Breeders' Cup Juvenile: Brown sorting out starters

Last year, trainer Chad Brown had one bullet to fire in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and he hit the mark spot-on, winning the race with the maiden Good Magic.

This year, Brown could bring an arsenal of runners to the Juvenile, depending how things go in two Grade 1 stakes next weekend. Brown is expected to have two runners in both the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland and the Champagne at Belmont. Both $500,000 races offer fees-paid berths into the $2 million Juvenile, which this year will be run on the Friday program, Nov. 2, at Churchill Downs. All five Breeders’ Cup races for 2-year-olds – including the inaugural running the Juvenile Turf Sprint – will be run on the Friday program.

In a span of 30 days, Brown won five dirt maiden races for 2-year-olds and at least four of those winners will get the opportunity to earn a spot in the Juvenile.

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Aurelius Maximus, a one-mile maiden winner Sept. 9 at Belmont, and Complexity, a debut winner going six furlongs at Saratoga on Sept. 3, are pointing to the Champagne – a one-turn mile and the race in which Good Magic finished second before his upset victory in the Juvenile.

The same day, Looking At Bikinis and Standard Deviation, both first-out winners, will run in the Breeders’ Futurity, a two-turn, 1 1/16-mile race at Keeneland.

Network Effect, a seven-furlong debut winner at Saratoga, may be off the Juvenile trail after developing a temperature that forced him to miss some training time.

“Four of them all look to me that they’ll improve at some point going two turns,” Brown said, who included Network Effect. “The one horse of the five where I have some reservations is Complexity. I’m hopeful that the horse can handle two turns. I think there’s good reason to believe he can the way he’s made, the way he moves. He’s a very fast horse, he’s got a very fast pedigree, and he’ll get the opportunity to do that at some point.”

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Both the Champagne and the Breeders’ Futurity appear to be coming up strong races.

Cairo Cat, who has already earned a spot in the Juvenile by virtue of his victory in the Iroquois at Churchill Downs, is slated to run in the Futurity as is Grade 1 Hopeful winner Mind Control. Trainer Dale Romans could run in three in the Futurity, with Moonster and Mr. Ankeny believed to be definite. Dabo and Everlast are his other two nominees.

Borracho, Classy John, Signalman, Sombeyay, and Unionizer are others likely for the Breeders’ Futurity.

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The Champagne is expected to draw, among others, Saratoga Special winner Call Paul, impressive Saratoga debut winners Code of Honor and Endorsed, and Trophy Chaser, a 15 3/4-length maiden winner at Gulfstream.

On Saturday, Del Mar Futurity 1-2 finishers Game Winner and Rowayton are expected to square off in the Grade 1, $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita. The American Pharoah is part of the Win and You’re In series that offers an automatic berth in the Juvenile.

Despite having a bevy of 2-year-old maiden winners, trainer Bob Baffert indicated this week that Game Winner is his main hope for the Juvenile. Jerry Hollendorfer, trainer of Rowayton, also is running Gunmental Gray in the American Pharoah.