Columnist Ralph Siraco: Beldame champion won’t run in Breeders’ Cup

Ralph Siraco

Monday, Oct. 11, 2004 | 10:03 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday.

Racing's championship summitt is now less than three weeks away. The Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30, and all but the winners of the eight championship races will turn to pumpkins on Halloween eve.

Those trying to make that pumpkin patch at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, took another shot over the weekend. The Classic headliners -- defending champ Pleasantly Perfect, Belmont Stakes and Travers winner Birdstone, Woodward winner Ghostzapper and Kentucky Cup Classic winner Roses in May -- have finished up their race preps and are now training up to the big showdown.

Birdstone was the most recent worker, stretching his legs in a slow move on Saturday morning. The others continue to maintain their workout schedules as the big day draws closer.

While we wait stateside to see who will make the trip from across the pond to represent the European contigent that could include Arc de Triomphe winner Bago and last year's Mile winner Six Perfections, more weekend stakes winners continue to fill up the Breeders' Cup dance card.

The most notable defection is last year's defeated Distaff favorite Sightseek. The Bobby Frankel trainee won the $750,000 Beldame at Belmont Park on Saturday in a cakewalk. Usually the Beldame produces a top contender in the Distaff, which it did last year. But the Beldame this year was Sightseek's swan song.

Frankel feels the Lone Star Park racing strip is a lot like Santa Anita in composition. And although Sightseek leaves the sport with a dozen victories in 20 lifetime starts, she was 0-for-5 at Santa Anita, including her flop in the Distaff last year. However, her Belmont Park record is 6-for-6 and overall she captured seven Grade I races.

The primary concern for an emotional Frankel was having Sightseek finish her racing career a winner. She did, flawlessly.

Now on to those who did make an impact over the weekend to push into the Breeders' Cup fields: