Tom Pedulla offers 10 takeaways from the 42nd edition of the World Breeders’ Cup Championshipswhich offered 14 races worth more than $34 million in purses and prizes when it was held on October 31 and November 1 in picturesque Del Mar.
SWEET REVENGE: The connections of Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Forever Young have been looking to turn the tables on their American rivals since the colt finished third in last year’s Kentucky Derby, just noses behind Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone. Their determination only increased with another third place finish behind Sierra Leone and Fierceness in last year’s Classic. That’s why it meant the world to owner Susumu Fujita when Forever Young became the first Japanese horse to win the Classic in its 42-year history, with Sierra Leone and Fierceness finishing second and third respectively. “Fierceness and Sierra Leone will retire, so this is the last chance against these two guys together,” Fujita noted. “It is also my dream to beat these two horses, so it is a dream come true.”
NOT MUCH DEBATE: The Breeders’ Cup Classic tends to go a long way toward determining Horse of the Year, with 16 of the previous 41 winners receiving the honor. Don’t expect that to happen this time. As impressive as Forever Young was in fielding a particularly strong classic field, the race represented its only North American start this year. That certainly works against him compared to Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets and DraftKings Travers Stakes winner Sovereignty. This voter will be somewhat reluctantly supportive of sovereignty, as his connections have never tried to bypass the Triple Crown by bypassing the Preakness Stakes. An illness a few days before the Classic kept the 3-year-old from ever being tested against older horses, a huge benchmark for a sophomore.
NOT HIS DAY: With his depth of character, it is particularly important for Sierra Leone that the track on which he competes does not favor a horse with a particular running style. Trainer Chad Brown believes what is known as track bias worked against his defending champion. “I don’t want to take anything away from the winner, but it’s been speed all day,” Brown said after Sierra Leone finished second. “I’m so proud of my horse’s efforts, so brave for going against the bias and almost getting there. Listen, he and Forever Young are closely related and they’ve had a wonderful rivalry ever since the Derby. [Saturday] was Forever Young’s day to find the winners circle and hats off to them. They did a really good job bringing this horse back and he really fought on.”
SERIOUS PROBLEMS: It is difficult, if not impossible, to argue that the opposing thinking belonged in the Classic. In his last two starts, acting as a pacer – or what is known as a ‘rabbit’ – to ensure Sierra Leone would have a pace to run against, he finished last of the nine and was beaten by 68 lengths in the Whitney Stakes and contributed to an incident that led to top contender Mindframe losing its runner in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes before seriously weakening. Jockey John Velazquez believes the endurance-less speedster hampered his third-place Fierceness, who prefers to be at or close to the pace, in the Classic. “I can’t run into a rabbit and then the rabbit cost me because he stopped in front of me and that was that,” Velazquez noted. Jockey Florent Geroux eased Contrary Thinking into the track in the Classic before the horse walked away, having finished 38 lengths in front. He was the only horse in the deep field that had not won a Class 1 or Group 1 race.
TOTAL PACKAGE: Spendthrift Farm’s Ted Noffey showed he is a colt that has it all by completing a 4-for-4 season with a one-length victory against Mr. AP in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. The certain 2-year-old champion and early 2026 Kentucky Derby favorite showed a great spirit to accompany his physical attributes as he scored rousing wins at Saratoga, Keeneland and Del Mar for regular rider John Velazquez. “He has such a great temperament and character that it’s easy to make moves like going from Saratoga to Keeneland and then from Keeneland back to Saratoga to get ready to come here,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He settled in here like a five-year-old who has been running forever. He took on everything with ease.” That bodes well for the tough road to the Derby.
ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS: Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott experienced a roller coaster of emotions during Breeders’ Cup week. First, there was the brutal disappointment of having to cut the heavily favored Sovereignty from the Classic after the three-year-old became ill. Then there was the elation of seeing the Juddmonte-bred Scylla score a rousing victory in the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, dusting off the nitrogen by 5 ½ lengths. “It was a mixed bag of emotions,” Mott said. “We were very disappointed, but it didn’t take long to accept what had happened with Sovereignty. I think everyone associated with it has experienced it, and I have experienced it. We knew when that happened that he wouldn’t be able to compete, not at the level he should.”
REMEMBER OF A LEGEND: The red tie Todd Pletcher wore to Future Stars Friday was filled with meaning. The tie belonged to the late D. Wayne Lukas and was given to him by Lukas’ widow, Laurie. Pletcher was one of many people in the industry who worked for Lukas and benefited from his guidance. Lukas was so respected for passing on his wisdom that he was known as ‘Coach’. Pletcher told NBC after winning the Juvenile: “He loved this event and it brings back fond memories for him. That’s what he always dreamed of, youngsters and derby horses.” Pletcher matched Lukas with his fifth Juvenile victory thanks to Ted Noffey. (Bob Baffert is the all-time leader with six Juvenile wins.)
RIDE HIGH: Irad Ortiz Jr. once again showed why he is seen as a go-to jockey when big money is on the line by repeating as winner of the Bill Shoemaker Award, which goes to the leading rider during the two-day Breeders’ Cup based on points accumulated during the 14 races. He also triumphed for the sixth time in the past eight years. “It’s one of my favorite weekends of the whole year, so it feels good to have a trophy because you have a good week at the best races of the year,” Ortiz said. He won with Cy Fair in the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Future Stars Friday and scored back-to-back wins on Saturday with Shisospicy in the Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and Bentornato in the Cygames Sprint.
WEEVER’S FIRST: Trainer George Weaver recorded his first win in the Breeders’ Cup as Cy Fair became only the second filly to capture the Juvenile Turf Sprint in eight editions of the race. With Irad Ortiz Jr. on board, she withstood Brussels’ furious attack by three-quarters of a length as she completed five furlongs in :56.02. Weaver was ecstatic after his breakthrough. “I can’t describe it. That’s why we’re all in the game,” he said. “It’s hard to win such big races and it’s my first Breeders’ Cup [win]. We’ve had a great year. I am grateful to my staff, grateful to all the customers who supported me. We have some beautiful horses and she is one of the top ones.”
BIG MATTERS: Bettors responded to strong international representation at this year’s Breeders’ Cup and a robust lineup for the $7 million Longines Classic by betting with both hands during the sun-drenched, two-day competition in Del Mar. Officials announced the third-highest total from all sources in the event’s 42-year history: $180,036,799, up slightly from last year’s total of $179,218,631. The all-time record of $189,060,373 was set at Keeneland in 2022. The Cup returns to Keeneland next year on October 30-31.
#Ten #important #Breeders #Cup #weekend