Distorted Humor will have four chances to add to his Breeder’s Cup winners’ resume when this year’s event is contested at Santa Anita Park. Last year’s leading sire in North America, Distorted Humor capped off a fantastic 2011 when Drosselmeyer took the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The year’s quartet by the WinStar stallion include Second City in the Dirt Mile (G1), Fortify in the Juvenile (G1), Artigiano in the Juvenile Turf (G1), and Jimmy Creed in the Sprint (G1). All four races run on Saturday, Nov. 3.
Winner of four of five starts, Second City breaks from the outside in the field of nine in the $1 million Mile. The 3-year-old colt has never run at the distance, but has a win in the nine furlong, Grade 3 British Columbia Derby. He is trained by Ben Cecil and will be ridden by Mario Gutierrez, who piloted I’ll Have Another to victories in this year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1).
In the $2 million Juvenile, Fortify will be seeking his first graded stakes win. The bay Kentucky bred has the credentials, however, with a second in the Grade 2 Hopeful S. and third in the Grade 1 Champagne S. on his resume. The colt will have the services of top rider Ramon Dominguez.
Artigiano adds to the international flavor in the $1 million Juvenile Turf. The chestnut juvenile has raced exclusively in Great Britain to date. In his six starts, he has a maiden win and runner-up finishes in the Vintage S. and Royal Lodge S., both Group 2 events. He will be ridden by Frankie Dettori, who has been his only jockey.
Three-year-old Jimmy Creed, with only five starts in his career, has handled every level of competition he’s faced. In the $1.5 million Sprint, he’ll face a full field of 14 as he breaks from post 2. After breaking his maiden in his second start on July 4 at Hollywood Park, he made it two in a row with an allowance win at Del Mar. In his first stakes start, he was beaten just a neck in the El Cajon S., also at Del Mar. Trainer Richard Mandella tried the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. next on Oct. 6, and the Spendthrift Farm colorbearer closed with a rush to be third, beaten less than a length. On Saturday, Garrett Gomez will be back in the irons to see if he can improve on that near-miss.
