1 of 3 | Sovereignty, shown winning the Belmont Stakes, returns as the favorite in Saturday’s Grade I Travers at Saratoga. (Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk, Photo by Coglianese Photography, courtesy of NYRA

Aug. 22 (UPI) — Some of racing’s biggest names chase six Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” spot in weekend horse racing on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Among the stars on parade are Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty, reigning Horse of the Year and 2024 Kentucky Oaks winner Thorpedo Anna, veteran campaigner Skippylongstocking, sprinters or dirt milers Book’em Danno and Speed Boat Beach, and female sprint stars Vahva, Scylla and Hope Road.

In England, Ombudsman and Minnie Hauk were the early stars in this week’s Ebor Meeting at York.

Get your pencils and scorecards ready …

Classic

Looking at the past performances for Saturday’s $1.3 million Grade I Travers at Saratoga, the “Midsummer Derby”, it’s important to remember the Spa’s reputation as “graveyard of champions.”

Kentucky Derby, Belmont States and Jim Dandy winner Sovereignty is the 2-5 favorite on the morning line. By that yardstick, the closest competitor in the five-horse field is Magnitude, who exits a romping victory in the Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows. The other three look unlikely.

Unlikely, though, is one of the defining characteristics of the Upstate New York oval, which has seen a steady, improbable parade of famous runners humbly bowing the knee, including the likes of Man O’ War and Secretariat.

Meanwhile, Skippylongstocking shoots for a “three-peat” in Friday’s $1 million Grade II Charles Town Classic and a sort of a summertime West Virginia “four-peat”. The now 6-year-old won the Classic in each of the past wo years by wide margins and took the 2022 West Virginia Derby by a relatively paltry margin of 1 1/2 lengths.

Speaking of paltry, Daniel Alonzo picked up Skippylongstocking for a paltry $37,000 at the 2021 Ocala 2-year-olds sale. Heading back to West Virginia, he’s already banked $3,669,110 with 11 wins from 33 starts.

Distaff

Thorpedo Anna, reigning Horse of the Year, is the solid favorite in a seven-horse field set for Saturday’s $500,000 Grade I Personal Ensign at Saratoga. Some talented opponents include La Troienne winner Raging Sea. A “Win and You’re In” spot in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff is on offer.

Saffie Joseph Jr. holds four of the 10 entries for Friday’s $750,000 Grade II Charles Town Oaks but the morning-line pick is Vodka With a Twist.

Sprint / Dirt Mile

Two Breeders’ Cup spots are on the plate in the Dirt Mile division.

Book’em Danno has relegated Mulliken to second in two straight races, the Grade III True North and the Grade II A.G. Vanderbilt, and the two hook up again as the favorites in a field of 11 for Saturday’s $500,000 Grade I Forego at Saratoga.

Speed Boat Beach is the 5-2 pick on the morning line for Saturday’s $250,000 Grade II Pat O’Brien at Del Mar after a very impressive string of morning works. He returns from a layoff after bleeding in his last start and several others are poised to pounce if trainer Bob Baffert hasn’t found the race-day answer for his runner.

Friday’s $500,000 Robert Hilton Memorial for 3-year-olds at Charles Town looks wildly wide open with nine 3-year-olds going 7 furlongs around two turns.

Filly & Mare Sprint

Scylla and Hope Road, both looking to end losing streaks, top the morning line for Saturday’s $500,000 Grade I Ballerina at Saratoga. The race is a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Friday’s $250,000 Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon at Charles Town only has four takers but the quality makes up for the shortage. Vahva, a Cherie DeVaux trainee, is the favorite but faces last year’s winner, Free Like a Girl, and Mystic Lake, winner of the 2024 Charles Town Oaks.

Sweet Azteca has only four rivals in Sunday’s $100,000 Grade III Rancho Bernardo Handicap at Del Mar and if she runs with any semblance of her best form, they’re all running for second. \

Trainer Mark Casse has four live prospects among the nine entries for Saturday’s $150,000 (Canadian) Grade III Seaway on the Woodbine all-weather. But the 2-1 morning-line favorite is Saratoga shipper Weigh the Risks.

Turf Mile

Saturday’s $400,000 Grade II Lake Placid at Saratoga got six takers including a French import. A case can be made for any but Play With Fire and May Day Ready top the morning line.

Filly & Mare Turf

Everland and Hope Mission top the morning line in a field of eight distaffers set for Sunday’s $150,000 Ellis Park Turf. A look at the past performances might prompt a search for an upsetter, perhaps Poppy the Princess, who seeks her third straight win, or Next Up with two wins and two seconds from four starts.

Around the world, around the clock

England

All was well that ended well for Ombudsman in Wednesday’s Group 1 Juddmonte International at York but for the longest time, that outcome was in serious question. Supposed pacesetter Birr Castle, aided by some misguided tactics behind him, opened a seemingly insurmountable lead of more than 20 lengths turning for home Then, the favorite, Ombudsman, got his cue, quickly eliminated Birr Castle’s massive advantage and rolled on to win by 3 1/2 lengths.

Racing Post quoted John Gosden: “He blew them away in the end. The obvious races are the Irish Champion and the English Champion. He’s in the Arc as well but he’d need one of those very occasional fast-ground Arcs. We’ll see.”

Also Wednesday on the Knavesmire, Pride of Arras won the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes for 3-year-olds by 1 length from Carmers and Gewan took the Group 3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes for 2-year-olds.

Coolmore’s star filly Minnie Hauk added Thursday’s Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks to her earlier wins in the Cheshire Oaks, Betfred Epsom Oaks and Irish Oaks. The Frankel filly waited well off the pace made by stablemate Garden of Eden, took up the chase in the straight and shrugged off a challenge from Estrange and went on to win by 3 1/2 lengths from that rival without too much encouragement from Moore.

As usual, the Coolmore lads have plenty of options for their barnful of talent and Whirl, who handles soft ground well, seems a leading prospect for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, which would indicate the Breeders’ Cup is a likelier target for Minnie Hauk. The Yorkshire Oaks was a “Win and You’re In” for the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

Also Thursday, joint favorites Royal Fixation and America Queen finished 1-2 in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes for 2-year-old fillies.

Friday’s card features the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes, a 5-furlongs cavalry charge with 16 declared runners and a “Win and You’re In” ticket on the line for the Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. The Group 2 Lonsdale Cup for stayers has Godolphin’s 7-year-old Trawlerman as the odds-on favorite. And the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes for 2-year-olds is wide open.

Sunday at Goodwood, the Group 3 Virgin Bets Prestige Fillies Stakes is a “Win and You’re In” for the John Deere Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

France

Cinderella’s Dream wheels back from last month’s victory in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket to tackle Sunday’s Group 1 Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville. Pending final declarations, the 4-year-old Godolphin homebred has seven rivals in the 2,000-meters tilt.

On the same card, American trainer Wesley Ward sends Outflanker, a maiden winner from Churchill Downs, against some very talented locals in the Group 1 Sumbe Prix Morny for 2-year-old fillies.