hughes to be sprint king

By Steve Cauthen

I think that Cash Included is a worthy favourite for the Juvenile Fillies' event at the Breeders' Cup.

She won the Oak Leaf last time by four lengths and was extremely impressive.

She has natural speed and can put herself in a position to avoid trouble but does not have to come from way out of it.

But there are a few other nice fillies in the race.

Dreaming Of Anna is undefeated and is trained by Wayne Catalano.

He is a mid-west trainer but is very strong and has a well-bred filly here by Rahy.

She has not taken on the big names yet but has beaten everybody the way you would like to see a filly win.

But Cash Included looks the one to beat.

Circular Quay and Great Hunter have got good chances in the Juvenile but Scat Daddy won the Champagne Stakes convincingly last time and is a threat.

That was a good time at Belmont but Circular Quay and Great Hunter have good running styles.

They will be suited by the big field and fairly solid pace.

Street Sense, by Street Cry, is coming into the race in good form and is trained by Carl Nafzger, who trained Unbridled to win the Kentucky Derby.

I am also hopeful that Pegasus Wind can run a good race as I bred him myself.

He was third in the Champagne and is getting better with every race as he learns.

We are hoping he can do us proud and run a big race.

Ouija Board goes in the Filly and Mare Turf and is a wonderful performer as she beats her own sex and also beats the colts.

There are a few nice fillies in America though who have broken through and one of those is Wait A While.

She has been winning very impressively in excellent times and dominating everything.

Todd Pletcher also has Honey Ryder in the race, who is as tough as nails.

She always runs in these types of races and does well - she may not win all of them but is thereabouts.

She looks in excellent form.

Film Maker is getting older and perhaps does not have quite the turn of foot she used to have.

That makes it a bit more difficult when she makes he run but is tough and runs her race like Honey Ryder.

You could not say that she won't win the race.

Henny Hughes looks like the whole package in the Sprint.

He was a good two year old and they tried to stretch him out for the Classic races but they realised fairly early that was not going to be his game and dropped him back to sprinting.

He looks like the best we have over here - he has the class and the speed.

He does not have to be on the lead all the way and has some options as he can come from just off the pace.

Unless he doesn't run his race, I can't see anything to beat him.

Bordonaro has been running on the West coast and has been a very solid horse out there.

He has been winning most of his races and was a bit unlucky when second in the Bing Crosby as most people felt that the winner Pure As Gold should have been disqualified.

But you would have to give the advantage to an East coast horse over a West coast horse at Churchill.

Bordanaro is a real good horse but I have a feeling Henny Hughes will prove the best.

Aragorn has been doing things very well on the West coast ahead of the Mile and is with a really great trainer in Neil Drysdale.

He has been in this situation many times before and knows how to get a horse ready for the Breeders' Cup.

Aragorn also has a jockey full of confidence in Corey Nakatani and that is exactly what you want.

The forecast is dry so the track should be fast and that will suit Aragorn as well but if it did come up soft that would be a slight concern.

I would have to give Gorella a chance in a true-run race.

She has a tremendous turn of foot and I would pick her above most of the others in the event.

I think anytime when the Europeans come over with their better horses they have a chance in this.

Araafa, who won an Irish Guineas, a St James' Palace Stakes and was second in the QEII to George Washington, has to be considered.

Aussie Rules came over here recently and won nicely at Keeneland while Librettist took the Prix du Moulin and Jacques Le Marois, which are two really decent races in France.

They all have good connections and it will depend on how the team over here in America shape up.

Fleet Indian is solid in the Distaff.

Todd Pletcher has a whole host of entries in the Breeders' Cup and I think he will be hoping to get off to a good start with this one.

There are decent horses like Balletto, Bushfire and Asi Siempre also in the race.

The latter is trained by Patrick Biancone and won very impressively last time in the Spinster Stakes.

She looks to be coming on at exactly the right time but if Fleet Indian shows up with her 'A' game she will be very difficult to beat.

The going will be important to Hurricane Run in the Turf.

He seems to better with some cut in the ground and it looks like conditions could be fairly firm.

He may have lost his way a little bit this year compared to last but on his day - he won a King George when he beat Electrocutionist - he has the class.

English Channel and Cacique are solid horses so it could well be a great race again - as it always is.

Bernadini has been ultra-impressive ahead of the Classic.

He is the man right now.

It is such a great shame what happened to Barbaro as it would have been great to see these two clash - it would have been like the old Affirmed/Alydar stuff.

Bernadini seems the real deal as he beat older horses last time, although it was not a top-notch affair.

He is not one-dimensional either as he can switch off and come from off the pace.

As soon as Javier Castellano 'clicks' to him it looks like he has just jumped into the race.

But we also have Lava Man and George Washington coming in.

The latter is really talented and I hear he has a few kinks but if he can handle the dirt surface there is no reason why he can't get involved.

Lava Man is consistent although he has never really come away from the West coast and done well but this time they have brought him out a lot earlier and will have the chance to run his race.

A horse that always performs is Perfect Drift.

He does need things to go his way and is suited by a fast pace and hitting the front late.

But I have always admired him.

You can't overlook a horse like David Junior either considering the form he boasts but it will be a challenge for him to make the switch to the dirt.

But the Breeders' Cup has been going on long enough for trainers to be able to now give themselves the best possible chance at the meeting.

At the end of the day, if Bernadini comes out and runs the race he is capable of he will prove he is the best around.

It is a great meeting thoughout but Henny Hughes is my top pick, no doubt about it.

He is not going to be a great price but he has the look of a good thing to be honest.