Tom Pedulla gives 10 takeaways from the forty second version of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which supplied 14 races value greater than $34 million in purses and awards when it was held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at picturesque Del Mar.
SWEET REVENGE: The connections of Longines Breeders’ Cup Basic winner Without end Younger have been seeking to flip the tables on their American rivals because the colt completed third in final 12 months’s Kentucky Derby, solely noses aside from Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone. Their dedication solely elevated with one other third-place outcome behind Sierra Leone and Fierceness in final 12 months’s Basic. That’s why it meant all the things to proprietor Susumu Fujita when Without end Younger grew to become the primary Japan-based horse to win the Basic in its 42-year historical past, with Sierra Leone and Fierceness taking second and third, respectively. “Fierceness and Sierra Leone will probably be retired, so that is the final likelihood in opposition to these two guys collectively,” Fujita famous. “It is usually my dream to beat these two horses, so it’s a dream come true.”
NOT MUCH DEBATE: The Breeders’ Cup Basic tends to go a great distance towards figuring out Horse of the Yr with 16 of the earlier 41 winners occurring to that honor. Don’t search for that to occur this time. As spectacular as Without end Younger was in dispatching a very sturdy Basic discipline, the race represented his lone North American begin this 12 months. That certainly works in opposition to him compared with Kentucky Derby Introduced by Woodford Reserve, Belmont Stakes Introduced by NYRA Bets, and DraftKings Travers Stakes winner Sovereignty. This voter will considerably reluctantly endorse Sovereignty since his connections by no means tried the Triple Crown by sidestepping the Preakness Stakes. An sickness just a few days earlier than the Basic stored the 3-year-old from ever being examined in opposition to older horses, an amazing measure of a sophomore.
NOT HIS DAY: Together with his deep closing nature, it’s significantly essential to Sierra Leone that the monitor he competes on doesn’t favor a horse with a sure working type. Coach Chad Brown believes what is called monitor bias labored in opposition to his defending champion. “I don’t need to take something away from the winner, nevertheless it’s been pace all day,” Brown stated after Sierra Leone completed second. “I’m so pleased with my horse’s effort, so brave to run in opposition to the bias and almost get there. Pay attention, him and Without end Younger are carefully associated and so they’ve had an exquisite rivalry from the Derby on. [Saturday] was Without end Younger’s day to seek out the winner’s circle and hats off to them. They’ve performed a very good job of bringing this horse again and he actually fought on.”
FIERCE TROUBLE: It’s laborious, if not inconceivable, to make the argument that Opposite Pondering belonged within the Basic. In his final two begins when he served as a pacesetter — or what is called a “rabbit” — to assist be certain that Sierra Leone would have a tempo to run into, he wound up final of 9 and crushed by 68 lengths within the Whitney Stakes and contributed to an incident that led to high contender Mindframe dropping his rider within the Jockey Membership Gold Cup Stakes earlier than weakening badly. Jockey John Velazquez believes the speedster that lacks stamina hindered his third-place finisher Fierceness, who prefers to be on or near the tempo, within the Basic. “I can’t go head and head with a rabbit after which the rabbit value me as a result of he stopped in entrance of me and that was that,” Velazquez famous. Jockey Florent Geroux eased Opposite Pondering within the lane within the Basic earlier than the horse walked off, having completed 38 lengths from the entrance. He was the one horse within the deep discipline that had not received a Grade 1 or Group 1 race.
TOTAL PACKAGE: Spendthrift Farm’s Ted Noffey confirmed himself to be a colt that has all of it in finishing a 4-for-4 season with a one-length victory in opposition to Mr. A. P. within the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Introduced by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. The sure 2-year-old champion and early 2026 Kentucky Derby favourite displayed a terrific thoughts to accompany his bodily attributes whereas producing rousing victories at Saratoga, Keeneland and Del Mar for normal rider John Velazquez. “He’s acquired such a terrific temperament and disposition that it made it simple to make strikes like going from Saratoga to Keeneland after which from Keeneland again to Saratoga to organize to return right here,” Corridor of Fame coach Todd Pletcher stated. “He settled in right here like a 5-year-old who’s been working eternally. He took all the things in stride.” That bodes nicely for the rigorous highway forward to the Derby.
ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS: Corridor of Fame coach Invoice Mott rode a rollercoaster of feelings throughout Breeders’ Cup week. First, there was the brutal disappointment of getting to scratch closely favored Sovereignty from the Basic after the 3-year-old grew to become ailing. Then there was the elation of watching Juddmonte homebred Scylla ship a rousing front-running victory within the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, dusting Nitrogen by 5 ½ lengths. “It’s been a combined bag of feelings,” Mott stated. “We had been actually dissatisfied nevertheless it didn’t take lengthy to just accept what occurred to Sovereignty. I believe everyone that’s related has been by means of it, and I’ve been by means of it. We knew when that occurred that he wouldn’t be capable to compete, not on the degree that he would wish to.”
REMEMBERING A LEGEND: The crimson tie Todd Pletcher wore throughout Future Stars Friday was crammed with which means. The tie had belonged to the late D. Wayne Lukas and was given to him by Lukas’ widow, Laurie. Pletcher was one in every of many individuals within the trade who labored for Lukas and benefitted from his tutelage. Lukas grew to become so appreciated for passing on his knowledge that he was often known as “Coach.” Pletcher instructed NBC after he received the Juvenile, “He liked this occasion and it brings again some fond recollections of him. That’s what he was all the time dreaming about, juveniles and Derby horses.” Pletcher equaled Lukas together with his fifth Juvenile win due to Ted Noffey. (Bob Baffert is the all-time chief with six wins within the Juvenile.)
RIDING HIGH: Irad Ortiz Jr. once more confirmed why he’s considered as a go-to jockey when large cash is on the road by repeating because the winner of the Invoice Shoemaker Award, which fits to the main rider throughout the two-day Breeders’ Cup primarily based on factors accrued by means of the 14 races. He additionally prevailed for the sixth time within the final eight years. “It’s one in every of my favourite weekends of the entire 12 months, so it feels good to have a trophy as a result of you could have a superb week on the perfect races of the 12 months,” Ortiz stated. He received with Cy Honest within the Juvenile Turf Dash on Future Stars Friday and scored consecutive victories on Saturday with Shisospicy within the Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Dash and Bentornato within the Cygames Dash.
WEAVER’S FIRST: Coach George Weaver notched his first Breeders’ Cup victory when Cy Honest grew to become solely the second filly to seize the Juvenile Turf Dash in eight editions of the race. With Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, she withstood Brussels’ livid cost by three-quarters of a size whereas finishing 5 furlongs in :56.02. Weaver was ecstatic after his breakthrough. “I can’t describe it. It’s why all of us get within the recreation,” he stated. “It’s laborious to win these large races like this and it’s my first Breeders’ Cup [win]. We’ve had a terrific 12 months. I’m grateful to my employees, grateful to all of the shoppers who supported me. We’ve acquired some good horses and he or she’s one of many high ones.”
BIG BUSINESS: Bettors responded to sturdy worldwide illustration at this 12 months’s Breeders’ Cup and a strong lineup for the $7 million Longines Basic by wagering with each palms throughout the sun-splashed, two-day competitors at Del Mar. Officers introduced the third-highest complete all-sources deal with within the 42-year historical past of the occasion at $180,036,799, a slight improve over final 12 months’s complete of $179,218,631. The all-time mark of $189,060,373 was set at Keeneland in 2022. The Cup will return to Keeneland subsequent 12 months on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31.
