iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
71% of retail investors in the UAE hold stocks in companies engaged with AI
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Zenyatta draws the eight post for the Classic
Undefeated mare Zenyatta drew the eight post on Tuesday and was installed the early 8-5 favorite for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.
“This is excellent,” said Zenyatta owner Jerry Moss. “Eight is our lucky number. We’re very happy to be here. If I didn’t think she was up to the task, we wouldn’t have brought her.”
Zenyatta, a dynamic California-based six-year-old who last year became the first female Classic champion, will face 11 rivals in Saturday’s mile-and-a-quarter affair.
Rated second at 9-2 was Jockey Gold Cup runner-up Blame, followed by Florida Derby winner Quality Road at 5-1 and Lookin At Lucky, the Bob Baffert-trained 2009 Preakness champion who at 6-1 odds will break from the outside 12 post.
Baffert painfully recalls finishing sixth in last year’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs after starting from the dreaded inside post in a field of 20.
“It’s better than the one hole,” Baffert said. “He went to the extreme opposite from his Kentucky Derby post position. It’s not that horrible, it’s not the end of the world.
“I’m just glad he’s out of the one hole. If we’d drawn that I would have been getting bad vibes.”
Blame, with Garrett Gomez in the irons, will break from the five hole, while John Velazquez will be aboard Quality Road, the 2010 Woodward Stakes winner who will start from the one.
“It wouldn’t have been one of my choices but it is what it is,” Quality Road trainer Todd Pletcher said of his bay stallion’s post.
“It’s probably less of a disadvantage in a 12-horse field than it is in the Derby going a mile-and-a-quarter in a full field.”
Blame trainer Al Stall Jr. deemed the fifth post “just fine.”
“How can you not be happy with that number?,” he asked. “I’m not a big post position person unless you draw the far outside so it’s one less thing to worry about.”
All eyes at Churchill Downs will be on Zenyatta, last year’s champion at Santa Anita who will retire following the race. Hall of Famer Mike Smith will be aboard the unusually large mare as she tries for her 20th straight triumph.
The Breeders’ Cup card, offering purses of more than $25.5 million, will start on Friday with six races followed by eight on Saturday.
More news from
This decision was taken to preserve the safety of administrative staff, teachers and students
Abu Dhabi Police has been promoting the safety of motorcycle riders by holding workshops focused on improving traffic awareness
The high-profile event brought together global philanthropic and business leaders to explore the untapped potential of philanthropic capital in accelerating development and humanitarian efforts
Many employees were told to report to office during the unprecedented rain and storm of April 16-17
His more than 30 books are as likely to be found in airports as on university reading lists and have been translated into more than 40 languages
The machine is a crucial asset during health crises like Covid-19