Gunnevera "On the Bubble" for BC Classic; Gulfstream Has Large Group of Pre-Entries

Multiple graded-stakes winner Gunnevera heads a Gulfstream Park contingent of almost 30 horses that on Wednesday were pre-entered in next weekend's Breeders’ Cup races.

Those races will be run on Friday Nov. 2 and Saturday Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. 

Gunnevera, a 4-year-old colt that trains year-round at Calder in Miami  Gardens, is among 19 horses that were entered in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (Grade 1). 

That race is 1 1/4 miles on dirt for 3-year-olds and up.  It will be the final race on the Saturday Breeders' Cup card, with scheduled post of 5:44 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

A  maximum of 14 horses will be allowed as entries  in the BC Classic. Gunnevera is 16th on the points qualifying list.

However, there is a strong prospect that Gunnevera will get off the bubble and into the BC Classic field.

City of Light and Bravazo, two horses ahead of him on the eligibility list, also have been pre-entered for the Breeders' Cup  Dirt Mile (Grade 1).  Their owners have listed that race as first preference.

Meanwhile, one or more of the other horses in the top 14 could be withdrawn from consideration for the  BC Classic.

Gunnevera, trained by Antonio Sano, has won more than $3 million and his record includes a win in the 2017 Fountain of Youth (Grade 2)  at Gulfstream (photo on home page)


But he did not win any graded stakes this year, and that may be a reason for his relatively low ranking by the Breeders' Cup panel of experts.  The members of that panel  are racing directors and racing secretaries at tracks in the United States and Canada.

Later this weekend, we will have an article that  reviews the Breeders' Cup "who gets into a race" criteria. We also  will look at Gunnevera's chances if he gets into the BC Classic.

The pre-entries are the final nominations for the BC races.  Fields will be announced and post positions will be drawn between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Monday Oct, 29.

There will be five BC races on Friday Nov. 2 and nine BC races on Saturday Nov.3. The Friday races are all for 2-year-olds, and the Saturday races are all for 3-year-olds and up.

Six horses that won stakes races at Gulfstream this year are pre--entered in BC races.

Those horses and races are:

*Stormy Embrace -- Filly and Mare Sprint, Nov. 3

*Cookie Dough -- Juvenile Fillies, Nov. 2

*Well Defined --  Juvenile, Nov. 2

*Pay Any Price -- Turf Sprint, Nov. 3

*XY Jet  -- Sprint, Nov. 3

*Promises Fulfilled -- Dirt, Nov. 3, and Sprint, Nov. 3.

In a news release, Gulfstream mentioned nineteen other horses that raced during its 2017-2018 championship meet and are pre-entered in Breeders' Cup races.

Those horses and the races for which they are pre-entered are: 
*West Coast, Collected, Catholic Boy, Mind Your Biscuits, Seeking the Soul and Toast of New York (Classic)

*Channel Maker, Hi Happy and Sadler’s Joy ($4 million Turf, Nov. 3); 

*Giant Expectations and Seeking the Soul (Dirt Mile); 

*xEtravagant Kid, Blind Ambition, Bucchero, Rainbow Heir, Richard’s Boy and Vision Perfect (Turf Sprint)

*Fuhriously Kissed and Verve’s Tale (Distaff, Nov. 3)

* Marley’s Freedom (Filly & Mare Sprint).

Following Monday's post position draw, we will have details on many of  the horses listed above and on their prospects in Breeders' Cup races.
--Jim Freer
NOTE--The list of horses in this article is from a Gulfstream Park news release.