Trio of Maryland-breds among Breeders’ Cup competitors * The Racing Biz

Three Maryland-bred top horses will represent the Free State on the biggest stage of racing this Saturday in Del Mar, each tackling a different Class 1 event at the Breeders’ Cup Saturday – and each arriving with top qualifications.

Splendora, bred by The Elkstone Group LLC, competes in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and is 8-1 at the morning line in the seven-furlong contest.

The four-year-old daughter of Audible, out of the Frost Giant mare Miss Freeze, was a model of consistency for trainer Bob Baffert, winning four of nine starts by four seconds for earnings of $340,800. One of those losses came in her debut, and two others came in route races.

Splendora, owned by Talla Racing LLC and ridden by Flavien Prat, has made Del Mar its home base this season, winning twice, including the Tranquility Lake Stakes. She was runner-up to stablemate Seismic Beauty in the Santa Margarita (G2) earlier this year, and her consistent speed and comfort on the track make her a real competitor against a deep field of national sprint stars.

Seismic Beauty, also trained by Baffert, is the 9-5 morning favorite in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff for owners MyRacehorse and Peter Leidel. Bred in Maryland by Certain Stud, the four-year-old Uncle Mo filly is out of Knarsdale, by Medaglia d’Oro, and has quickly become one of the leading dirt females in the country.

With four wins and two seconds from seven starts and career earnings of nearly $500,000, she is coming off three straight wins, including the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch at Del Mar. Regular rider Juan Hernandez remains on board as Seismic Beauty looks to use its early speed to control the pace against a field full of proven Grade 1 winners.

Mindframe rounds out the Maryland trio, going 10-1 on the morning line for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Constitution’s dark bay, 4-year-old colt out of Walk of Stars (Street Sense), bred by the late R. Larry Johnson, races for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable and is trained by Todd Pletcher.

Mindframe’s sheer power has been evident since his debut, and despite a limited resume (only eight lifetime starts) he has racked up five wins, two seconds and nearly $1.85 million in earnings. With Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons he returns to the top company after an impressive win over Stephen Foster (G1) at Churchill Downs earlier this summer. Most recently, he was bumped early and lost at Ortiz’s Aug. 31 edition of the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga, so he hasn’t competed and completed a race since late June.

Mindframe is currently the leader in the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred/The Racing Biz Top-Midlantic-bred poll. Seismic Beauty ranks third, while Splendora ranks ninth.

In 2021, a pair of Maryland-bred horses – Knicks Go in the Classic and Aloha West in the Sprint – came home with wins in the Breeders’ Cup. With three live runners in Splendora, Seismic Beauty and Mindframe, Saturday could be another big day for the breeding industry in Maryland.