At $2 million, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile is the richest 2-year-old race in North America. The 1 1/16 mile race, restricted to male 2 year-olds, is often a preview of the stars of the Triple Crown races for the following year.
Purse: | $2,000,000 | Grade: | 1 |
Distance: | 1 1/16 Miles | Age: | 2 |
DEL MAR, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2024) - SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables et al's Citizen Bull led stablemate Gaming all the way around to post a 1 ½-length victory in the 41st running of the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Del Mar on Friday afternoon.
Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Martin Garcia, Citizen Bull covered the 1 1/16 miles on the fast main track in 1:43.07. The victory is the 19th for Baffert in the World Championships and sixth in the Juvenile. It is Garcia's fifth Breeders' Cup victory and second in the Juvenile with the initial victory coming in 2013 for Baffert aboard New Year's Day.
The complexion of the race changed right at the start as favored East Avenue stumbled at the break and was last the first time past the wire. Meanwhile up front, Citizen Bull, Gaming and a third Baffert runner, Getaway Car led the procession.
The running order of the top three did not change until late when Hill Road rallied from last to get third by a neck over Getaway Car but 3 ¼ lengths behind Gaming for the runner-up spot. East Avenue finished ninth of 10.
Citizen Bull is a 2-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Into Mischief out of the Distorted Humor mare No Joke. The victory, the third in four starts and second Grade 1 for Citizen Bull, was worth $1,040,000 and increased his earnings to $1,301,000.
Race 9 at Del Mar
Friday, November 1 - Post 7:45 PM
Entry | Horse | ML Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | East Avenue | 5-2 | Tyler Gaffalione 122 Lbs |
Brendan Walsh |
2 | Getaway Car | 20-1 | Juan Hernandez 122 Lbs |
Bob Baffert |
3 | Hill Road | 30-1 | Umberto Rispoli 122 Lbs |
Adrian Murray |
4 | Ferocious | 6-1 | Javier Castellano 122 Lbs |
Gustavo Delgado |
5 | Jonathan's Way | 9-2 | Joel Rosario 122 Lbs |
Philip Bauer |
6 | Citizen Bull | 10-1 | Martin Garcia 122 Lbs |
Bob Baffert |
7 | Gaming | 8-1 | Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Lbs |
Bob Baffert |
8 | Shin Believe | 10-1 | Yutaka Take 122 Lbs |
Hideyuki Mori |
9 | Ecoro Azel | 30-1 | Akira Sugawara 122 Lbs |
Hideyuki Mori |
10 | Chancer McPatrick | 3-1 | Flavien Prat 122 Lbs |
Chad Brown |
Races for 2-year-olds, particularly maiden races, are typically won by horses with early speed, who have the benefit of racing on or near the pace and avoiding dirt kicked back that can discourage lightly raced, late-running horses.
Flanagan Racing's Chancer McPatrick is not your typical juvenile.
Unveiled July 27 at Saratoga, he rallied from last in a field of 10, passing four horses in the final furlong to win by a length. Then he returned Sept. 2 in the $300,000 Hopeful Stakes (G1), the top 2-year-old race at Saratoga, he again closed powerfully to win, this time defeating favored Ferocious by a half-length. He sped 7 furlongs in 1:23.44 after covering 6 1/2 furlongs in his debut in 1:17.99.
Jockey Flavien Prat, aboard for both of the McKenzie colt's two starts, said a troubled start in the Hopeful caused him to hit the gate and briefly lose his stirrups. Yet, the McKenzie colt overcame it, rallying from eighth, 9 1/2 lengths off the pace.
"The break was pretty bad and I never thought from there I could regroup," Prat said. "He did it, and he showed that he's very talented."
Bred by Rigney Racing in Kentucky out of the Bernardini mare Bernadreamy, the Chad Brown-trained runner likely would appreciate longer distances.
"I think that Chancer McPatrick is definitely a two-turn horse," owner Sean Flanagan of Flanagan Racing said.
Chancer McPatrick remained perfect when he rallied from last to win the 1-mile Champagne Stakes (G1) at Aqueduct on Oct. 5 by 2 3/4 lengths. The Champagne was a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In race and provided Chancer McPatrick with an automatic, paid berths into the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Citizen Bull, described by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert as a heavy colt who needed a start when third in the Sept. 8 Del Mar Futurity (G1), took a step forward in his second stakes outing to defeat barnmate Getaway Car in the Oct. 5 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park.
