Gio Ponti coming off a win in the Shadwell Mile, inspires connections to confirm him for the BC Mile
The 6-year-old son of Tale of the Cat, Gio Ponti was initially entered in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile, but now Shane Ryan, president of Castleton Lyons, has announced on 27 October that Gio Ponti will run in the Breeders’
Cup Mile.
The race will commence on 5 November, 2011, at Churchill Downs. Gio Ponti will face some good milers in the Mile with the likes of Turallure, Get Stormy, Jeranimo and many others, both American and European.
Gio Ponti’s win in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile second time running, could have had a huge impact on making this decision, and historically the 6-year-old runner has relished every opportunity to run over at eight furlongs.
Trainer Christophe Clement was taken into consideration before confirming Gio Ponti for the Breeders’ Cup Mile, and it was the right decision because a mile is his perfect distance.
Out of Chipeta Springs by Alydar, Gio Ponti is coming off an impressive win in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland under jockey Ramon Dominguez on 8 October, 2011.
The Shadwell Mile also reeled in European invaders, and one particular one who couldn’t make it to the Shadwell Mile was Cape Blanco, who was a real thorn in Gio Ponti’s flesh and deprived the impressive runner from converting runner up position into a victory
in two occasions.
His connections would’ve taken a sigh of relief to see the back of Cape Blanco, who retired before the race due to a nasty fracture in one of his legs.
With no Cape Blanco to torment Gio Ponti on the race track, Gio Ponti came to his own on the track and stalked till he swung by the far turn and entered into the stretch, and that’s where he went all out dashing past his rivals to win the mile long race
in 1 minute and 34.17 seconds.
At Churchill Downs, Gio Ponti worked five furlongs under exercise rider Jerry Fogarty, and the pair turned in a workout session over the inner turf and went five furlongs in 1 minute and 2 seconds on 26 October, in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup.
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