Breeders' Cup: John Velazquez looks ahead to Sistercharlie, Code Of Honor and others
Velazquez won his first Breeders' Cup race in 1998 and over the next two decades he has won 15 more, including three runnings each of the Mile and Filly & Mare Turf to rank second in wins (16) and purse money won ($27.1m), behind only Mike Smith (36) and ($35.9m).
Friday 1 November 2019 11:01, UK
John Velazquez, 16-times a Breeders' Cup winner, goes into another Santa Anita weekend looking forward to a star-studded book of rides featuring leading fancies Sistercharlie and Code Of Honor.
While Velazquez has won nine different Breeders' Cup races, there is one that has eluded him thus far, the Classic.
In what has always been the richest of the Breeders' Cup events - $4m when he rode his first Classic in 1998 and $6m now - Velazquez is 0-for-18 in the main event.
In a career during which he has won 6,135 races and more North American graded stakes than any jockey in history, the "oh-fer" in the Classic gnaws at Velazquez.
"It's definitely missing big time," said Velazquez, who three times has finished second in the Classic.
This year, Velazquez has perhaps his best chance at winning the Classic when he pilots the three-year-old Code Of Honor for trainer Shug McGaughey and owner William S. Farish at Santa Anita on Saturday.
Code of Honor was one of the favourites for last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile but was scratched the morning of the race due to a temperature.
The beginning of Code of Honor's three-year-old year was spotty - in three starts at Gulfstream Park, he finished fourth in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, won the Fountain of Youth and was third in the Florida Derby.
He put in a solid performance in the Kentucky Derby, finishing third before being elevated to second when the Churchill Downs stewards disqualified Maximum Security from first.
Following a freshening, Code of Honor has reeled off three consecutive victories. The streak began in the Grade 3 Dwyer at Belmont on July 6.
He then won the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga on August 24 and, most recently, Code of Honor crossed the finish line second in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, but was placed first when Vino Rosso came out and bumped him in the stretch and was disqualified by the stewards.
Velazquez believes Code of Honor has made giant strides mentally since the Kentucky Derby.
"That's what he was missing," Velazquez said. "He showed you he was capable to do anything but in his races, he needed to pay more attention to the things you wanted him to do. He's done that since after the Derby.
"He relaxes better, you can put him wherever you want, he's more manageable he's more mature for the things that we're expecting of him."
Code of Honor is just one of several major contenders Velazquez has for this year's two-day Breeders' Cup meeting at Santa Anita on Friday and Saturday.
On Friday, Velazquez will ride Eight Rings, the likely favourite for the $2m Juvenile, and Bast, a likely favourite, in the $2m Juvenile Fillies, both horses trained by the magician that is Bob Baffert.
It was aboard Eight Rings, in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita on September 27, that Velazquez recorded his 661st graded stakes victory in North America, eclipsing the mark of 660 established by fellow Hall of Fame Jerry Bailey.
Velazquez said he will look back at achievements like that after he retires and feels Eight Rings won despite not being completely focused.
"Definitely a running son-of-a-gun but he definitely doesn't have his mind on his business 100 percent," Velazquez said. "They knew that anyway. Probably that's why they put the blinkers on him to get him to focus a little more."
On that same card, Velazquez rode Bast to victory in the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes. Bast was sent off as the 1-5 favourite but she only won by a neck, Baffert warning Velazquez before the race that Bast wasn't quite as fit as Eight Rings.
"She'll be much better for the Breeders' Cup," Velazquez said Baffert told him. "He felt with what he had done with her she was going to be good enough to win the race. It's great input when you come back and the trainer tells you that."
Velazquez won last year's Filly and Mare Turf with Sistercharlie and he will be back aboard that mare in this year's renewal of the $2m Filly and Mare Turf.
Sistercharlie has won six consecutive Grade 1 stakes and, along with Midnight Bisou in the Distaff, figures to be one of the shortest-priced favourites on the Breeders' Cup card (Mike Smith rides Midnight Bisou).
Last year, Sistercharlie came into the Breeders' Cup having missed time due to a foot bruise. This year, she enters having won the Grade 1 Flower Bowl at Belmont Park on October 6.
"If she runs the same race that she ran last year I think she'll be really tough," Velazquez said. "She hasn't done anything wrong yet this year. Hopefully, she continues that going forward."
Other Breeders' Cup mounts that Velazquez will have include Spiced Perfection in the Filly & Mare Sprint and Channel Maker in the Turf.
Velazquez will turn 48 three weeks after the Breeders' Cup. As long as he continues to get the opportunity to ride good horses like the ones he has for the Breeders' Cup, he will continue to ply his trade.
"The good horses, the big races keep you coming back," Velazquez said. "If I'd be bouncing around, getting on horses that are not getting me excited and getting me to the good races I can say bye-bye any time."
Watch the 2019 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita live on Sky Sports Racing (Sky 415 | Virgin 535) on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd November.
