Breeders' Cup Friday: Favorites draw inside and outside in Juvenile
DEL MAR, Calif. – Jack Christopher, the 9-5 morning-line favorite, drew the inside, and Corniche, the 5-2 second choice, drew the outside in a field of 12 drawn Monday for Friday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar.
Friday, billed as Future Stars Friday, comprises five of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races run over two days.
Jack Christopher, trained by Chad Brown, is 2 for 2 in his career and will be attempting two turns for the first time coming off a demonstrative victory in the Grade 1 Champagne on Oct. 2 at Belmont Park. Brown won the Juvenile here in 2017 with Good Magic, who broke from post 6. That year, Bolt d’Oro, the 3-5 favorite, broke from post 11 in a 12-horse field, was hung seven wide after bobbling at the break, and could only manage a third-place finish.
Corniche, trained by Bob Baffert, appears to have enough early speed to get early position under Mike Smith from post 12. He won the Grade 1 American Pharoah from the rail in his last start at Santa Anita.
In between Jack Christopher and Corniche, in post order, are Jasper Great, Oviatt Class, Pappacap, Double Thunder, American Sanctuary, Giant Game, Barossa, Pinehurst, Commandperformance, and Tough to Tame.
There were 14 horses pre-entered for the Juvenile, but Rattle N Roll did not enter after developing a temperature Sunday and Jasper Krone did not ship from Japan.
In the $1 million Juvenile Turf, Dubawi Legend, the lukewarm 4-1 morning-line favorite, drew post 14 in a field limited to 14 runners. Sixteen were entered, so two are on the also-eligible list.
Dubawi Legend is coming off a second-place finish in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes for trainer Hugo Palmer. Modern Games, the 5-1 second choice, drew the rail for trainer Charlie Appleby, whose other runner, Albahr, drew post 2.
Outside of Albahr in post order are Dakota Gold, Tiz the Bomb, Slipstream, Mackinnon, Great Max, Glounthaune, Stolen Base, Portfolio Company, Grafton Street, Credibility, and Coinage.
In the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf, California Angel, the upset winner of the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes, drew post 14 for trainer George Leonard III.
“She’ll break and put herself right there and have dead aim on everybody from the outside,” Leonard said.
California Angel was due to ship in from Indianapolis on Monday along with several horses based in Kentucky. As of 4 p.m. Pacific time, however, that flight had yet to take off, according to Leonard.
Pizza Bianca, the lukewarm 5-1 morning-line favorite in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf, drew the rail for trainer Christophe Clement, who is in search of his first Breeders’ Cup win. Clement is 0 for 40 in the Breeders’ Cup, with six seconds and six thirds.
In between Pizza Bianca and California Angel, in post order, are Cairo Memories, Cachet, Turnerloose, Bubble Rock, Hello You, Consumer Spending, Sail By, Koala Princess, Helens Well, Haughty, Malavath, and Mise En Scene.
Averly Jane, one of three Wesley Ward-trained runners in the field, drew post 8 and was installed as the 5-2 morning-line choice in the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint. Ward also entered Kaufymaker (post 2) and Twilight Gleaming (post 6). Twilight Gleaming and One Timer (post 9) were made the co-second choices at 4-1 on the morning line.
The Juvenile Turf Sprint is limited to 12 starters and also included Go Bears Go, Vertiginous, Hierarchy, Armor, Time to Party, Derrynane, and Run Curtis Run. Thunder Love and Sumter are on the also-eligible list.
The $2 million Juvenile Fillies went with only a field of six after the Monday morning defection of Ain’t Easy, winner of the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes, due to a physical issue.
Echo Zulu, the unbeaten two-time Grade 1 winner, drew the outside post in the six-horse field and was made the 4-5 morning-line favorite. Trainer Steve Asmussen made a rider change, opting for Joel Rosario to replace Ricardo Santana Jr. who had been aboard for all of her previous races. Asmussen told Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman that Rosario’s experience at Del Mar was the reason for the switch.
Desert Dawn drew the rail, followed by Hidden Connection, Sequist, Tarabi, and Juju’s Map.