Breeders' Cup: Diamond Bachelor to go in Juvenile instead of Juvenile Turf

Diamond Bachelor, a stakes winner on turf who has yet to race on any other surface, will make his dirt debut in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, his connections confirmed Friday.

Owner Kin Hui of Diamond 100 Racing Club, which owns a partial interest in the colt, and trainer Patrick Biancone announced their decision to run in the Juvenile as opposed to the Juvenile Turf following Diamond Bachelor’s five-furlong workout in 1:00.60 on Friday over Santa Anita’s main track.

“When we first bought him, we thought he was a dirt horse,” Hui said. “He’s run three times on the grass already. I’d like to see how good he could be – that’s why I decided to go for the Juvenile.”

Diamond Bachelor, a son of War Front purchased for $570,000 at the Barretts sale of 2-year-olds in training in March, has gone 2 for 3 on turf, with a victory in the Oak Tree Juvenile. Most recently, he finished second in the Zuma Beach on turf at Santa Anita.

Since mid-September, Diamond Bachelor has been training on dirt to the satisfaction of Biancone.

“The feeling is he’s trained really good on it,” Biancone said. “With my background, I cannot deny he’s a turf horse, but my owner wants to do that. He bought him with this in the back of his mind.”

Julien Leparoux, who has ridden Diamond Bachelor in all three of his starts and who was aboard Friday, will ride the colt in the Juvenile.

Several other Juvenile candidates worked Friday at Santa Anita. Strong Mandate, the Grade 1 Hopeful winner who finished seventh in the Grade 1 Champagne, went five furlongs in 59.00 seconds in his first breeze over Santa Anita’s main track.

“I can only see him coming through the stretch, but I thought he looked well,” trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. “When they put the time up, I was glad that he hadn’t gone any faster. It’s encouraging when you get that kind of time and you do it that way. I’m satisfied. He didn’t hardly take a deep breath afterwards.”

Doug O’Neill worked his pair of Juvenile horses, as Bond Holder, the Grade 1 FrontRunner winner, went five furlongs in 1:03.80, while Rum Point, fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity, went five furlongs in 59.80.

– additional reporting by Jay Privman