Barry Faulkner's Breeders' Cup Friday Preview

I love Future Stars Friday. It is a great way to get the two-day treasure trove that is the Breeders’ Cup underway. The five races today are cracking contests and offer tantalising prospects of what future achievements may lie ahead for today’s participants

One thing worth noting is that eight of the nine winners of the juvenile turf races in the last three years were trained ‘over here’. The Juvenile Turf Sprint, in particular, has more than played its part for ‘our’ team, filling the exacta (forecast) spots twice and the Trifecta (Tricast) positions once in that time.

Del Mar 6 (9.45pm)

BC Juvenile Turf Sprint – 2 year olds – Five furlongs - Turf 

TRUE LOVE (9) is the one to start with here. Despite arriving from a couple of 2^nd placings, she was sent off as the 9-4 favourite for the Queens Mary G2, going five furlongs at Royal Ascot, She did not disappoint her backers, winning that by 1¼ lengths. She then beat the boys, including the very accomplished Puerto Rico, in the Railway Stakes G2 at the Curragh in July. Three weeks later, she was beaten at 1-4 in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, but was reported as being slightly lame after the race. Seven weeks after that, she put up a cracking effort to win the Cheveley Park G1 at Newmarket, getting home ¾ of a length in front of Havana Anna (8). That was over six furlongs but I think True Love (9) is speedy enough to cope with the cut back in trip here. She is as good as any that Aiden O’Brien has shipped for this race and I think she has an outstanding chance.   

Havana Anna (8) put up her best effort yet last time and was upsides True Love (9) after five of the six furlongs. Prior to that, she had been pipped by a nose in a G3 against males, going five furlongs at Longchamp at the end of August. She should be a proper player here.   

Brussels (1) breaks from the inside under Christophe Soumillon, who reportedly did not want to get down to his minimum weight on two consecutive days, with Minnie Hauk to look forward to tomorrow, so rides this lad rather than True Love (9) here. He looked sharp when beaten a nose in the Cornwallis G3 at Newmarket three weeks ago, with Aspect Island (4) ¾ of a length behind in 3^rd. They face a stronger group here. 

Military Code (2) did well to finish a head 2^nd in a Listed contest at York in August, after dwelling at the start. Due to the soft going, he missed his engagement in the Flying Childers G2 at Donny, the race that has delivered the last two winners of this. He needs to improve on that what he has shown so far but that is not impossible. 

Schwarzenegger (11), trained by Wesley Ward, is the shortest priced of the local defender but, to me, that seems to have more to do with the bullishness of his trainer, rather than his achievements so far.   

Intricate Spirit (6) and Cy Fair (10) won a couple of established trials for this across the pond but both look short of the requirement here. 

Lennilu (12) would be my idea of the best of the locals. She finished 1¾ lengths behind True Love (9) at Royal Ascot, having raced prominently throughout. She has won both her starts back at her home base of Gulfstream Park since, one over six furlongs on dirt, the other over this trip on turf. A big run from her would not surprise me.    

Selection: True Love (9) 

Del Mar Race 7 (10.25pm)

NetJets BC Juvenile Fillies – Fillies 2 year olds – One mile and half a furlong - Dirt 

Iron Orchard (1) started her career in an Auction Maiden Special Weight at Saratoga, where the qualifying sales price was $50,000. However, there was an additional provision in the race conditions that made it open to New York breds, regardless of what they fetched at the sales. That was just as well for this lass, as she went through the sales ring at Ocala Two-year-olds in training sale in spring, when the hammer came down at $500,000. Sent off at 3-5 at the Spa, she won that 5½ furlongs contest comfortably. Then, towards the end of August, she enjoyed another facile score in State bred Stake there, going six furlongs, when odds on again. Then came an altogether tougher task at the beginning of this month in the Frizette G1at Aqueduct, a well-established prep for this. She broke well there but was reserved off the strong pace, before challenging turning in. She went on to win that by a nose, with the front pair 4¼ lengths clear of the 3^rd. Since then, she has been bought for $2.5million at the recent Fasig-Tipton Flash Digital Sale. Although others have slightly better figures than this lass, she is one of the most intriguing contenders in the line up. 

