Key events
That was a bit more of a struggle for Ted Noffey that seemed likely a furlong out, when he ranged up alongside the front-running Brant and threatened to stride clear. He took just half a length out of the leader, though, and the closers were starting to chase them down. Ted Noffey dug a little deeper to put the race to bed, but it was more workmanlike than spectacular.
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE RESULT:
1. TED NOFFEY (John Velazquez), 2. Mr. A.P.
OFF AND RUNNING IN THE BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE!
It is almost post time for the Juvenile, Ted Noffey is the first odds-on shot of this year’s Breeders’ Cup at 3-5.
PREVIEW: Juvenile Turf, 1m, turf
Aidan O’Brien’s last chance today to take sole control of the record for Breeders’ Cup winners, as Gstaad, a winner in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, attempts to defy a shocker of a draw in stall 14. He has been beaten in all three of his starts since that Ascot win, but was just three-quarters of a length behind the winner in the Dewhurst Stakes and has several pounds in hand of this field on ratings. His biggest threats from the US-trained contingent look likely to be Bottas, unbeaten in two starts including a Grade Two, and Wesley Ward’s Outfielder, owned by Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing operation, who went the other way earlier in the season and lined up for the Prix Morny at Deauville, where he was a good fourth, around two-and-a-half lengths behind second-placed Gstaad. Argos is worth a second look too after his win in the Grade One Summer Stakes at Woodbine.
G2 Pilgrim Stakes, Aqueduct, 8.5f, 3 Oct 25 (Bottas, Heeere’s Johnny, Let’s Be Frank)
G1 Prix Morny, Deauville, 6f, 24 Aug 25 (Gstaad, Outfielder)
G1 Summer Stakes, Woodbine, 1m, 13 Sep 25 (Argos)
SELECTION: GSTAAD
Murphy is asked about Donnacha O’Brien too:
He learned from his Dad and he doesn’t complicate things. He doesn’t have a huge string so he manages to find a lot of good ones in comparison to the numbers and he’s provided me with a very healthy strike-rate. He would still be riding if he wasn’t a foot taller than me.
Oisin Murphy is in the interview room after his win on Balantina:
Donnacha was very upbeat with the way she trained in the mornings, and she’s incredibly athletic, and she handled the track like it was made for her
So Europe is on the board, and the late scratch of O’Brien snr’s Precise has cleared the way for one of the O’Brien jnr runners. Murphy worked some magic to get her home after turning for home a slight pocket, and he chose the right route to the line, against the rail, to get up for what was ultimately a comfortable win.
Joseph O’Brien’s Queen Of Hawaii was a no-show after a slow start, but his brother, Donnacha, has only gone and won it with the 20-1 outsider, Balantina. That’s a second Breeder’s Cup victory for jockey Oisin Murphy, whose only previous success was on the Japanese-trained Marche Lorraine in the Distaff in 2021. Donnacha O’Brien, meanwhile, joins his father and brother on the list of winning Breeders’ Cup trainers, which must surely be a first.
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES TURF RESULT:
1. BALANTINA (Oisin Murphy), 2. Pacific Mission, 3. Ground Support
Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf!
Three minutes to post time for the Juvenile Fillies’ Turf, the market has shifted towards Ultimate Love, the mount of John Velazquez in stall one, who is unbeaten in three but stepping up to Grade One company for the first time.
PREVIEW: Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, 1m 110yd, dirt
Just six runners for the Juvenile after a couple of scratches and a very warm favourite in Todd Pletcher’s Ted Noffey, a handsome grey colt who has very much caught the eye whenever he has cantered past at morning exercise during the week. He arrives unbeaten in three starts including two Grade Ones, the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga and the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. He won the Hopeful by eight-and-a-half lengths, and then at Keeneland by nearly three, with the re-opposing Litmus Test back in third. Second-favourite Brant won the Grade One Del Mar Futurity by a length, with Litmus Test fourth. Ted Noffey and Brant take out most of the market, but Intrepido, whose jockey, Hector Berrios, is on the scoresheet already, has some claims on his winning form in the American Pharoah at Santa Anita.
KEY FORM:
G1 Hopeful Stakes, Saratoga, 7f, 1 Sep 25 (Ted Noffey)
G1 Breeders’ Futurity, Keeneland, 8.5f, 4 Oct 25 (Ted Noffey, Litmus Test)
G1 Del Mar Futurity, Del Mar, 7f, 7 Sep 25 (Brant, Litmus Test)
G1 American Pharoah, Santa Anita, 8.5f, 4 Oct 25 (Intrepido)
SELECTION: TED NOFFEY
Back onto the turf for the Juvenile Fillies’ Turf (preview at 22.23) in just under 20 minutes. US-trained runners head the market in the absence of Precise, with Time To Dream and Imaginationthelady at 3-1 and 9-2 respectively and Michael Trombetta’s Ultimate Love, in stall one, at 4-1.
