Delaware Handicap; her odds will be considerably shorter this year.

In 2007, Unbridled Belle finished second in Delaware Park’s Obeah Handicap, her prep for the Delaware Handicap. This year, Unbridled Belle won the Obeah by 5 ¾ lengths on June 14. The Obeah was her first start since finishing fifth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff, now the Ladies’ Classic.