Bottle Of Rouge (2), one of two fillies in this race trained by Bob Baffert, was last seen at the beginning of August winning the Del Mar Debutante G1 at 9-1, going seven furlongs. She took overtook her barn mate, and 3-5 favourite, Explora (7) to win that by a length, with La Wally (9), ½ a length back in 3^rd. She has been absent for just shy of eight weeks since but Explora (7) ran in the Oak Leaf G2, over this trip at Santa Anita earlier this month, when a stronger favourite at 2-5. She put up a much better effort on the stretch out, pulling clear to score by 4¼ lengths, from La Wally (9), with La Ville Lumiere (6) 1¼ lengths further behind in 3^rd. 

Percy’s Bar (4) and TOMMY JO (5) bumped into each – literally - four weeks ago, over this trip in the Darley Alcibiades G1 at Keeneland. The former set a solid pace there and still had a slight lead turning into the short stretch run. Tommy Jo (5), the 4-9 favourite for the race was grinding her way into contention when she received a brush from Percy’s Bar (4), followed by a much more significant whack a couple of strides later. As a result of that, Tommy Jo (5) lost momentum and Percy’s Bar (4) went on to score by 2¾ lengths. Would Tommy Jo (5) have gone past with a clear run? I don’t know the answer but it would have been as lot closer, without the interference. She was certainly the boss when the pair met in the Spinaway G1 at Saratoga at the end of August, drawing away to win that one by 6½ lengths from Percy’s Bar (4). My view? I think Tommy Jo (5) would have gone by last time but for being impeded and she is my pick for this.     

Selection: Tommy Jo (5) 

Del Mar Race 8 (11.05pm)

John Deere BC Juvenile Fillies Turf – Fillies 2 year olds – One mile - Turf 

PRECISE (13) made it four victories in a row when an impressive winner in the Bet365 Fillies Mile at Newmarket three weeks ago, running on strongly to take that by 3¼ lengths as the 5-4 favourite. I’m not sure whether she beat much there but it was her second top level win on the spin, having taken the Moyglare Stud Stakes G1, going seven furlongs at the Curragh in the middle of September. She has a horrible draw her but looks the clear class of this field and I think Christophe Soumillon can get her home in front. 

Queen Of Hawaii (2) has run three times, winning the last two, a Maiden at Leopardstown in the middle of July, then a G3 at the Curragh at the end of August. Neither of them was anything to write home about on the clock, and she will have to advance significantly to get involved. 

Pacific Mission (12) was beaten ¾ of a length into 2^nd in the Betfred May Hill G2 at Doncaster in September but is another who has to step up to play a part. 

Switching to the locals; Final Accord (5) has won both her starts, going five furlongs at Woodbine, then over six in the Matron G3 at Aqueduct, a race more often a stepping stone to the Juvenile Turf Sprint G1 that this division. However, this lass is bred to suit this step up in trip and could easily be in the mix. 

Time To Dream (9) finished strongly, when a length and nose behind Imaginethelady (3) and Infinite Sky (4) in Jessamine G2, the Keeneland prep for this, four weeks ago. I think she can get the better that pair here. 

Ground Support (11) won the key New York prep for this, the Ms Grillo G2, leading all the way under Adam Beschizza. He rather rode his rivals to sleep there, hence his mount’s speed figure was not anything special.   

Selection: Precise (13) 

Del Mar Race 9 (11.45pm)

FanDuel BC Juvenile – 2 year olds – One mile and half a furlong - Dirt 

As I write this, after a couple of scratches, six runners are scheduled to face the starter, making it shortest field in the history of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, with eight – on three occasions - being the previous low. 

