PAGE XX
Xxxxxxxday, Xxxxx xx, 2002
DAILY RACING FORM
Daily Racing Form Online: www.drf.com
Breeders’ Cup 2002
ENGLAND
Ascot
ASCOT
EPSOM
Location: 36 miles west of London in Ascot, Berkshire.
Epsom
Location: 17 miles south of London in Epsom, Surrey
Course Direction
RH
GRAN
DSTA
ND
TRACK DIAGRAM:TIMEFORM
Course Discription Ascot is a right-handed, triangular course, 1 3/4
miles around with a stretch of 2-1/2 furlongs. There is also a one-mile
straight course which joins the triangular course at the head of the
stretch.
Races at 1 1/2 miles, e.g., the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
Diamond Stakes, begin with a downhill run of half a mile to Swinley
Bottom, a right-hand bend at the lowest point in the track. From the
mile pole it is almost entirely uphill past the 90-degree turn into the
stretch. The final furlong is level. The straight course is mildly undulating throughout.
One-mile races are run from two different starting points. Those on the
Old Mile, e.g., Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, St. James’s Palace Stakes,
Coronation Satkes, start from a chute near Swinley Bottom and are almost
entirely uphill until the final furlong. Other mile races, e.g., the Queen
Anne Stakes and big handicpas like the Royal Hunt Cup Handicap, are
run on the straight course. All races shorter than a mile are run on the
straight course.
Ascot places a premium on stamina and is ideal for long-striding
gallopers. The Old Mile, over which the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is
run in late September, is hardly an ideal prep for the Breeders’ Cup
Mile as its uphill nature makes it a stayers mile as opposed to the near
sprint that is the BC Mile. No winner of the QEII has ever won the BC
Mile. The ground at Ascot can be very testing when soft or heavy,
especially in the lower regions at Swinley Bottom.
History: Ascot was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne after she bought the
property following a stag hunt. It has been in the hands of the Royal
Family ever since. That first meeting, held on August 13, was the premier
Royal Meeting. It would develop into the four-day Royal Ascot festival held
annually during the third week of June. Outside of those four days of
Royal Ascot, the track is referred to simply as Ascot. The racecourse conducts 22 days of racing annually, 13 on the flat and nine over jumps.
Course Description: Epsom is a left-handed, horseshoe-shaped
track, its 1 1/2-mile circumference being the distance of the Derby and
the Oaks The Derby course is stiffly uphill for the first six furlongs
with a very mild right-hand bend 1-1/2 furlongs after the start. The
course levels off at the top of the hill at halfway, or six furlongs from
the line, after which there is a descent around an unbanked left-handed
turn. That descent is at its steepest half a mile from home at Tattenham
Corner, where the horses turn into the 3-1/2-furlong stretch which,
while continuing downhill, is banked towards the inner rail. The final
110 yards is a slight rise to the finish.
Races at six and seven furlongs start from chutes at the top of the
hill. There is also a five-furlong straight course that joins the Derby
course at the head of the stretch. It is entirely and steeply downhill
until the final sixteenth.
It takes an athletic type to successfully manouver Epsom’s hills,
unbanked turns and the infamous switchback, the term used to
describe what happens when speeding horses being constrained to
keep a straight line through Tattenham Corner suddenly meet the
stretch with its ground cambered towards the inner rail. Horses with a
high action or big, long striding gallopers frequently have trouble at
Epsom.
History: It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of
Epsom’s 1 1/2-mile course in the history of racing. From the inception
of the Derby in 1780 until the middle of the 20th century, it was the testing ground over which the best of the Thoroughbred breed was determined in both the Derby and the Oaks. During that period Derby winners routinely sired Derby winners and winners of other major races
in England and the rest of the world. While the great race was challenged in mid-century by the Kentucky Derby and the French Derby,
and while it suffered a decline in the 1990’s, it still ranks as one of the
world’s most important Thoroughbred contests, especially from a
breeder’s point of view.
Epsom conducts eight days of racing a year, all on the flat.