With the American Pharaoh part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, his victory earned him a paid, automatic berth in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) at Del Mar Nov. 1.
Citizen Bull flaunted his speed in the American Pharoah, outrunning his quick stablemate Getaway Car to the early lead. The Baffert-trained duo then proceeded to run 1-2 all the way around the track, with Citizen Bull prevailing by 2 lengths with 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.30. Fractions in the race were relatively soft: a first quarter-mile timed in 23.85, a half-mile in :47.78, and 6 furlongs in 1:12.43.
Citizen Bull improved to 2-for-3. He won a maiden race at first asking at Del Mar in August.
"Mr. Bob told me early that this horse was doing really good," winning jockey Martin Garcia said. "He just told me, 'Let him run how he wants to run, and then you will take a picture today.' And that's exactly how it came out."
SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan own the winner. He was a $675,000 purchase by his principals from the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
These same owners also have Getaway Car with Baffert.
Robert and Lawana Low bred Citizen Bull in Kentucky from the unraced Distorted Humor mare No Joke. Citizen Bull's sire, Into Mischief, has five times topped the stallion standings in North America.
A Louisiana-bred, Dapper Moon proved himself in New York this summer, finishing second in his debut July 20 and following it up with a maiden victory Aug. 31.
Trained by Dallas Stewart for Valene Farms, Dapper Moon may have been foaled in Louisiana, but his pedigree has ties to Kentucky and California. He is a son of Malibu Moon, a prolific son of A. P. Indy who became the foundation sire at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky before his death in 2021. Dapper Moon is further out of the Old Fashioned mare Fashioned Gem, a maiden winner at Del Mar in 2015 and a half sister to graded stakes winner Meadow Gem.
If Dapper Moon shows an affinity the racing surface at Del Mar, as his dam did, that would prove potentially rewarding. Del Mar hosts the Breeders' Cup Nov. 1-2, with the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) the main event of its first day of racing action. That race is around two turns at 1 1/16 miles on dirt.
Dapper Moon got his first two-turn test on Oct. 5 at Keeneland in the 1 1/16-mile Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1). He tracked the pace of the victorious East Avenue before fading to finish fourth, beaten 10 1/2 lengths.
Dapper Moon, a $130,000 purchase by his owner from the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, handled 7 furlongs in his maiden win while hinting that he may appreciate even more ground. With a final eighth of a mile timed in :13.08, the Coteau Grove Farms-bred pulled away for a 5-length victory with a final time of 1:25.04 for the distance under Ricardo Santana Jr.
** coming soon **
Owner-breeder Godolphin and trainer Brendan Walsh appear headed back to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) with an unbeaten juvenile, five years after Maxfield missed the race because of injury for them.
This time, their Breeders' Cup-bound 2-year-old is East Avenue, who, after a debut win at Ellis Park over the summer, scored a front-running victory in the Oct. 5 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 5 at Keeneland. Maxfield also captured the Breeders' Futurity in 2019.
While Maxfield scored from off the pace, East Avenue controlled the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Futurity from start to finish, ultimately a 5 1/4-length winner over favored Ferocious.
The Tyler Gaffalione-ridden colt survived a claim of foul from Ferocious' jockey Luis Saez, alleging interference in an early scramble into the first of two turns. After reviewing the claim for about five minutes, stewards made no change to the order of finish.
"He was much the best. It would have been robbery if he had been taken down," Walsh said, adding that he believed another horse in the race made early contact with Ferocious.
East Avenue was clocked in 1:43.17 after setting splits of :23.18, :46.76, and 1:11.20.
East Avenue is a son of Medaglia d'Oro out of the Ghostzapper mare Dance Music, a half-sister to Godolphin's 2023 Horse of the Year and dual Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Cody's Wish.
As part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, East Avenue earned a paid, automatic berth in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar.
Six Breeders' Futurity winners have repeated in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile: Tasso (1985), Boston Harbor (1996), Favorite Trick (1997), Classic Empire (2016), Essential Quality (2020) and Forte (2022).
A son of Shancelot bred in Kentucky by Crawford Farms, Ecoro Azel became a debut winner in Japan on July 27 when he triumphed in a sprint over 1,200 meters (approximately 6 furlongs). Comfortably in front in midstretch, he pulled clear under a hand ride.
