Fearsome Foursome Set to Run

Four winners of Breeders’ Cup races--Tiznow, Kona Gold, Spain and Beautiful Pleasure--will be running this weekend, either in California or New York, hoping to shore up their chances for encores later this month.

Tiznow, winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic and voted horse of the year for 2000, and Kona Gold, the defending Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion, will be in action at Santa Anita, in the same prep races that propelled them to Eclipse Awards a year ago. Tiznow will face five rivals, one more than last year, when he carries high weight of 124 pounds in Sunday’s $500,000 Goodwood Handicap. Over the same track today, Kona Gold has been assigned 127 pounds, a career high, for the $200,000 Ancient Title Handicap.

Tiznow and Kona Gold, both heading for the Breeders’ Cup at Belmont Park on Oct. 27, will be favored, but Spain and Beautiful Pleasure, winners the last two years of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, have fallen on hard times, with only one win between them this year, and will have to dig deep to beat Flute in today’s $750,000 Beldame at Belmont. A 3-year-old filly, Flute is the 4-5 morning-line favorite and part of the Bobby Frankel steamroller that’s dominated racing from coast to coast over the last four months.

Frankel, who has trained winners of 11 Grade I races this year, could have a big day at Belmont, where he’s also running two other top contenders, Aptitude in the $1-million Jockey Club Gold Cup and You in the $500,000 Fritzette. With Frankel also represented by Blu Air Force in the $250,000 Kelso Handicap, the only race he’s skipped on the rich Belmont card is the $500,000 Champagne, which has drawn the undefeated California standout, Officer, at 2-5 morning-line odds.

*

Santa Anita-based Mike Smith rode Spook Express to a 11/4-length win over Solvig in Friday’s $563,500 WinStar Galaxy, one of the opening-day stakes at Keeneland. Spook Express was last in the nine-horse field, 71/2 lengths from the lead, after six furlongs. The 7-year-old mare paid $11.40, running 13/16 miles on grass in 1:541/5 and surviving a foul claim by Solvig’s trainer, Carl Nafzger. Veil Of Avalon ran third and favored Tout Charmant was fourth.... In another Keeneland stake, Take Charge Lady is headed for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies after her one-length win, at 5-1, over favored Never Out in the $452,800 Walmac International Alcibiades.