Track Records:
5f
6f
7f
1 1/16m
1 1/4m
1 1/2m
:53.60
1:07.85
1:20.15
1:40.75
2:03.50
2:32.31
Course Direction
LH
Track Records:
5f
6f
7f
1m (RH)
1m (Str)
1 1/4m
1 1/2m
59.10
1:12.53
1:25.94
1:38.58
1:38.07
2:02.76
2:26.95
Major races in 2002:
TRACK DIAGRAM:TIMEFORM
GRANDSTAND
DATE
RACE
CONDTION
DISTANCE WINNER
June 18
June 19
June 20
June 21
June 22
July 27
St. James’s Palace Stakes-G1
Prince of Wales’s Stakes-G1
Ascot Gold Cup-G1
Coronation Stakes-G1
Golden Jubilee Stakes-G1
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth
Diamond Stakes-G1
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes-G1
Fillies Mile-G1
3yo c
4yo+
4yo+
3yo f
3yo+
1m
1 1/4m
2 1/2m
1m
6f
Rock Of Gibraltar
Grandera
Royal Rebel
Sophisticat
Malhub
126
129
124
114+
120
3yo+
3yo+
2yo f
1 1/2m
1m
1m
Golan
Where Or When
Soviet Song
129
125
105
Sept. 28
Sept. 28
TIMEFORM RATING
Major races in 2002:
DATE
RACE
CONDTION
DISTANCE
WINNER
TIMEFORM RATING
June 7
June 7
June 8
English Oaks-G1
Coronation Cup-G1
Epsom Derby-G1
3yo f
4yo+
3yo c&f
1 1/2m
1 1/2m
1 1/2m
Kazzia
Boreal
High Chaparral
- Course discriptions and histories by Alan Shuback
121
127
130
PAGE XX
Xxxxxxxday, Xxxxx xx, 2002
DAILY RACING FORM
Daily Racing Form Online: www.drf.com
Breeders’ Cup 2002
ENGLAND
Newmarket
Goodwood
Newmarket
Goodwood
Location: 66 miles southwest of London, 32 miles west of Brighton, six miles north
of Chichester, West Sussex, not far from the Channel coast.
Location: 64 miles northeast of London, 13 miles east of Cambridge in Newmarket, Suffolk.
Course Direction
RH
GRANDSTAND
TRACK DIAGRAM:TIMEFORM
Course Description: No racecourse in the world differs more
from America’s standardized ovals than Goodwood. There is a sixfurlong straight course which is slightly uphill at the start, then
generally downhill until the final sixteenth, which is level. What
separates Goodwood from all other tracks is its triangular righthanded loop built on the edge of a ridge. Races at 1 1/2 miles start
from a chute with the horses running away from the finish line.
They go uphill for 2-1/2 furlongs before turning right. The remainder of the course is undulating.
Races between two and 2 1/2 miles start in the stretch with the
horses running away from the finish towards the loop. To complicate matters, there are two spurs used for entry into the stretch.
Races at 1 1/8 miles and 1 1/4 miles, which go uphill in the opposite
direction used in two-mile races, take the outer spur onto a 4-furlong stretch. All other races of seven furlongs or longer use the
inner spur into a 3-furlong stretch.
Goodwood favors handy types who can manouver its undulations
and rather sharp turns, although at races of nine furlongs or longer,
there is no advantage to any given type. As a ìsharpî track where
speed is at a premium, Goodwood should generally produce runners able to adapt to American tracks with their tight turns, this in
spite of the vast differences in configuration between it an places
like Hollywood or Keeneland. A singular example would be
Tolomeo, who used the Sussex Stakes to vault to victory in the
Arlington Million.
Histor y: Goodwood was founded by the third Duke of
Richmond in 1801. In 1839 it became the first racecourse to incorporate post position draws. The great undefeated (54-for-54) Hungarian
mare Kincsem won the Goodwood Cup there in 1878, by which time
the track’s five-day late July, early August meeting, now dubbed
Glorious Goodwood, had become part of the English social season
along with Royal Ascot, the Henley Regatta, Wimbledon and the
British Open.
Goodwood conducts thirteen days of racing a year, all on the flat.
Course Description: Newmarket is, in reality, two courses in one. The Rowley Mile Course,
used in April, May, September, October and November, shares a one-mile spur with the July
Course, which is used in June, July and August.
That spur creates a 2 1/2-mile course used in the spring and fall. The spur is generally downhill
until meeting a sharp rise about furlong before the right-handed turn into the Rowley Mile
Course, which is a straight 1 1/4 miles, the last mile of which is used for both the 1000 and 2000
Guineas. It is undulating throughout with the penultimate furlong a pronounced downhill prior to
The Dip, which is followed by an uphill run to the finish.
