Taiba, who placed second in the odds for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby after winning the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby in April, was regarded so highly. Presented by Woodford Reserve, he makes his first appearance at the races since placing a dismal 12th in that contest.
White Abarrio gives the field more depth after placing second in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby at the end of June. Howling Time is yet another player deserving of the moniker "win contender," having given Cyberknife all he could handle in his narrow loss in the Matt Winn final.
Benevento, King of Hollywood, and One Time Willard, the other three competitors, have a combined stakes racing record of 0-for-5 and seem outmatched in this "Win and You're In" Challenge Series contest for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.
Howling Time had the lead early on with reasonable fractions in the Matt Winn Stakes on June 12 but was eventually overtaken by Cyberknife with a quarter of a mile remaining. They fought fiercely from that point till the finish line, with Cyberknife winning by a hair. Compared to White Abarrio's 106 Equibase Speed Figures, which he received for finishing second in the Ohio Derby, both colts achieved 104 Equibase Speed Figures for that effort.
When he won the Woody Stephens Stakes in June, Jack Christopher scored the highest number in this field—108—but he may find it challenging to match that performance for later reasons. Howling Time has been steadily developing in his four races, going from 56 in his 3-year-old debut in March to 77 in May and 104 in the Matt Winn. Rattle N Roll, who finished third in the Matt Winn race, outperformed Howling Time and Cyberknife when he won the American Derby on July 2. This means that Howling Time and Cyberknife could run quickly enough to achieve 110 digits in this race.
When Cyberknife triumphed at the slightly shorter one 1/16-mile course in February while earning a graded stakes excellent 100-speed number, she made a significant entry onto the 3-year-old scene. He then won the Arkansas Derby, proving that it was no fluke, with a little lower figure (95), albeit he might have been able to run quicker as he cruised to a two 34-length victory. After finishing in 18th place in the Kentucky Derby without much competition, Cyberknife reappeared five weeks later and was incredibly competitive while defeating Howling Time by a nose and earned a career-best 104 Equibase Speed Figure in the process.
Regular jockey Florent Geroux will be able to immediately put the precocious colt in the lead, thanks to Haskell's ground-saving rail starting position. Geroux can also come in a second like he did that day if Howling Time wishes to take the early lead, as he did in the Matt Winn, setting up another exciting race to the finish line.
The Ohio Derby, which was held this spring at Xalapa, was run at the same distance as White Abarrio won the Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms this spring, 1 1/8 miles, as opposed to the Matt Winn, which was run at 1 1/16 miles. White Abarrio possesses great tactical speed and, like Cyberknife, has won while finishing fifth early in the Florida Derby and second early in the Holy Bull Stakes.
Given that White Abarrio is a strong candidate in this race and that his starting odds of 5-1 seem to be high enough about his chances of winning, he should also be regarded as deserving of a winning wager.
Even though Jack Christopher and Taiba have both run fast enough to win this race, earning 108 and 102 figures, respectively, I don't believe either can defeat any of the three leading contenders if those horses run as predicted.
When Cyberknife triumphed at the slightly shorter one 1/16-mile course in February while earning a graded stakes excellent 100-speed number, she made a significant entry onto the 3-year-old scene. He then won the Arkansas Derby, proving that it was no fluke, with a little lower figure (95), albeit he might have been able to run quicker as he cruised to a two 34-length victory.
After finishing 18th indifferently in the Kentucky Derby, Cyberknife returned five weeks later and proved incredibly competitive while defeating Howling Time by a nose and earning a career-high 104 Equibase Speed Figure. Regular jockey Florent Geroux will be able to immediately put the precocious colt in the lead, thanks to Haskell's ground-saving rail starting position. Geroux can also come in the second like he did that day if Howling Time wishes to take the early lead, as he did in the Matt Winn, setting up another exciting race to the finish line.
White Abarrio finished second in the Ohio Derby (beaten a length) while running a bit faster than the front-runners, receiving a 106-speed number. The Ohio Derby, which was held this spring at Xalapa, was run at the same distance as White Abarrio won the Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms this spring, 1 1/8 miles, as opposed to the Matt Winn, which was run at 1 1/16 miles. White Abarrio possesses great tactical speed and, like Cyberknife, has won while finishing fifth early in the Florida Derby and second early in the Holy Bull Stakes.
Given that White Abarrio is a strong candidate in this race and that his starting odds of 5-1 seem to be high enough concerning his chances of winning, he should also be regarded as deserving of a winning wager.
Even though Jack Christopher and Taiba have both run fast enough to win this race, earning 108 and 102 figures, respectively, I don't believe either can defeat any of the three leading contenders if those horses run as predicted.
With his 10-length victory in the Woody Stephens Stakes in June, Jack Christopher improved to a career-best 108 figure, maintaining his 2-for-2 record from the previous year.
Despite this, his victories have come after a single turn, and he has less experience than many others in this race. He isn't bred to run at this distance as successfully as at shorter outings. His sire, Munnings, had 11 different horses make a total of 25 starts in stakes races at various levels at this one 1/8-mile distance, but none of those animals prevailed, according to a Stats Race Lens search.
On the Haskell card's two earlier races, the Molly Pitcher Stakes, one of those is Bonny South. She has won or placed in 11 out of 16 races, earning $1 million in total, but at this distance, she is 0 for 5 (four seconds, one third-place finish).
She has won or placed in 11 out of 16 races, earning $1 million in total, but at this distance, she is 0 for 5 (four seconds, one third-place finish). Rushin No Blushin, the dam of Jack Christopher, only competed once in a two-turn race, placing 12th. I believe those are strong arguments against Jack Christopher in this election.
Despite his impressive victory in the Santa Anita Derby, I did not think favourably of Taiba's chances in the Kentucky Derby due to his inexperience. Before the Derby, he had already won in two previous starts against fields of four and six horses, respectively.
Nevertheless, the 102 figures in those two efforts would have been competitive in the Kentucky Derby field if they were reproduced. Having been away for longer than any other horse in the competition, he now faces a new issue. Taiba's ability to perform at his peak against considerably more seasoned opposition is not specific, especially considering that four other horses in the Haskell field have already run faster than he has.
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