Ted Noffey (8), a perfect three for three, heads the betting. His maiden breaker, a 1½ lengths success going six and a half furlongs at Saratoga at the beginning of August, was nothing out of the ordinary However, he ‘announced’ his arrival as a serious racehorse on his second start there a month later. That was in the Hopeful G1 going seven furlongs, where he bounded clear to win by 8½ lengths. Although he may not have beaten much in winning the race, the only other winner to come out of it having taking an Allowance contest, he earned a robust speed figure for the run. Then came the Breeders’ Futurity G1 at Keeneland at the beginning of this month. He stalked the tepid pace set by Litmus Test (6) there, before taking over after turning into the short stretch, before easing away to score by 2¾ lengths from Blackout Time (2) who was 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Litmus Test (6). 

Bob Baffert trainee, Brant (7) was the well-known before he had even set foot on the racecourse, courtesy of his $3 million price tag at the Ocala Sales in March. He was 4-5 for his debut, going five and a half furlongs here at the end of July. He passed that test in style, coming home 5¼ lengths ahead of Civil Liberty (5), who was scratched from this earlier in the week, with INTREPIDO (1), also on debut, another 4½ lengths behind in 4^th. Next came the Del Mar Futurity G1 in early September, when he was 1-10 to complete the formalities going seven furlongs, which he did, leading all the way to win it by a cosy length. He then missed his intended engagement in the American Pharoah G1, and there’s the rub. His trainer has won the Juvenile in the past, with others who had previously taken the Del Mar Futurity, but not with one that did not have a subsequent start. 

After his debut run behind Brant (7), Intrepido (1) was stepped up to a mile in another Maiden Special Weight here in late August. He vied for the lead on a comfortably pace in that race, before running on strongly to take the lead in the lane, then stretching clear to win by 3¼ lengths. It was a marked improvement on his first start, and better was to come when he lined up in the American Pharoah G1, over this trip at Santa Anita earlier this month. Facing four from the Baffert barn, and one trained by Doug O’Neill, he broke well enough but was taken up between rivals towards the end of the first turn. Settled in 4^th down the backstretch, he was bottled up on the home turn and, having to wait to make his run, he looked booked for the show dough at best. However, he put in a quite startling late kick, storming up the outside to score by ¾ of a length. 

I really do get the right of Ted Noffey to be a short price here but I was hugely impressed by Intrepido (1) and, with a strong pace looking likely, despite the short field, he could be the one to be charging home when others have cried enough. 

Selection: Intrepido (1) 

Del Mar Race 10 (12.25am)

BC Juvenile Turf – 2 year olds – One mile - Turf 

Again, in a juvenile turf race around two turns, we start with an Aiden O’Brien hot pot with a lousy draw. Like Precise, two races earlier, GSTAAD (14) has all his rivals inside him in the starting gate. But one thing he does have in his favour is form that is superior to all of them. He may be arriving here after a hat-trick of 2^nd place finishes but they were all in top class events, and he was within a length of the winner each time. There are many in this field who could only dream of going so close in the Prix Morny G1, the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes G1 and the Dewhurst G1. He is trying a mile for the first time here but that should not be an issue and, despite being the closest to a seat in the grand stand here, I think his class will see him through. 

Wesley Ward trainee Outfielder (3) finished well behind Gstaad (14) at Deauville but has returned to US to win an entry level Allowance on dirt going six furlongs at Keeneland. However, the clues about his suitability for this are thin on the ground. 

The two locals with the best claims may be Argos (9) and Bottas (12). The former did well to win the Summer Stakes G1 at Woodbine in the middle of September, after being taken up heading into the first turn. However, you have to go back to 2010 for the last time a winner of this had their final prep in that race.   

The Pilgrim G2 in New York has produced three winners of this, with Fire At Will the last to be successful in 2020 at Keeneland. That was the race that Bottas (12) took four weeks ago. Over this trip, he raced a little off the modest pace early but ran on well to get up in the final strides to take it by a head from Heeere’s Johnny (1), with another closer Let’s Be Frank (5) a length behind in 3^rd on just his second start.

Selection: Gstaad (14)