Including the spur it shares with the Rowley Mile Course, the July Course is 2 1/8 miles in
length with a straight one-mile stretch known as the Bunbury Mile, which is similar to the proportions of the Rowley Mile.
The two tracks with their separate grandstands are separated by Devil’s Dyke, a prehistoric
manmade embankment. Both courses are very wide and ideal for long striding gallopers with the
stamina necessary to see out every inch of the trip. Like the Guineas, the 1 1/4-mile Champion
Stakes is run entirely on the straight, placing a premium on stamina and an ability to change
leads when required without the signposts built into American ovals.
With so many trainers nearby, Newmarket attracts large fields and runs some of the most
important maiden races in the world. A horse that wins a Newmarket maiden first time out usually possesses a touch of class which can translate into a certain success in America.
History: Racing on the broad, windswept plains of Newmarket has been conducted since the
reign of James I in the early 17th century, but the first officially recorded race there was run on
March 8, 1622. When Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, Newmarket became a racing
and social center, as all and sundry flocked to imitate the king, who, before and after racing,
would dally in the town with his mistress Nell Gwyn, after whom a key April prep for the 1000
Guineas is named.
For nearly 300 years Newmarket has been the headquarters of British racing. In addition to its
two tracks, it is home to at least 50 trainers’ yards and numerous training tracks, or gallops.
Tattersalls, the leading British sales company, is
based in Newmarket, as is the British Racing
2m 1f
2 1/2m
Museum, the headqurters of the Jockey Club, and
various other offical racing bodies.
Newmarket holds 33 days of racing per year, all
2m 24yds
on the flat. Eighteen of those are run on the
2 1/4m
Track Records:
Rowley Mile Course, eight in the spring and ten in
Rowley Mile Course
the autumn. The other fifteen days are held on the
1m 6f
July Course.
5f
:56.81
75yds
GRA
NDS
1 1/2m
TAN
D
JU
OU
sh
1m 6f
5f
LY
C
Fini
6f
RS
7f
E
1 1/4m
1m
Finish
1 1/2m
ROWLEY MILE COURSE
Track Records:
5f
6f
7f
1m
1 1/4m
1 1/2m
:56.01
1:09.58
1:23.88
1:35.66
2:04.96
2:31.57
Major races in 2002:
2m
5f
GRANDSTAND
6f
7f
1m
1 1/8m
1 1/4m
Inner distances:
July Course
Outer distances:
Rowley Mile
6f
7f
1m
1 1/4m
1 1/2m
1:10.14
1:22.24
1:35.08
2:04.65
2:27.67
July Course
5f
:57.32
6f
1:09.51
7f
1:22.59
1m
1:35.53
1 1/4m
2:00.97
1 1/2m
2:25.29
Major races in 2002:
Rowley Mile Course
DATE
RACE
CONDTION
DISTANCE
WINNER
May 4
May 5
Oct. 3
Oct. 4
Oct. 19
Oct. 19
20000 Guineas Stakes-G1
1000 Guineas Stakes-G1
Middle Park Stakes-G1
Cheveley Park Stakes-G1
Champion Stakes-G1
Dewhurst Stakes-G1
3yo c&f
3yo f
2yo c
2yo f
3yo+
2yoc&f
1m
1m
6f
6f
1 1/4m
7f
Rock Of Gibraltar
Kazzia
Oasis Dream
Airwave
DATE
RACE
CONDTION
DISTANCE
WINNER
July 9
July 9
July 10
July 11
Princess of Wales's Stakes-G2
Cherry Hinton Stakes-G2
Falmouth Stakes-G2
July Cup-G1
3yo+
2yo f
3yo+ f&m
3yo+
1 1/2m
6f
1m
6f
Millenary
Spinola
Tashawak
Continent
TIMEFORM RATING
123
112
121
112+
July Course
DATE
RACE
CONDTION
DISTANCE
WINNER
TIMEFORM RATING
July 31
Aug. 2
Aug. 3
Aug. 24
Sussex Stakes-G1
Richmond Stakes-G2
Nassau Stakes-G1
Celebration Mile-G2
3yo+
2yo c&g
3yo+ f&m
3yo+
1m
6f
1 1/4m
1m
Rock Of Gibraltar
Elusive City
Islington
Tillerman
125+
111+
119+
117
TIMEFORM RATING
121+
102+
114+
122
PAGE XX
Xxxxxxxday, Xxxxx xx, 2002
DAILY RACING FORM
Daily Racing Form Online: www.drf.com
Breeders’ Cup 2002
ENGLAND
FRANCE
Deauville
PARIS
York
York
Deauville
Location: 203 miles north of London, 60 miles northeast of Manchester in York, Yorkshire.
