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Breeders’ Cup Classic Winner Alphabet Soup Euthanized at 31

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Photo by Laura Battles.

GEORGETOWN, KY – JANUARY 28, 2022 — Multiple graded stakes winner and 1996 Breeders’ Cup Classic Champion Alphabet Soup was euthanized January 28 at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement farm in Georgetown, KY, where he has been pensioned since 2015. The cause of death was chronic kidney disease.

At 31, the gray son of Cozzene was the oldest living winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Bred in Pennsylvania out of the Arts and Letters mare Illiterate, Alphabet Soup was a late bloomer for owner Georgia B. Ridder, winning his first stakes at age four when he captured the 1995 Native Diver (GR3) and the Del Mar Breeders’ Cup Handicap (GR2).

In 1996 he was the victor in the San Antonia Handicap (GR2), the Pat O’Brian Handicap (GR3), and the San Pasqual Handicap (GR2) en route to his greatest triumph, the 1996 Breeders’ Cup Classic (GR1), where he defeated the “invincible” Cigar as well as that year’s Preakness Stakes winner Louis Quatorze — all while setting a new track record at Woodbine.

Retired in 1998 to Adena Springs having captured 10 of 24 starts and earnings of over $2.9 million, Alphabet Soup sired numerous stakes winners, among them Grade 1 winners Egg Drop and Alphabet Kisses, and champions Our New Recruit, Phantom Light, and Sovereign Award winner Alpha Bettor.

“I’m saddened by the news today of Alphabet Soup’s passing,” said Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, who piloted Soup to his Breeders’ Cup win. “I truly enjoyed my relationship with Soupy, and he will always have special place in my heart. He represented the U.S. well when he bested the Cigar and Louis Quatorze in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Rest in peace old friend.”

“It won’t be the same around here without Soup,” said Old Friends President and founder Michael Blowen. “Over these seven years he was a delight to be around with his sweet nature and enormous popularity. He brought joy to everyone.

“His best friend, the donkey Gorgeous George, will miss him terribly,” added Blowen, “and so will everyone on the farm. We are so grateful to Frank Stronach and everyone at Adena Springs for giving us the privilege of retiring this fabulous champion.”

For more information, please call (502) 863-1775 or visit www.oldfriendsequine.org.

*Featured/Spotlights, Racing

Where Next for Saudi Cup Winner Mishriff?

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Source: Unsplash.

Mishriff produced the performance of his career to claim the 2021 Saudi Cup earlier this year at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh. John Gosden’s runner got the better of the American horse Charlatan in the closing stages of the prestigious dirt contest.

His win in Riyadh opens a lot of doors for the British-based horse, including some of the major races on the surface which are set to take place in the United States over the course of the rest of the year. Here is a look at some of those targets.

Royal Ascot Likely to Be Next

The Royal Meeting at Ascot is one of the biggest weeks of the year in Europe and given Mishriff is based in the UK, it would be a surprise if he did not line up in one of the races across the five days.

If he runs at Ascot in June, it will be his first appearance at the track since coming home at the back end of the field in the Champion Stakes last October. It will be interesting to see how Gosden’s runner fares in the horse racing predictions for the meeting.  As the community speculates on who will win, tools such as this will consider all elements when deciding odds. He has yet to win at the track but his latest form is excellent, two factors that will be worked into the tools used to predict the winners. These systems can offer greater insight which may even change your betting patterns.

Options at Royal Ascot include the Queen Anne Stakes (1m), Prince of Wales’s Stakes (1m2f), and Hardwicke Stakes (1m4f). The middle of those three races looks the most likely. Gosden has been successful on four occasions in that contest, including last year with Lord North.

Breeders’ Cup Classic Must Be a Target

Consideration is surely going to be given to the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year for Mishriff. The feature race of the world championship meeting is one of the most prestigious events in world racing. Success in the race would help elevate the horse into one of the best of his generation.

This year’s Breeders’ Cup meeting takes place at Del Mark Racecourse in California. A rematch with Charlatan could take place in that race in what would be a fascinating dual. It is Bob Baffert’s runner who currently tops the betting for the 1m2f contest on day two of the meeting.

Gosden became the first European trainer to win the Breeders’ Cup when he was successful with Raven’s Pass in 2008. If he can land the prize again 13 years later, it will be a huge achievement for the man who was once based in California.

Arc Hard to Refuse

Another race the British horse is likely to be campaigned for in 2021 is the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris. That race takes place on turf, something which should not be a problem for him as he recently scored in the Sheema Classic.

The Arc attracts the best middle-distance horses from Europe, Japan, and other places around the world. It is a difficult race to win as it is often a large field, leaving the runners short for room on the course at Longchamp.

Gosden has won the Arc three times. He did so with the Derby winner Golden Horn in 2015, while the super mare, Enable, was victorious in 2017 and 2018.

This could be the final year we see Mishriff on the track before a career at stud. The more valuable races he sweeps up before then, the higher his value will become once he retires from the track.