Baffert, Pletcher, Lukas prominent as usual

Among them, trainers Bob Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas, and Todd Pletcher have combined to win a third of the first 30 runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. So, it’s only apropos that trio has nearly a third of the 2-year-olds pre-entered for the $2 million Juvenile to be run Nov. 1 at Santa Anita.

Baffert, Pletcher, and Lukas train five of the 17 horses pre-entered for the Juvenile, run at 1 1/16 miles. Baffert, Pletcher, and Lukas runners finished one-two-three in last year’s Juvenile with New Year’s Day, Havana, and Strong Mandate.

Baffert, who has won three Juveniles, will have the favorite in dual Grade 1 winner American Pharoah and a mid-price runner in the maiden winner One Lucky Dane. Pletcher, who won the Juvenile in 2012 with Shanghai Bobby and in 2010 with Uncle Mo, will have the likely second and third choices in Grade 1 winners Daredevil and Carpe Diem. Lukas, who has won the Juvenile five times but not since 1996, sends out Mr. Z, who, like American Pharoah, is owned by Ahmed Zayat.

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The 17 pre-entries are the most in the Juvenile since 2009 when 20 were pre-entered. The race is limited to 14 starters, though 14 haven’t left the starting gate since 2006. It is likely that all who want to run this year may do so as two horses – Danny Boy and War Envoy – have listed the Juvenile Turf as their first preference and Tough Customer, first on the also-eligible list, is likely to pass the Juvenile and run in the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill on Nov. 29, according to trainer Wayne Catalano. Those defections would allow Combat Diver and Blue Dancer into the field, should their connections desire to run.

In the last four runnings of the Juvenile held at Santa Anita, Baffert has two wins and a second while Pletcher has a win and a second. Baffert doesn’t see being based at Santa Anita as necessarily having a home-field advantage.

“We used to have an advantage. Now guys come in here and win,” Baffert said. “The better horse always comes through. Todd brought his filly here and won the Chandelier.”

Baffert was referring to Angela Renee, whom Pletcher shipped to California from New York and won the Grade 1 Chandelier on Sept. 27 and who will be one of the favorites for the Juvenile Fillies.

Pletcher said he believes the California-based runners have an advantage, but also feels he is bringing two quality runners to the race.

“In both of these horses’ case I think they’re both exceptionally talented horses; they’ve been able to do what only the elite horses do, which is win a maiden and then a Grade 1 in their second start,” Pletcher said. “In Carpe Diem’s case, he shipped from Belmont to Keeneland, handled the track well, handled the flight well, handled the flight back well. It gives you confidence we can ship him to California and hopefully have the same kind of success.

“Daredevil’s been typical of most of the [progeny of] More Than Readys we have – very professional, very intelligent, takes everything in stride. I don’t anticipate that the ship will bother him,” Pletcher added.

Pletcher plans to work both Carpe Diem and Daredevil at Belmont on Sunday and then ship them to California on Tuesday.