Location: 120 miles northwest of Paris on the Normandy coast in the beach resort town of Deauville, departement Calvados.
1m
7f
Course Direction
RH
1 1/4 m
Course Direction
LH
Finish
TRACK DIAGRAM:TIMEFORM
Course Description: York is a left-handed, perfectly level, horseshoe shaped course, two miles in length. Five and six-furlong races are
run on a straight course that meets the left-handed course at the top of
its 4-1/2-furlong stretch. Seven furlong races start from a chute, after
which there is a mild left-handed bend at the head of the stretch.
Long striding gallopers will take to the long straights and mild turns
of York, but in fact, the track really does not confer advantages to any
particular type of horse. It is considered one of the fairest tracks in
England, unlike a track like Chester, with its almost continual lefthanded bends and realtively short two-furlong stretch.
But although York is left-handed and level, that does not translate
into automatic success in America for winners there, especially as
many of York winners have been given plenty of time to find room and
crank up through the long stretch. By comparison, even the longest
stretches in America are less than half the length of York’s.
Histor y: The earliest recorded race in York was run in 1530,
although the course as we know it today did not see competition until
1709. The track is built on an ancient mudheap near the banks of the
River Ouse known as the Knavesmire, so-called as it was so adept at
slowing the progress of escaped criminals. As one of England’s oldest
racecourses, York now drains well and the track dries out rather quickly after rain.
York was the site of one of the most famous match races in history on
May 13, 1851 when 1850 Derby and St. Leger winner The Flying
Dutchman defeated the 1849 Derby and St. Leger winner Voltigeur. In
the inaugural Benson & Hedges Gold Cup (now the Juddmonte
International) in 1972, Braulio Baeza gave British jockeys a lesson in
pace when he guided John Galbreath’s Roberto to a pillar-to-post victory over the undefeated Brigadier Gerard. Roberto set a course record
for 1 1/4 miles, 85 yards that stood for sixteen years.
The most important track in the north of England, York conducts fifteen days of racing a year, all on the flat. Its two best meetings are the
three-day May Meeting, when key preps for the Derby and Oaks a
1 9/16 m
5f
GRANDSTAND
6f
1m
7f
Course Description: Deauville is a level, right-handed oval
course, 1 3/8 miles around with a three-furlong stretch. Races at 1 1/4
miles start from a chute beyond the first turn. The turns are very mild.
Indeed, they are so mild that they make those on Belmont’s main track
seem tight by comparison. There is a one-mile straight course which is
very mildly undulating until it joins the oval course three furlongs
from the finish. There is also a less frequently used course inside the
main track called the petite piste.
Deauville is a very wide as well as a very fair course that does not
confer an advantage on any particular type of horse. It always yields a
number of 3-year-olds who later run with success at Del Mar and at the
Hollywood Turf Festival.
Track Records:
5f
6f
7f
1m
1 1/4m,85y
1 1/2m
:56.16
1:08.82
1:21.31
1:34.81
2:06.80
2:25.12
History: The racecourse at Deauville was founded by the Duc de
Morny in 1864, the same year that Saratoga opened, but the two tracks
share more than a founding date.
Deauville serves the same purpose vis-a-vis Parisian racing that
Saratoga does for racing in New York. That is to say, the entire racing
community in Paris, including the bulk of the training centers at
Chantilly and Maisons-Laffitte, pull up stakes on or about the first of
August and relocates north for the month to Deauville. Like Saratoga,
Deauville is host to the first exposure of many of the best 2-year-olds.
Late in the month, Agence Francaise conducts France’s most important
yearling sale in the town.
As a diversion, there is a second racecourse about two miles up the
road from Deauville at Clairefontaine. On days in August when
Deauville is dark, Calirefontaine is likely to be open. In addition to flat
racing of a slightly lower standard, Clairefontaine, a 1 1/4-mile righthanded oval with a 3-furlong stretch, offers hurdle and steeplechase racing on a course inside its flat track, thus bringing similarities to
Saratoga full circle.
The charms of Deauville are many. Before racing there are the attractions of one of the world’s most fashionable beaches. Apres piste, for
those who have any money left, there are the temptations of the famous
beachfront casino.
