Patriot Spirit heads to Breeders’ Cup for “past generations” * The Racing Biz

When Patriot Spirit won the Grade 3 Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont at the Big A on September 27, it was more than just a stakes win. The four-year-old colt secured a ticket to the Breeders’ Cup with a victory and a victory in the Breeders’ Cup and gave trainer Michael Campbell a reason to dream big again.

The son of Constitution out of Class 1 winner Mical Plan has developed into one of the season’s best sprinters, with his 2025 campaign gaining momentum with every start. After a pair of second-place finishes in the stakes at Oaklawn and Churchill early this year, Patriot Spirit came into full force over the summer, dominating the Reigh Count Stakes at Colonial Downs before carrying that form to New York.

Reigh Count’s win was Patriot Spirit’s third win in three tries at Colonial, breaking his first win mark in 2025. The Vosburgh was his second victory in a row.

Campbell, who trains Patriot Spirit for George A. Mellon, said the colt has blossomed into a professional after some growing pains earlier in his career.

“We had a lot of little issues that we had to work out with some time off. He came off a splint and things like that,” Campbell said. On to Race Radio October 18. “It was small things, but I was very careful. I didn’t want to exhaust this horse. It seemed to me like he was a horse that I could hang on for a while and do bigger races.”

Patriot Spirit’s win at Vosburgh meant automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. It was at seven furlongs, just like the Reigh Count, and earlier this year Patriot Spirit took second in the mile-and-a-half Knicks Go Overnight at Churchill Downs. The Breeders’ Cup Sprint is contested at six furlongs.

“This colt can go in eight-and-change, and eight-and-change will win [the Sprint]Campbell explained. “When we ran him at seven furlongs we had to rein him in a little bit – he gets too excited on the front end. If you’re not careful, he’ll just grab the bit and leave. But if you use it tactically, and believe me, you have to grab it tight at the beginning and then let it lie close to a horse, it becomes very competitive and keeps something in the tank for the finish.

The colt has been on a steady path since debuting at Colonial Downs in 2023. After a productive two-year campaign that included a win in the Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay, Patriot Spirit posted a victory in the Illinois Derby in April of his sophomore season and spent much of 2024 and 2025 with top companies across the country.

He has four stakes wins from six overall wins from fifteen career starts, building a bankroll of $531,210.

Campbell, a longtime equestrian who previously trained runners at the now-defunct Arlington Park, is the son and grandson of horse trainers. Sons Jesse and Joel both raced professionally, with the former winning more than 2,300 races, while the latter racked up 718 victories.

“We have all been jockeys and/or trainers,” the trainer said. “My whole family has been doing that for a hundred years.”

Campbell is relishing the opportunity to return to the Breeders’ Cup podium. His last trip came in 2014, when he piloted Private Prospect, a horse he claimed from his debut victory, to a ninth-place finish in the Juvenile. Campbell’s son Jesse was in the irons that day.

Patriot Spirit, bred in Kentucky by Blue Heaven Farm, flew five furlongs in 1:00 1/5 at Keeneland on Oct. 21. That was the fastest of a dozen works over the distance. He will complete his final preparations in Keeneland before being shipped to California on Oct. 27, Campbell said, for the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar. Javier Castellano is expected to keep the horse.

Campbell says it will “be an honor to be there” at the Breeders’ Cup, and he believes his horse arrives well prepared for the challenge ahead. One thing is certain: if the preparation can take generations, Patriot Spirit will have enough.

“It’s going to be an emotional thing,” he said. “You’re doing this for the past generations who never got the chance to do this. Your life and the lives of your family have lived in these shoes.”