Gio Ponti to run in Breeders' Cup Mile
November 2, 2010LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Gio Ponti will run in the Breeders' Cup Mile rather than take another shot against unbeaten Zenyatta in the Classic.
Castleton Lyons president Shane Ryan said the 5-year-old horse's performance during a victory on the turf in the Shadwell Stakes at Keeneland last month led to the decision.
Gio Ponti nearly held off Zenyatta in the last year's Classic at Santa Anita before being beaten by a length in the final yards. He was pre-entered in both the Classic and the Mile.
Ryan said he was tempted to put Gio Ponti back in the Classic but felt his star was a better fit in the Mile. The Classic will be run on the dirt at Churchill Downs, while the Mile will be run on the turf course.
Gio Ponti has 22 career starts, none of them on dirt.