Deauville conducts 24 days of racing annually, sixteen during its
prestigious August meeting, five days in July, and three days in late
October. During the August meeting, Clairefontaine runs eight mixed
meetings (flat and jumps).
Track Records:
5f
6f
7f
1m (Str)
1m (RH)
1 1/4m
1 9/16m
:55.60
1:08.20
1:21.20
1:32.80
1:36.50
2:01.10
2:36.60
Major races in 2002:
DATE
RACE
CONDTION
DISTANCE
May 15
Aug 20
Aug 20
Aug 21
Aug 21
Aug 22
Aug 22
Dante Stakes-G2
Juddmonte International Stakes-G1
Great Voltigeur Stakes-G2
Yorkshire Oaks-G1
Gimcrack Stakes-G2
Nunthorpe Stakes-G1
Lowther Stakes-G2
3yo
3yo+
3yo
3yo+ f&m
2yo c&g
2yo+
2yo f
1 1/4m 85y Moon Ballad
1 1/4m 85y Nayef
1 1/2m
Bandari
1 1/2m
Islington
6f
Country Reel
5f
Kyllachy
6f 2yo f Russian Rhythm
WINNER
Major races in 2002:
TIMEFORM RATING
115
127+
114
120+
104+
122+
107
DATE
RACE
CONDTION
DISTANCE
WINNER
Aug. 4
Aug. 11
Aug. 15
Aug. 18
Aug. 25
Aug. 25
Prix d'Astarte-G2
Prix Maurice de Gheest-G1
Prix Guillaume d'Ornano-G2
Prix Jacques le Marois-G1
Prix Morny-G1
Grand Prix de Deauville-G2
3yo+ f&m
3yo+
3yo
3yo+ c&f
2yo c&f
3yo+
1m
6-1/2f
1 1/4m
1m
6f
1 9/16m
Turtle Bow
May Ball
Highdown
Banks Hill
Elusive City
Polish Summer
TIMEFORM RATING
115
116?
116
126
114
115
PAGE XX
Xxxxxxxday, Xxxxx xx, 2002
DAILY RACING FORM
Daily Racing Form Online: www.drf.com
Breeders’ Cup 2002
FRANCE
Chantilly
PARIS
Longchamp
Chantilly
Longchamp
Location: 32 miles north of Paris in Chantilly, departement Oise.
Location: Longchamp is situated in the southwest corner of the Bois de Boulogne, the forest/park on the western edge of Paris.
It lies about one mile west of Paris’s jump racing track, Auteuil.
7f
1m
Course Direction
RH
1 1/2 m
Finish**
Finish*
Finish
1 5/16 m
GRANDSTAND
* 5f Finish
** 6f Finish
5f
6f
Course Description: Chantilly is a right-handed track with a
number of configurations. The Piste du Jockey-Club, over which is run
the Prix du Jockey-Club (French Derby), is 1 1/2 miles in length. After
the first furlong, there is a mild left-handed bend onto the backstretch.
On the turn for home there is a decline followed by a rise midway
through the right-handed turn which lasts until the horses reach the
stretch, three frulongs from the line.
The Prix de Diane (French Oaks) is run over the same course, but
starts 1 1/2 furlongs later on the backstretch. Five-furlong races start in
the same place as the French Derby and are run past the stands on the
level straight course. Six-furlong races are also run on the straight
course in front of the grandstand, but in the opposite direction.
There is also a right-handed inner course, or petite piste.
History: The first races at Chantilly were run under the auspices of
the Duc d’Orleans. The first Prix du Jockey-Club was was organized by
the Englishman Lord Seymour in 1836, with the premier Prix de Diane
following in 1843. The current racecourse was founded by the Duc
d’Aumale in 1886 on property owned by the Duc de Conde.
Racing at Chantilly is provided with perhaps the most beautiful backdrop of any course in the world. On what we in America would call the
far turn there sits the Chateau de Conde, ancestral home of the Ducs de
Conde. One such 18th century duke was convinced he would be reincarnated as a Thoroughbred. So that he would be able to live in suitable
digs upon his return, he built the Grandes Ecuries (Grand Stables), the
palatial barn on the Chantilly backstretch. Both the chateau and the
ecuries are now museums, open to the public on racedays and dark
days.
