Betty's Critters - & History Views

 I can go to sleep happy tonight - a granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Sunday Silence (both bred in Japan) won their races today at Del Mar.  They were the first wins for any horse bred in Japan in a Breeders' Cup race.  (I still love Sunday Silence!)    Nine Breeders' Cup races were run today with $21 million in purses.  Yesterday was set aside for the 2-year-olds; today was for horses aged 3 years and up - and for some, it was their swan song before retirement for breeding purposes.  Only three of the races had full fields, an the Fillies and Mares Sprint race had the smallest field in the history of the Breeders' Cup races, with only five entries.     I'll be describing each race - name of the race, guaranteed purse, distance, the number of entries, the complete order of finish, with how much purse money that horse won - and then I'll list the betting payouts, each based on a  $2 bet .  If you wish to know the sexes and we...

The 2021 Breeders' Cup racing series will take place Friday and Saturday, 5 and 6 November, at Del Mar Racetrack in California.  This year, the juvenile races - for 2-year-olds - will take place on Friday:  5 races with guaranteed purses totaling 7 million dollars.  On Saturday the older horses - 3-year-olds and up - will compete in 9 races with totaled guaranteed purses of 21 million dollars.    The thoroughbreds vying in these 14 races have had to meet certain qualifications for entry.  First, their sires have to have been nominated and paid fees for their offspring to be allowed to enter the races; a yearly fee is paid by the owners to keep the horse eligible; the horses have to meet racing criteria, based upon points for the races they have run in - or they must have won a "Win And You're In" specified race; and they must pass veterinary testing for physical status and being clear of illegal medications. Pat O'Brien and Bing Crosby at Del Mar - Bing Cro...