LAUREL, MD. 11-02-11---Fifteen horses who competed at Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park during their careers are entered this Friday and Saturday at Churchill Downs in the 28th running of the Breeders’ Cup. The Breeders’ Cup features 15 races over two days with $26 million in purses.

Preakness winner Shackleford is the co-second choice in the $1 million Dirt Mile. The son of Forestry has not won since his victory in the Grade 1 classic at Pimlico on the third Saturday in May. The Dale Romans trainee has finished second in a pair of graded races for three-year-olds.

Friday’s feature, the $2 million Ladies Classic, includes a pair of winners from Preakness weekend: Royal Delta (Black-Eyed Susan) and Super Espresso (Allaire duPont Distaff).

Since taking the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan, Royal Delta has finished in the money in three Grade 1 events, including a score in the Alabama at Saratoga in August. The Bill Mott trainee is the second choice in the Ladies Classic.

Super Espresso, from the powerful Todd Pletcher barn, has not visited the winners’ circle since winning the Grade 3 Allaire duPont on the Preakness undercard.

2007 Maryland Juvenile Filly Champion Ask the Moon, one of two Maryland-breds in the Breeders’ Cup, is also in the Ladies Classic field. The daughter of Malibu Moon has won a pair of Grade 1 races during her 6-year-old campaign.
Three Fair Hill Training Center based conditioners will saddle Breeders’ Cup runners.

Graham Motion has five Breeders’ Cup starters, including defending champion Shared Account and Aruna in the Filly & Mare Turf. Shared Account (30-1 on the morning line) won last year’s race at odds of 46-1 but is winless in two starts this year. Aruna (6-1) has not finished worse than second in seven starts since arriving in Motion’s barn from France.

Motion had considered running Aruna in the Ladies Classic but opted for the Filly & Mare Turf after last Saturday’s work on the Churchill Downs main track where the daughter of Mr. Greeley covered 5-furlongs  in 1:03.2. Sheldon Russell, Maryland’s leading rider, was aboard.

“Graham really wanted to see her to work more aggressively,” Russell said. “I think the Ladies Classic came up a bit light so he wanted an option because she’ll need a really big effort to win the turf race. He was looking for something faster. The gallop out played a huge role in the decision, he wanted to see her gallop out on her own a bit more freely. But she is a really professional filly and can run on anything. Right now she is just better on the grass.”

Michael Matz has a pair of live runners in Union Rags (Juvenile) and Somali Lemonade (Juvenile Filly Turf), while Mike Pino will be represented by Perfect Officer (Turf Sprint).

Laurel Park has nine live races both days, including the Find Handicap Saturday afternoon.