In his second start that came on Sept. 28 in Chukyo in a 7-furlong allowance race, Ecoro Azel finished 4 lengths in back of the winner and fifth of 10.
A bay colt out of the twice stakes-placed Twirling Candy mare Cicada's Song, Ecoro Azel was a $215,000 purchase this year from the Jose Munoz consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale by trainer Hideyuki Mori for owner Masatoshi Haramura. He had worked a furlong there in :10.
The colt was a sales home run for Munoz, who bought him the previous fall for $17,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton October Sale.
Even taking into account shipping costs, Mori has said he believes horses purchased in the United States can often be more affordable than those purchased in what he described as a limited market in Japan. He notes that most of his stable is comprised of America-bred horses.
American-bred horses such as Matera Sky, Full Flat, and Jasper Krone have been successful for him, and all three of those traveled back to the United States to compete in the Breeders' Cup after beginning their careers in Japan. Matera Sky ran eighth in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) and fifth in the same race in 2021; Full Flat was fifth in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) in 2019; and Jasper Krone was 12th in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) last year.
Crawford Farms has ties to Shancealot in addition to Ecoro Azel. They raced the 12 1/2-length winner of the 2019 Amsterdam Stakes (G2). Crawford Farms purchased Ecoro Azel's Louisiana-bred dam for $52,000 in foal to Practical Joke at the 2021 Keeneland Horses of All Ages Sale.
While Shancealot exclusively sprinted, Cicada's Song proved capable of sprinting and routing during her nine-race career.
The connections of 2022 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Mage have another high-quality graded stakes colt, this one of the leading juveniles of 2024.
A $1.3 million purchase from this year's Ocala Breeders' March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, Ferocious scored in his debut Aug. 3 at Saratoga Race Course before two subsequent runner-up finishes in Grade 1s. Competing in the Sept. 2 Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, he finished a half-length behind victorious Chancer McPatrick, and a start later when stretched out from 7 furlongs to 1 1/16 miles for the Oct. 4 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, he crossed the finish line beaten 5 ¼ lengths by front-running East Avenue.
He showed signs of inexperience but promise in both races. In the Hopeful, he seemed to grow more competitive when Chancer McPatrick surged alongside him in the stretch, and in the Breeders' Futurity, his trip was challenging.
One of the first to load in the starting gate from the inside post position, he reared in the gate and unseated jockey Luis Saez before the start. After reloading and the field sprang from the gate, he encountered trouble going into the first turn in a scramble among several horses for early positioning, resulting in him being bumped and shuffled back. He then came on to grab second.
Saez claimed foul against Tyler Gaffalione on East Avenue, alleging interference, but stewards made no change to the order of finish.
Ferocious, a dark bay or brown Flatter colt trained by Gustavo Delgado, races for Ramiro Restrepo's Marquee Bloodstock in partnership with JR Ranch, High Step Racing and OGMA Investments.
"I'm happy that we got a great runner-up effort, and it's onto the next race, whatever it may be," Restrepo said. "You have to have patience with these (young horses). He separated himself from the rest of the field."
Like father, like son. Gaming, a son of 2018 Del Mar Futurity (G1) winner Game Winner, similarly captured the prestigious race for 2-year-olds Sept. 8.
Stalking the leaders, he picked up his pace on the turn and powered clear down the stretch for a 1 3/4-length victory. He ran 7 furlongs in 1:23.02, giving trainer Bob Baffert a remarkable 18th victory in the Del Mar Futurity.
With the Del Mar Futurity part of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen, his owners picked up $30,000 in paid-entry fees to apply toward a start in the Nov. 1 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman's Gaming improved to 2-for-2 after an initial maiden victory earlier in the Del Mar meet.
"He relaxed well; he was a bit on his toes before the race so I kept him quiet. Very straightforward, and leveled out nice," winning jockey Flavien Prat said. "Bob just told me not to rush him and I thought I was in a good spot on my way around the corner. When he went off to his left lead I jumped on the bridle right away. After that I felt pretty much in control the whole way."
Gaming followed Cave Rock (2022), Drill (2011) and Lookin At Lucky (2009) as the fourth Del Mar Futurity winner trained by Baffert for Pegram, Watson, and Weitman. Baffert also took the race with Icecoldbeeratreds (2002), bred and owned by Pegram.
