The Cunningham File: Breeders' Cup questions answered and a fond farewell

Times a changin’ as BC 2021 looms large

There are few shades of grey when we arrive at Breeders’ Cup week. Fans embrace it with evangelical zeal, while sceptics have long dismissed it as one final, forgettable medication fuelled stop on racing’s annual gravy train.

But the times they are a changin’. What was once a crowded and cossetted media pack has been reduced due to Covid and cost cuts, while the case for cleaner racing holds more water (quite literally) now raceday Lasix is forbidden.

Having been to more than a dozen, I still maintain there is little to touch BC week for getting up close and personal with world-class athletes preparing for a flagship event. And yet, for one reason or another, this long-time convert has edged slightly towards the sceptic tank.

Perhaps it’s because a combination of Covid concerns and Visa issues means I’m not at Del Mar this time around. Nobody wants the party they miss to be the shindig of the year and I would be telling porkies if I said FOMO isn’t a factor.

But fear of missing out is one thing. And flannelling over middling offerings is another. The BC still rolls out the ‘World Championships’ line every year. But, from a European perspective, this year’s menu hardly compares with what was on offer when I started going back in 2002.

Chaparral still a High point in Turf history

Dual Derby hero High Chaparral won the Turf with Guineas and King George winner Golan sixth at chilly Arlington. Domedriver held seven-time G1 scorer Rock of Gibraltar in the Mile, while Islington finished third in the Filly & Mare Turf with Classic winners Gossamer, Kazzia and Zenda in the ruck. And Hawk Wing went off at 6/1 for the Classic.

On to sweltering Santa Anita in ‘03: High Chaparral dead heated with Johar in an epic Turf with exceptional colts like Falbrav and Sulamani in support.

The high-class Islington finally had her BC day in the sun the F&MT, while French star Six Perfections had ace sprinter Oasis Dream and Guineas winner Refuse To Bend behind in the Mile. And, bizarrely, Hold That Tiger went off at 5/1 in the Classic.

Fast forward almost 20 years and the BC is now a two-day affair with five lucrative two-year-old races on Friday. Saturday remains the day for major stars to shine, but no amount of spin can disguise the fact that the Euro squad lacks genuine A listers.

Tarnawa flies the Euro flag again

Perhaps this is just a one-off year but the facts speak for themselves.

Europe has all the top five horses in the latest edition of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings – namely Adayar, Mishriff, St Mark’s Basilica, Palace Pier and Torquator Tasso – but none of them are in California.

Europe also has 14 others among 40 or so horses to achieve an international rating of 120-plus this year – including Hurricane Lane, Poetic Flare, Baaeed, Suesa and Starman – and it’s bizarre and a bit embarrassing that only one of them has made the trip.

Tarnawa is clearly the standard bearer as she aims to join High Chaparral and Conduit as dual Turf victors and the returning F&M Turf winner Audarya (and last year’s shock Mile winner Order Of Australia) show that you don’t have to be Ouija Board or Goldikova to beat America’s best Turf horses.

But if the BC bar is set lower than usual – and Champions Day has clearly played a part - then perhaps we can capitalise. I’m happy to forego Friday but Saturday’s sport is live on every channel bar QVC and let’s hope the following hints prove helpful...

Turf Sprint (7.40)

Familiar pre-race chat suggests the Euros are handling the track in the mornings. But how will they cope when Golden Pal burns through the first two furlongs in under 22s in the afternoon? Glass Slippers broke through for Europe over five and a half at Keeneland last year but the principals will break 56s for the flat five round a tight bend here. And Golden Pal and leading Cali hope Lieutenant Dan look the pair best suited to the burnup.

Dirt Mile (8.19)

Imagine how Bob Baffert felt when the s*** hit the fan as his Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a dope test. Then imagine how he will feel as his former star pupil Life Is Good hits the Big Ass Fans. The valued Dirt Mile sponsors might be relieved that the three-year-old’s owners switched the colt to Todd Pletcher after the Derby brouhaha. And Life Is Good, who has tremendous speed, will add to a growing global fan club if he can blow this field away.

