Breeders’ Cup entries include Classic champion Fort Larned

There were 172 horses pre-entered on Wednesday for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships scheduled for Nov. 1-2 at Santa Anita Park, including 24 from overseas.

The 30th running of horse racing’s world championships has purses totaling more than $27 million for 14 races.

The $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic attracted 13 horses, including defending champion Fort Larned, the expected pre-race favorite Game On Dude and the European star Decoration Of War, trained by Aidan O’Brien. Since 1984, 11 winners of the Classic have gone on to be voted Horse of the Year.

Besides Fort Larned, there are eight other horses returning to the track where they won championships last year: Royal Delta (Distaff), Little Mike (Turf), Wise Dan (Mile), Beholder (Juvenile Fillies), Groupie Doll (Filly & Mare), Trinniberg (Sprint), Mizdirection (Turf Sprint) and Flotilla (Juvenile Fillies Turf).

There will be five Breeders’ Cup races on Nov. 1, topped by the $2-million Distaff at 1 1/8 miles. Beholder, the top 3-year-old filly on the West Coast, will seek to challenge defending champion Royal Delta and Princess of Sylmar, who has won four consecutive Grade I races.

There will be nine Breeders’ Cup races on Nov. 2.

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