Chantilly holds much the same place in French racing that
Newmarket does in England. The town and nearby Lamorlaye contain
the yards of most of France’s leading trainers. This year there were
2,558 horses-in-training at Chantilly, accounting for 70 percent of all the
runners on the Parisian circuit: Chantilly, Longchamp, Saint-Cloud,
Maisons-Laffitte and Deauville. This high concentration of top class
Thoroughbred bloodstock is the reason why racing on the Parisian circuit possesses the highest concentration of class in the world. The gallops, or training tracks, cut through the local forest, and are perhaps
the world’s most beautiful, topped by the unparalled Les Aigles.
Until eight years ago, Chantilly held just six days of racing per year,
all of them in June around the running of the Prix du Jockey-Club on
the first Sunday in June and the Prix de Diane on the second Sunday of
that month. There were 14 days of racing this season, which was curtailed after June for the refurbishment of the outdated fin-de-siecle
grandstand. Next year Chantilly will return to its full complement of 26
days.
Course Description: Longchamp is a right-handed track with five separate courses, some of
which share parts of others.
The grande piste is 1 5/8 miles, 55 yards around. It is on this course that the 1 1/2-mile Prix de
l’Arc de Triomphe is run. That race starts from a short chute at the head of the backstretch. It is
steadily uphill for the first six furlongs where the long right-handed, downhill turn begins. The
course levels off after a mild bend into the one-furlong ìfalse straightî, so called because many an
inexpericenced rider has mistaken it for the actual straight, which follows after another mild
right-hand bend and is 2-1/2 furlongs in length.
The 1 9/16-mile moyenne piste, or middle course, occupies the same ground as the grande piste
until breaking off a furlong earlier for a downhill descent of its own to midway on the false straight.
The nouveau piste, or new course, starts behind the far turn. It is used primarily for seven-furlong races and is slightly downhill for the first two furlongs before joining the grande piste. Sevenfurlong races at Longchamp finish at the deuxieme poteau, or second finish line, 100 meters past
the premier poteau, or first finish line, which is used for a majority of races, including the Arc.
Even with its downhill start, the nouveau piste produces unusually fast times for seven furlongs.
The course is perhaps 20 meters short of its officially listed 1400 meters, a distance that is already
seven yards short of seven furlongs.
The rarely used 1 5/16-mile, 55-yard petite piste lies inside the moyenne piste but shares the
stretch with the two larger courses. Five-furlong races are run right to left on the ligne droite, or
straight course.
Longchamp is an eminently fair course with what is, at 2-1/2 furlongs, a stretch that is short by most
European standards. As in most French races, the early pace can be painfully slow, with the field
bunching up on the approach to the final turn, after which horses fan out in their search for running
room. The racing at Longchamp is high class. Horses that succeed there at any level- allowance, handicap, listed or group race- not infrequently find success at least one level higher in America.
History: The first races were run at Longchamp in 1857 with Emperor Napoleon III present as
master of ceremonies. From the mid 1860’s until the start of World War II, the Grand Prix de Paris
routinely attracted up to 100,000 Parisians on the last Sunday in June. On April 4, 1943, the track
was bombed by American reconaissance planes after they were fired upon by a jittery German
artillery gunner who was manning one of the occupying forces’ defense weapons deployed on the
racecourse infield. Seven racegoers perished in the bombing.
The first Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was run in 1920 in celebration of France’s victory in World
War I. Since 1955, the year of Ribot’s first Arc triumph, it has reigned supreme as Europe’s championship event.
Longchamp conducts 30 days of racing annually, all on the flat.
