Welcome to this year 2004, Breeder's Cup - Horse Racing

The Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships comes to Lone Star Park. The question is, what to expect? Most fans and horsemen don't know a thing about Lone Star, mainly the dirt surface, grass course, and any track biases. So, sit back for the next eight weeks or so and follow the world's best horses on their journey to the unknown.

For now, take the turf and juvenile races and put them on hold. At this point, there is no shape or form to them, other than a few obvious scenarios. That leaves the grade I Classic, Distaff, and Sprint to concentrate on first.

Getting back to Lone Star, let's be honest. It's a beautiful track, and the Texas hospitality will be first-rate, no doubt. But what do we really know about this track? Will it be formful or will some horses have trouble handling it. In seven years, the three biggest names to show up there have been Skip Away, Real Quiet, and Congaree, and only Congaree won. The track, which has had a reputation in past years as being a bit quirky, has been re-surfaced, and Lone Star officials are confident it will be a fair, honest track.

That being said, there are two horses right now who are worth following for the Breeders' Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge. They are Dynever and Perfect Drift, both of whom have been around and don't care in the slightest where they're running. Dynever, who hasn't run since July 3, could be a real interesting horse to latch on to early if you see him on the work tab in the next week. After that, he'll be cutting it real close.

This is a very talented colt who has had some physical problems, but can run with anyone on his best day. Remember watching him charge down the stretch to finish third behind Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia d'Oro in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) as a 3-year-old? This is a horse who has won or placed in stakes at Belmont Park, Santa Anita, Meadowlands, Mountaineer Park, Gulfstream...and don't forget his explosive stretch run to win the 2003 Lone Star Derby, making him one of the few accomplished horses in the country to have a win over the track.

Trainer Chris Clement said the son of Dynaformer was "a touch body sore" when he put him back in training, but he's "doing great" now. "It's not a bad thing to have a fresh horse in the fall," Clement said. "Even though he finished sixth in the Suburban, he was only beaten 2 1/4 lengths. What can you do? His Beyer was around 109. He's had a break, and if he's doing good this fall I might not stop on him this winter; I might just go on with him."

With an impressive victory in the San Bernardino Handicap (gr. II) in April and a narrow defeat in the Brooklyn Handicap (in a swift 1:46 1/5) in June under his belt, Dynever should need only one start to be ready for the Classic, just as Pleasantly Perfect did last year. That could come in the Meadowlands Cup (gr. II), which has been as live a prep for the Classic as any other race. Dynever came out of the race last year, as did Classic winner Volponi the year before. So, in Dynever, you have a horse who will get the 1 1/4 miles, has proven his class against the best horses in the country, and has a victory over the Lone Star track. Not too bad for 30-1 at Ballys.

As for Perfect Drift, forget all these second- and third-place finishes. As Volponi proved, it's what happens on Breeders' Cup Day that counts. Perfect Drift is an old-fashioned, hardball hitter who steps up to the plate every time and takes his cuts. Lately, he's only reached the warning track, but one of these days you know he's going hit one out. He's won stakes at Churchill Downs, Hawthorne, Turfway Park, Arlington Park, and Hoosier Park, and has placed in stakes at Saratoga, Del Mar, and Prairie Meadows, and won an allowance race on the grass at Keeneland. And don't forget his third-place finish in the 2002 Kentucky Derby. So, you know he's another horse who can run anywhere.