The closing stages of the Juvenile Fillies, and a gritty win for Super Corredora.
Hector Berrios was in control of the Juvenile Fillies’ pretty much from the off on John Sadler’s runner, and while Explora did what she could to close the gap on the front-running Super Corredora in the stretch, she was still three-quarters of a length adrift of the 9-1 winner at the wire.
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES’ RESULT:
1. SUPER CORREDORA, 2. Explora, 3. Percy’s Bar.
Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies!
Explora is going to go off as favourite for the Juvenile Fillies’, she’s a 9-5 chance on the local tote. Tommy Jo is next in on 7-2, while Percy’s Bar is a 6-1 shot.
PREVIEW: Juvenile Fillies’ Turf, 8f, turf
All change in the betting for this race after Precise was ruled out due to an infection earlier today, and Frankie Dettori’s mount Imaginationthelady is now among the market leaders. She won the Grade Two Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland in October, coming from midfield with a perfectly-timed run. Time To Dream was just over a length behind her in third and also has obvious prospects now that Precise is a scratch, while Queen Of Hawaii is also a big runner from stall two for Joseph O’Brien. She’s only won at Group Three level thus far but has progressed with every race and has clearly been aimed at this from a long way out by a trainer with an excellent Breeders’ Cup record. Brave Deb, meanwhile, is an outsider to consider, she won the Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita last time.
KEY FORM:
G2 Jessamine Stakes, Keeneland, 8.5f, 3 Oct 25 (Imaginationthelady, Infinite Sky, Time To Dream)
P G Johnson, Saratoga, 8.5f, 27 Aug 25 (Time To Dream)
G3 Surfer Girl Stakes, Santa Anita, 8f, 5 Oct 25 (Brave Deb)
SELECTION: QUEEN OF HAWAII
Did I mention my pick for the Juvenile Fillies? It doesn’t look like I did, I’m going with Percy’s Bar to set the record straight after being demoted from first in the Spinaway.
Brussels was finishing best of all in that race, and appeared to lose more ground than he was beaten by with a very poor start, reminiscent of days of yore when Aidan O’Brien’s Breeders’ Cup runners routinely fell out of the stalls and gifted the field a lead. True Love, who never figured, was slow to stride too.
Taking nothing away from Cy Fair, though. Irad Ortiz jun rode a perfect race on the 5-1 shot from an iffy draw in 10.
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF SPRINT RESULT:
1. CY FAIR, 2. Brussels, 3. Aspect Island.
Cy Fair is finishing with a wet sail, so too Aspect Island but it’s going to be Cy Fair’s day, he beats Brussels and Aspect Island
Brussels missed the kick … Schwarzenneger soon leads from 11 and is piling it on, Frankie’s settled mid-division …
Into the stretch, Schwarzenneger still leads but Cy Fair is bearing down while Brussels stays on really well from off the pace …
Going in steadily … Brussels is a little and needs a helping hand or two but he’s in now …. Aspect Island and Frankie are in … and …
They are off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint!
They are starting to canter towards the stalls ahead of the Juvenile Turf Sprint. True Love still heads the betting here, while Cy Fair remains popular with the local punters. The winner of the Algonquin Stakes at Woodbine last time is 4-1 here at the track, but several points bigger with the bookies back at home.
Ten minutes to post time for the Juvenile Turf Sprint, and little change to the betting with True Love still favourite at 5-2. The first of Frankie Dettori’s five Breeders’ Cup mounts, Aspect Island, is currently paying 40-1 on the machine.
PREVIEW: Juvenile Fillies, 1m 110yd, dirt
Bob Baffert has a strong hand here with Explora and Bottle Of Rouge, the first two fillies in the betting at present, and there is a direct form line to ponder as Bottle Of Rouge was a one-length winner of the Grade One Del Mar Debutante Stakes over 7f in September with Explora in second. Explora made the running and Bottle Of Rouge ground her way past inside the final furlong, but Explora subsequently improved to run out a highly impressive winner of the Oak Leaf at Santa Anita and is favourite to reverse the earlier form with Bottle Of Rouge today. La Wally, meanwhile, was third in the Debutante and staying on well at the death, so should be suited by the extra distance here. Tommy Jo arrives with two Grade One wins already, in the Spinaway at Saratoga over seven furlongs and then the Alcibiades over an extended mile at Keeneland. She was hugely impressive in Spinaway, sitting a couple of lengths off a strong page (22.22sec for the quarter-mile then 44.54sec for the half), powered into the on the turn and went clear. The Alcibiades was closer, though, as Percy’s Bar set a fair pace, was first past the post but then demoted, having given Tommy Jo a bump halfway down the stretch. The other big trial for this is the Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct in New York, won extremely narrowly this year by Iron Orchard, with the third home over four lengths further back.
