2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf: Annapolis, Mackinnon headed to Del Mar
Races in California and New York this past weekend – New York especially – were informative in regard to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 5 at Del Mar. France – not so much.
Annapolis followed an encouraging debut win in a Saratoga maiden turf route with a narrow but impressive victory Sunday in the Grade 2 Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont. Annapolis, a Bass Racing homebred by War Front trained by Todd Pletcher, got a showy 89 Beyer Speed Figure for his Pilgrim performance.
Annapolis was up by a head in the Pilgrim over Portfolio Company, a third-time starter from the Chad Brown barn who had won a Saratoga turf-route maiden at first asking. Portfolio Company came back to finish second behind slow pacesetting Coinage in the With Anticipation Stakes, and Coinage then was soundly defeated in the Nownownow Stakes at Monmouth by Dakota Gold, who got a 90 Beyer for that victory.
Portfolio Company, who got an 88 Beyer, Annapolis, and Dakota Gold form a solid trio of American runners for the Juvenile Turf.
While 2020 Pilgrim winner Fire At Will returned to upset the Juvenile Turf at Keeneland, the Zuma Beach, Santa Anita’s prep for the Juvenile Turf, has proven a less important race vis-à-vis Breeders’ Cup 2-year-old success, though Hit the Road, winner of the 2019 renewal, has turned into a leading grass miler. Mackinnon, a Doug O’Neill trainee, showed solid improvement and traveled well winning the Zuma Beach on Sunday by more than two lengths, though he earned only a 76 Beyer.
Sunday at Longchamp, Angel Bleu won the Group 1 Jean-Luc Lagardere, part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, but this is a soft-ground loving colt who is not expected to travel to Del Mar.
Two divisional races of import remain to be run – the Dewhurst on Saturday at Newmarket and the Bourbon on Sunday at Keeneland. Native Trail, trained by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin, is heavily favored in the Group 1 Dewhurst, typically Europe’s most important 2-year-old contest, but this colt is a major prospect for 2022 Classic races, and those types nearly never come to America for fall 2-year-old racing.
The same connections already have a leading Juvenile Turf contender anyway in Albahr, winner of the Summer Stakes at Woodbine. And a third horse for Godolphin and Appleby, Modern Games, also is being considered for Del Mar. The Dewhurst won’t be drawn until Thursday, but at least one expected runner, Go Bears Go, could have Del Mar designs.
Sunday’s Grade 2 Bourbon could draw a bulky field and is expected to include two Kentucky Downs stakes winners whose connections would like to get to the Juvenile Turf. Those are Tiz the Bomb, who won the Juvenile Mile at Kentucky Downs, his turf debut, and Red Danger, who won the Juvenile Sprint there and will try two turns for the first time at Keeneland.