Mt Brilliant Farm & Ranch bred Gaming in Kentucky from the Johannesburg mare So Stylish.
Gaming is from the first crop of champion Game Winner, who also won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and American Pharoah Stakes (G1) in 2018.
Getaway Car hit the gas this summer at Del Mar, winning both his July 20 debut and the Aug. 11 Best Pal Stakes (G3) there in front-running fashion.
His initial appearance resulted in a 3 1/4-length score, with the colt blitzing 5 furlongs in :57.43. Then in his follow-up appearance in the Best Pal, he won by 5 1/2 lengths, running the 6 furlongs in 1:10.73.
"He is really fast, so he cleared everybody," jockey Juan Hernandez said. "I just waited till the quarter pole, where his ears went up. I asked him to pick it up again, and he did."
The stakes win Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's 11th in the Best Pal.
"This guy's been a lot of fun. Great name and he's fast," Baffert said. "He wasn't slowing down. He's got a beautiful stride. Just a beautiful way of doing it. He's by Curlin and Curlins usually get better with age. The good horses can get the distance."
Stretching out to 7 furlongs on Sept. 8 in the Del Mar Futurity (G1), Getaway Car flashed his early speed again from post position 1 but was collared approaching the head of the stretch by stablemate Gaming and settled for fourth in the field of seven 6 lengths behind the victorious Gaming.
Getaway Car made his two-turn debut on Oct. 5 at Santa Anita in the 1 1/16-mile American Pharoah (G1) and finished second beaten 2 lengths by stablemate Citizen Bull.
Curlin, a two-time Horse of the Year, scored in the 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at 1 1/4 miles and was fourth in the race the following year.
Bred in Kentucky by Blue Heaven Farm and Curlin Syndicate, Getaway Car was a $700,000 purchase from the Gainesway consignment at the 2022 September Yearling Sale at Keeneland. SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Bob Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan own him.
Getaway Car's dam, Surrender Now, was a precocious 2-year-old who won the 5 ½-furlong Landaluce Stakes in 2017 as a juvenile. She added two stakes placings in turf sprints later in her career. Getaway Car is her first foal.
Hill Road started his career impressively Aug. 8, pulling away to a decisive maiden victory at Leopardstown under jockey David Egan.
Owned by Amo Racing Limited and Giselle De Aguiar and trained by Adrian Murray, the Kentucky-bred son of Quality Road was third approaching the stretch and then forged to the front as the field reached the straightaway and pulled away to score by 5 lengths in the 1-mile test.
"He is a lovely individual," Egan said after the race. "A big, imposing type. I think going forward time will be his beneficiary. He should be a good middle distance horse next year. We saw a lot of what Hill Road can do today."
Hill Road immediately tested Group 1 waters on Sept. 15 at the Curragh in the 7-furlong National Stakes over good ground. Prominent early, Hill Road faded to seventh in the field of eight, 9 lengths behind the victorious Scorthy Champ (IRE).
Hill Road was purchased for $350,000 by Aguiar/McElroy for $350,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
He is out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Exotic Notion, who raced in Argentina and won four times, and was bred by Lynch Bages and Camas Park Stud.
Murray has sent out two Breeders' Cup starters, both at last year's World Championships at Santa Anita Park. Cuban Thunder (IRE) was seventh in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) and Valiant Force was second at 23-1 odds in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1).
Amo Racing USA, which has sent out 10 Breeders' Cup starters under its own name, is seeking an initial victory at the World Championships.
Iranian-born British businessman Kia Joorabchian owns Amo Racing. The 53-year-old Joorabchian is heavily involved in soccer around the globe as an agent and adviser.
Rigney Racing's Jonathan's Way grabbed attention in his first start Aug. 17 at Saratoga by overcoming a troubled start to rally for a 4 1/4-length victory.
Second out, he raced differently -- but with the same victorious result -- this time in graded stakes company. Breaking cleanly and alertly in the 1-mile Iroquois Stakes (G3) Sept. 14 at Churchill Downs, he led throughout to defeat Ellis Park Juvenile winner Owen Almighty.
Backed to 6-5 favoritism, Jonathan's Way ran the mile over a fast track under Joel Rosario in a swift 1:36.08.
"In his last start he didn't show that much speed from the gate, but when he broke so well today, he just took himself to the front and traveled so easily around there," Rosario said. "Being only his second start, you have to be impressed with how he's handled (things) so far and I think anything is possible for him down the Road to the Kentucky Derby."
