The $100,000 Millions Classic Preview November 8 at Gulfstream Park West features a competitive field of eight going a mile and sixteenth on the main track in a race where handicappers must weight the merits of experience versus potential.
The name most familiar to bettors is the 8/5 morning line favorite, Wildcat Red, who was a major player on the Kentucky Derby trail last spring, posting wins in the Grade 3 Hutcheson and Grade 2 Fountain of Youth before running second in the Grade 1 Florida Derby and 18th in the Kentucky Derby. The battle-tested colt came back in the summer to post a dominant win in the Quality Road Stakes before running third in the Haskell, fifth in the King’s Bishop, and third in the Ohio Derby. Despite the class advantage, some bettors will be wary of Wildcat Red’s heavy workload, questioning how much is left in the tank as he takes on fresher runners in the Millions Classic Preview.
As far as freshness goes, Schivarelli (2/1) is a daisy. The Eddie Keneally trained colt posted his third win in four career starts last time out at Keeneland in a competitive optional claiming race after a 21 week layoff. Schivarelli went to the bench after running fourth in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial in April – the lone blemish on the colt’s resume. The nagging question for those backing Schivarelli will be the colt’s ability to handle two turns as each of his three wins have been in one-turn races.
East Hall (3/1) is in career-best form, having just won the Grade 2 Indiana Derby for trainer William Kaplan. The three year-old son of Graeme Hall has four wins in eighteen starts.
The field is set for the $1 million Haskell, where Nyquist will be trying to re-stake his claim as the top three-year-old in the country.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $300,000 United Nations Stakes. Scheduled to be run at a mile and three-eighths on the turf, the Grade 1 event has drawn a field of ten colts and geldings.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes, a key prep race for the Haskell Invitational (G1). The Grade 3 event will be contested at a mile and a sixteenth and has drawn a field of seven three-year-olds.
With five grade 1 races and a grade 2, the undercard for the June 11 Belmont stakes could be the best single day of racing on the calendar outside of the Breeders’ Cup.
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