F&M Turf (8.59)

With four fillies at 7/1 or under Europe are a shade of odds on to win this and thwart leading home hope War Like Goddess and Japanese galloper Loves Only You. But this is one of the trickiest puzzles of the night. Tactics could play a part but Love should get a clear shot under conditions which should suit and last year’s winner Audarya will make a strong defence after catching the eye travelling very powerfully indeed for a long way in the Prix Vermeille.

Mile (10.20)

Do you want 5/2 about Space Blues getting the gaps as he returns to a mile for the first time since 2019? The Appleby horse is top rated on Timeform but is priced accordingly and two US hopes with differing styles are worth noting. Mo Forza resembles Space Blues in that he is in peak form with a strong turn of foot, while old rival Smooth Like Strait has been running bold races in defeat and appeals as a live longshot with a saloon passage likely on the inside.

Turf (11.40)

Do you want 7/4 about Tarnawa securing smooth sailing from stall 13 as she bids to repeat an emphatic 2020 success? On balance, it’s the right price. Last year showed Weld’s filly can circle G2 horses and round them up off the bend and, after fine seconds at Leopardstown and Longchamp, she has a little in hand on form. That said, nailing the forecast looks the go here and perming Tarnawa with two potential Euro improvers – namely Teona and Sisfahan – offers a little appeal.

Classic (12.40)

It’s not unknown for tracks to serve up a speedway for BC weekend so scan the earlier action closely with a view to clues for a Sunday morning showdown in which Brad Cox holds a key hand. Cox wants the freewheeling Knicks Go to establish dominance and a speed-favouring track would clearly help on the grey’s ten-furlong debut. But Cox also knows his other grey, the gritty Belmont and Travers winner Essential Quality, will come on strong if the leaders flag. It’s hard to jump in either direction without knowing if there is any track bias but Essential Quality is a hardened pro and looks bound to go close.

Murphy mentors mean well but…..

It was hard not to think of Michael Spicer’s The Room Next Door skits when reading Oisin Murphy’s Racing Post interview with Peter Thomas.

The idea – a nice mea culpa to close the door on recent calamities – was sound.

And it all started smoothly with chat about that fateful night in Newmarket and banter about Chelsea FC, Seamus Heaney and even the acclaimed confessional poet Sylvia Plath.

Then things took a dark turn as Murphy admitted “it’s not the first time I’ve blacked out.” Spicer would have been in with a “stick to the bloody script” at this point. But there was no Spicer and no script - and the champion jockey was soon in a confessional of his own.

“But it’s the first time I’ve blacked out and done stupid things in front of 50 people and it scared me,” he added. Then came the lines that left Thomas with a satisfying short-term scoop and Murphy with a potential longer-term millstone.

"I know I need to be in control of my actions at all times and the way to combat that is not drinking, so I’ve been to three AA meetings and I haven’t had a drink since that night. That’s it. I’ve stopped."

You can’t blame the Post for splashing such a strong story on a Sunday front page that was surely framed well before Bryony and ‘Frode’ did their stuff. Nor can you blame a remorseful Murphy for wanting to tell the world he is anxious to turn over a new leaf.

But the long-suffering Spicer would have blown a gasket in The Room Next Door long before any mention of AA and "I’ve stopped."

Murphy’s past means social scrutiny is certain from hereon in, even in what was called his “favourite Mayfair casino (that) may place him in danger of contamination from the residual narcotics we all reportedly come into contact with every day."

It’s hard not to chuckle while reading that weird claptrap but this isn’t a laughing matter. Quitting drinking can be incredibly tough for anyone, let alone a livewire 26-year-old in a high-pressure job that doesn’t allow him to eat anything like normally.

Those who advised the champ to go public with something so intensely private surely did so with good intentions. But they, and Murphy himself, need to stop opting for the easy PR fix and realise that some key battles are best fought quietly.

Farewell to the File

Sir Mark Prescott strolled up at Newmarket many moons ago during my days as a RP columnist. "I’m enjoying your scribblings,” he chuckled. “But the problem with you lads is that you all run out of bullets to fire in the end."

For once, the bold Baronet was only half right. This game is seldom short on suitable subjects for scribblers and gasbags with a view. But this one isn’t so quick on the draw as he once was and has absolutely no desire to do that Cheltenham thing for months on end.

So this is the final File, at least for this year. Many thanks to the SportingLife team for allowing me freedom to roam and to you for coming along for the ride. It’s been a pleasure.

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