The Vekoma colt earned 10 points toward the 2024-25 Road to the Kentucky Derby, with the Iroquois serving as the kickoff race of that series. Additionally, with the Iroquois part of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen program, he earned $30,000 toward entry fees in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
"Watching him turn for home in the Iroquois, he looked so comfortable on the front end," trainer Phil Bauer told Churchill Downs publicity. "His ears told a story -- he was just waiting for Joel to ask for more. And, really, Joel didn't have to push him much at all."
A $290,000 purchase at The November Breeding Stock Sale at Keeneland in 2022, the dark bay or brown colt was bred in Ohio by Susan Anderson Racing and is out of the Indian Charlie mare Female Drama.
A first-out winner at Del Mar, the Tim Yakteen-trained McKinzie Street took on six rivals in the Sept. 8 Del Mar Futurity (G1), including three from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.
McKinzie Street would outrun all but one of those, finishing second -- ahead of favorites Citizen Bull and Getaway Car -- but 1 3/4 lengths behind Gaming. Although beaten, he performed at a high level, stubbornly chasing the winner through the lane, keeping pace with him over the final furlong under Kazushi Kimura.
This victory followed a front-running score at Del Mar in which McKinzie Street raced clear early before spurting away by 3 1/2 lengths completing 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.02.
His inexperience showed a bit in the Del Mar Futurity, as he raced keenly early and then lost a bit of position when shuffled back with about a half-mile remaining. But he got back into gear and finished determinedly down the lane in a 7-furlong race won by Gaming in 1:23.02.
McKinzie Street made his next start in the 1 1/16-mile American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita on Oct. 5 and finished third, 7 ¾ lengths
McKinzie Street is a son of McKinzie, a multiple Grade 1 winner who placed in the 2019 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and made more than $3.6 million overall.
Bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms, McKinzie Street is out of the Tale of the Cat mare Karpathos.
He was purchased this year for $290,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sale Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training by owners Roger Beasley and Pierre and Leslie Amestoy.
** coming soon **
Breeders' Cup Race | Grade | Purse | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint | I | $1,000,000 | November 1 |
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies | I | $2,000,000 | November 1 |
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf | I | $1,000,000 | November 1 |
Breeders' Cup Juvenile | I | $2,000,000 | November 1 |
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf | I | $1,000,000 | November 1 |
Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint | I | $1,000,000 | November 2 |
Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint | I | $1,000,000 | November 2 |
Breeders' Cup Distaff | I | $2,000,000 | November 2 |
Breeders' Cup Turf | I | $5,000,000 | November 2 |
Breeders' Cup Classic | I | $7,000,000 | November 2 |
Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | I | $2,000,000 | November 2 |
Breeders' Cup Sprint | I | $2,000,000 | November 2 |
Breeders' Cup Mile | I | $2,000,000 | November 2 |
Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile | I | $1,000,000 | November 2 |
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile (Grade 1) finally produced a winner that would deliver a Kentucky Derby (G1) victory with Street Saver winning the derby in 2007. With only one Kentucky Derby winner to date, this $1.5 million race of the Breeders' Cup thoroughbred championship events is regarded more as a measure of 2-year-old form, as it is basically intended to be among the Breeders' Cup races, and less as a reliable yardstick of classic potential.
In the past 20-plus years, the Juvenile has only been able to field one Derby winner, and has only produced a couple classic winners - Preakness Stakes (G1) 1995 victor Timber Country and 2007 victor Curlin, have in fact, won this race. With regularity, however, the Derby winner and other classic winners have been in the beaten Juvenile field, suggesting that classic winners were either not sufficiently precocious to win the Juvenile or found its distance to be too short for their best efforts. The Breeder's Cup Juvenile has been run at 1 1/16 miles since 2003. It was originally a 1-mile race in 1984, 1985, and 1987, and was run at 1 1/8 miles in 2002.
Chief's Crown won in the first Breeders' Cup Juvenile held in 1984 at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California. He finished second or third in all of the following year's classics, as well as triumphed in the Travers Stakes (G1) against 3 year olds and the Marlboro Cup Handicap (G1) against older horses. He had the 3 year old title and Horse of the Year honors in his sights until he finished fourth as the favorite in the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships Classic (G1) in 1985.