Course Direction
RH
Track Records:
5f
7f
1m
1 1/16m
1 1/4m
1 1/2m
:54.30
1:17.90
1:34.10
1:43.30
2:01.00
2:24.60
TRACK DIAGRAM:TIMEFORM
Track Records:
5f
6f
7f
1m
1 5/16m
1 1/2m
:55.20
1:06.60
1:27.30
1:36.20
2:05.90
2:24.10
Major races in 2002:
DATE
RACE
CONDTION
DISTANCE
WINNER
June 2
June 2
June 2
June 9
June 9
Prix du Jockey-Club (French Derby)-G1
Prix Jean Prat-G1
Prix de Sandringham-G2
Prix de Diane (French Oaks)-G1
Grand Prix de Chantilly-G2
3yo c&f
3yo
3yo f
3yo f
4yo+
1 1/2m
1 1/8m
1m
1 5/16m
1 1/2m
Sulamani
Rouvres
Spring Star
Bright Sky
Anabaa Blue
TIMEFORM RATING
126+
114
106
120
121
Major races in 2002:
DATE
RACE
CONDTION
DISTANCE
WINNER
TIMEFORM RATING
April 28
May 12
May 12
May 12
May 19
May 19
June 23
Sept 8
Sept 15
Oct 6
Oct 6
Oct 6
Oct 6
Oct 6
Oct 13
Prix Ganay-G1
Poule d'Essai des Poulains (Fr. 2000 Guineas)-G1
Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (Fr. 1000 Guineas)-G1
Prix Lupin-G1
Prix Saint-alary-G1
Prix d'Ispahan-G1
Grand Prix de Paris-G1
Prix du Moulin de Longchamp-G1
Prix Vermeille-G1
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe-G1
Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp-G1
Prix de l'Opera-G1
Grand Criterium-G1
Prix Marcel Boussac-G1
Prix de la Foret-G1
4yo+
3yo cz
3yo f
3yo c&f
3yo f
4yo+
3yo c&f
3yo+
3yo f
3yo+ c&f
2yo+
3yo+ f&m
2yo c&f
2yo f
3yo+
1 5/16m
1m
1m
1 5/16m
1 1/4m
1 1/8m
1 1/4 m
1m
1 1/2m
1 1/2m
5f
1 1/4m
7f
1m
7f
Aquarelliste
Zenda
Landseer
Act One
Marotta
Best Of The Bests
Khalkevi
Rock Of Gibraltar
Pearly Shells
Marienbard
Continent
Bright Sky
Hold That Tiger
Six Perfections
Dedication
114
113
118
117+
114p
120
115
125+
121
129
117
124
115+
117p
113
DAILY RACING FORM Xxxxxxxday, Xxxxx xx, 2002
Daily Racing Form Online: www.drf.com
PAGE XX
Xxxxxxxday, Xxxxx xx, 2002
DAILY RACING FORM
PAGE XX
Daily Racing Form Online: www.drf.com
Breeders’ Cup 2002
IRELAND
DUBLIN
The Curragh
Leopardstown
Leopardstown
The Curragh
Location: 6 miles south of Dublin in Foxrock.
Location: 30 miles west of Dublin in County Kildare.
Course Direction
Course Direction
RH
LH
TRACK DIAGRAM:TIMEFORM
Course Description: The Curragh is an undulating, right-handed
track. The round course is horseshoe-shaped and 1 3/4 miles in length,
the last 1 1/2 miles of which is the Irish Derby course, the first two furlongs of which are straight, followed by a mild right-hand bend. Then
comes another two-furlong straight followed by a sweeping right-hand
turn into the uphill three-furlong stretch. There is also a one-mile track
that is virtually straight but includes a mild righ-hand bend after 2-1/2
furlongs. It meets the round course at the head of the stretch, three furlongs from the line and is the track over which both the Irish 1000 and
2000 Guineas is run.
As Ireland receives considerably more rain than even England, the
ground at the Curragh is more likely to be yielding, soft or heavy than
good or firm. Stamina is at a premium here and it is essential that horses
possess the ability to see out the trip, especially given the uphill finish. A
preponderance of the country’s best group races are run at the Curragh,
so a horse that does well in good company here can be expected to acquit
himself well in America, but only if he finds the same ground in the U.S.
that he is used to running on in Ireland. It must also be noted that two
trainers, Aidan O’Brien and Dermot Weld, have a majority of the best
horses in Ireland, with Jim Bolger and Kevin Prendergast the only others who can compete with them on anything approaching a regular
basis.
History: Curragh is the Gaelic word for course, or racecourse.
Racing has been conducted there in one form or another since the 12th
century. The first recorded match was run in 1679, with organized races
becaming commonplace in the early 18th century. From time to time racing was abandoned due to the ìtroublesî. The Irish Turf Club was founded at the Curragh in 1790 and has ben in charge of the sport ever since.
By that time the Curragh had become the unquestioned center of Irish
racing, in much the same way that Newmarket serves English racing.
Many of Ireland’s leading trainers have their stables nearby.
All five of Ireland’s classic races are run at the Curragh. The first Irish
Derby was run in 1866, the first Irish Oaks in 1895, and the first Irish St.
Leger in 1915. The two Guineas both had their inaugural runnings in
1921.