KEY FORM:
G1 Debutante Stakes, Del Mar, 7f, 6 Sep 25 (Bottle Of Rouge, Explora, La Wally)
G1 Spinaway Stakes, Saratoga, 7f, 30 Aug 25 (Tommy Jo, Percy’s Bar)
G1 Alcibiades Stakes, Keeneland, 8.5f, 3 Oct 25 (Tommy Jo, Percy’s Bar)
G1 Frizette Stakes, Aqueduct, 8f, 4 Oct 25 (Iron Orchard)
G2 Oak Leaf Stakes, Santa Anita, 8.5f, 5 Oct 25 (Explora)
The last of five warm-up events before the Breeders’ Cup starts in earnest has just been run here at Del Mar, and a market is starting to form for the Juvenile Turf Sprint in just under half-an-hour.
As expected, True Love is just about top of the list on 5-2, with George Weaver’s Cy Fair on 4-1 and Schwarzenegger at 5-1. Brussels, the mount of Christophe Soumillon from stall one, is 11-1, though this is a PMU betting system and the pool will be fairly modest at present.
Preview: Juvenile Turf Sprint
Aidan O’Brien’s True Love, the winner of the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes, was the early favourite for this race and still heads the market despite picking up a distinctly sub-optimal draw in stall nine. She beat Havana Anna, trained by O’Brien’s younger son, Donnacha, by three-quarters of a length there and it looks like the strongest form on offer, although O’Brien also fields Brussels, second in both the Middle Park Stakes and then the Cornwallis, as useful backup. Brussels also has a decent draw in one, though he has had six races already this season including four since 8 August. Other interesting runners include Frankie Dettori’s mount, Aspect Island, from the burgeoning dual-purpose James Owen stable, who was just behind Brussels in the Cornwallis, while the front-running Schwarzenegger is the shortest-priced US-trained runner. Wesley Ward’s colt posted some very warm fractions at Keeneland last time out and is an interesting each-way chance, even from a tricky draw in stall 11.
KEY FORM:
G1 Cheveley Park Stakes, Newmarket, 27 Sep 25 (True Love, Havana Anna).
G3 Cornwallis Stakes, Newmarket, 10 Oct 25 (Brussels, Aspect Island)
Indian Summer Stakes, Keeneland, 5 Oct 25 (Schwarzenegger, Obliteration)
SELECTION: SCHWARZENEGGER (e/w)
Preamble
Hello from the wonderful Del Mar racetrack 20 miles north of San Diego, where Bing Crosby, no less, was a founding member of the board – and also sold the first ticket on opening day in 1937. The walls of the magnificent main stand are covered with photographs and memorabilia from nearly a century of racing here – famous names to have won here include Seabiscuit, Bill ‘The Shoe” Shoemaker, Zenyatta and many more – and there will be more racing history to be made later today on the first afternoon of the 2025 Breeders’ Cup.
The five Breeders’ Cup races on the Friday card are all for two-year-olds – two on the dirt and three on the turf – but the early news here is of disappointing late scratches from the European team, with both Aidan O’Brien’s Precise, the warm favourite for the Juvenile Fillies’ Turf, and Military Code, a leading fancy for the Juvenile Turf Sprint (21.45 GMT) both now out of their respective races.
Precise’s absence is blow for the meeting, but it does leave the locally-trained Imaginationthelady, ridden by a certain, soon-to-be-retired jockey called Frankie Dettori, as one of the favourites for the Grade One event at 23.45 GMT.
Even with Military Code out, though, the European challenge for the Juvenile Turf Sprint remains strong, with runners trained by various members of the O’Brien family filling four of the top five spots in the betting.
Previews of the five Breeders’ Cup events, including video form to assist in the finalising of selections, will be along soon, and the 2025 Breeders’ Cup will be underway in just under an hour, so stay tuned – or keep refreshing – for all the news, betting moves, results, post-race comments and more as one of the world’s most exciting and valuable race meetings goes through the gears.