Coming in at second to Chief's Crown in the 1984 Juvenile was Tank's Prospect, who won the following year's Preakness Stakes. Tiring to finish third, beaten only by 1 1/2 lengths, was Spend a Buck, the Derby 1985 winner, who was voted 3 year old male champion and Horse of the Year.
Subsequent editions of the Breeder's Cup Juvenile would see this pattern being repeated. Alysheba, finishing third in the 1986 Juvenile, won the following year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and was also voted 3 year old male champion. Bet Twice, who finished fourth in that same year's Juvenile, triumphed over Alysheba at the Belmont Stakes (G1) in the next year.
Pine Bluff, who placed seventh in the 1991 Juvenile, won the following year's Preakness Stakes. Sea Hero, seventh in the 1992 Juvenile, won the 1993 Kentucky Derby. Tabasco Cat, finishing third to Brocco in the 1993 Juvenile, became a dual classic winner in 1994 for D. Wayne Lukas, the leading trainer of Juvenile winners. Point Given, who came off a close second-place finish in the 2000 Juvenile, won the 2001 Preakness, Belmont, and Travers Stakes. Retired with an injury after Travers, Point Given was voted Horse of the Year and champion 3 year old male in 2001.
The Juvenile event of the Breeders' Cup races held in 1991 at Churchill Downs was arguably the most memorable running of the series.
Losing an equally close decision was the best sire of the late 1990s, Storm Cat, who simply failed to last the one-mile distance of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 1985 at Aqueduct. Capote, winner of the 1986 Juvenile, would never win again but would become a successful sire, getting 1996 Juvenile winner Boston Harbor.
The Juvenile event of the Breeders' Cup races held in 1991 at Churchill Downs was arguably the most memorable running of the series. French-trained Arazi broke from the outside post position, blew by the field on the final turn, and romped to a 5-length victory. Voted 2 year old male champion off that one North American start, Arazi was hampered by knee problems early in his 3 year old season. He finished eighth as the favorite in the 1992 Kentucky Derby.
Similarly, Favorite Trick was voted Horse of the Year in 1997 following an overwhelming victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. His contemporaries, however, would catch up with him at age three, leaving him to finish eighth in the Kentucky Derby.
At the 2004 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Wilko snagged the championship at 28.30 odds with jockey Lanfranco Dettori. 2005 Belmont Stakes and Preakness Stakes champ Afleet Alex won second at 3.00 odds with jockey Jeremy Rose, and Sun King placed third at 6.90 odds with jockey Edgar Prado.
In 2003, 27-1 longshot Action This Day made another memorable finish at the Juvenile event of the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships when he shocked the crowd with a last to first run. Jockey David Flores kept him back in last early, then on the turn, split rivals passing seven horses in upper stretch. Inside the final furlong, Action This Day collared his stablemate 9-1 shot Minister Eric and won going away by 2 1/4 lengths in a time of 1:43 3/5.
Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | Citizen Bull | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 1:43.07 |
2023 | Fierceness | John R. Velazquez | Todd A. Pletcher | 1:41.90 |
2022 | Forte | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Todd A. Pletcher | 1:43.06 |
2021 | Corniche | Mike E. Smith | Bob Baffert | 1:42.50 |
2020 | Essential Quality | Luis Saez | Brad Cox | 1:42.09 |
2019 | Storm the Court | Flavien Prat | Peter Eurton | 1:44.93 |
2018 | Game Winner | Joel Rosario | Bob Baffert | 1:43.67 |
2017 | Good Magic | Jose Ortiz | Chad Brown | 1:43.34 |
2016 | Classic Empire | Julien Leparoux | Mark Casse | 1:42.60 |
2015 | Nyquist | Mario Gutierrez | Doug O'Neill | 1:43.79 |
2014 | Texas Red | Kent Desormeaux | Keith Desormeaux | 1:41.91 |
2013 | New Year's Day | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 1:43.52 |
2012 | Shanghai Bobby | Rosie Napravnik | Todd Pletcher | 1:44.58 |
2011 | Hansen | Ramon Dominguez | Michael Maker | 1:44.44 |
2010 | Uncle Mo | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | 1:42.60 |
2009 | Vale of York | Ahmed Ajtebi | Saeed bin Suroor | 1:43.48 |
2008 | Midshipman | Garrett Gomez | Bob Baffert | 1:40.94 |