The Curragh conducts 15 days of racing a year, all on the flat.
TRACK DIAGRAM:TIMEFORM
Course Description: Leopardstown is a left-handed oval, 1 3/4 miles
in length and is virtually level except for an uphill finish. The turns are
mild and the stretch is slightly longer than two furlongs. There is also a
six-furlong straight course that dissects the oval course in much the same
fashion as the old Widener Chute did at Belmont Park. Leopardstown is a
very wide track that seems to suit gallopers a bit more than close-actioned
types. The track is also used for jump racing from November through
March.
History: Leopardstown is patterned after England’s Sandown Park,
which was the first enclosed track in Europe. It was opened on August 27,
1888, its name derived from its medieval title, Lepers Town, as the area
had become known due to the lepers’ hospital that had long been situated
there. With the demise of Phoenix Park in central Dublin after the 1990
season, Leopardstown became the capital area’s only racecourse.
At that time the 1 1/4-mile Irish Champion Stakes was moved to
Leopardstown. The stakes record of 2:01.80 was set by Fantastic Light in
his tremendous duel with Galileo in 2001.
While the quality of the flat racing is undoubtedly high- the same horses that run at the Curragh can always be seen at Leopardstown- the jump
racing there takes precedence in a country that is first and foremost in
love with the jumpers. The 4-day jump race meeting held at Leopardstown
between Christmas and New Year’s is one of the world’s best.
Leopardstown conducts 30 days of racing a year, 15 on the flat and 15
over jumps.
Standard Times:
5f
6f
7f
1m
1 1/4m
1 1/2m
:58.00
1:10.00
1:26.00
1:39.00
2:06.00
2:35.00
Track records not kept.
Major races in 2002:
Track Records:
6f
7f
1m (Str)
1m (RH)
1 1/4m
1 1/2m
1:08.10
1:20.90
1:35.00
1:34.30
2:00.60
2:25.60
DATE
RACE
CONDTION
June 12
Sept 7
Sept 7
Gallinule Stakes-G3
Irish Champion Stakes-G1
Matron Stakes-G3
3yo+
1 1/4m
3yo+
1 1/4m
3yo+ f&m 1m
RACE
CONDTION
DISTANCE
WINNER
TIMEFORM RATING
May 25
May 26
May 26
June 29
June 30
July 14
Aug 11
Aug 23
Sept 1
Sept 14
Irish 2000 Guineas-G1
Irish 1000 Guineas-G1
Tattersalls Gold Cup-G1
Pretty Polly Stakes-G2
Irish Derby-G1
Irish Oaks-G1
Phoenix Stakes-G1
Futurity Stakes-G2
Moyglare Stud Stakes-G1
Irish St. Leger-G1
3yo c&f
3yo f
4yo+
3yo+ f&m
3yo c&f
3yo f
2yo c&f
2yo
2yo f
3yo+
1m
1m
1 5/16m
1 1/4m
1 1/2m
1 1/2m
6f
7f
7f
1 3/4m
Rock Of Gibraltar
Gossamer
Rebelline
Tarfshi
High Chaparral
Margarula
Spartacus
Van Nistelrooy
Mail The Desert
Vinnie Roe
117+
117
122
111
127+
120
105+
102+
103
123
WINNER
TIMEFORM RATING
Della Francesca
Grandera
Dress To Thrill
112
126+
113
Timeform Rating Explanation
Major races in 2002:
DATE
DISTANCE
Timeform ratings, the European rating system based
on speed and class, appear in Daily Racing Form for
all races run in Britain, Ireland, France and the UAE.
TIMEFORM RATINGS
140 An outstanding horse
130-135 Above average Group 1 winner
125-129 Average Group 1 winner
115-120 Average Group 2 winner
110-115 Average Group 3 winner
100-105 Average listed race winner
These ratings refer to 3-year-olds & up.
2-year-old averages are slightly lower.
TIMEFORM RATING SYMBOLS
The following symbols, attached to the ratings,
are to be interpreted as follows:
p
P
+
Likely to improve.
Capable of much better form.
The horse may be much better than
Timeform has rated it.
d The horse appears to have deteriorated
and might no longer be capable of
running to the rating given.
§ Unreliable (for temperamental or other reasons).
§§ So temperamentally unsatisfactory as not
to be worth a rating.
? The performance may not be worth the
rating shown; the horse may be flattered.