From his vantage point on a yacht off the coast of the small Caribbean country of Turks and Caicos, everything looked good for American horse owner Dean Reeves last Saturday, particularly the races on a computer screen. From Newmarket Racecourse in Britain to Santa Anita in Southern California, horses Reeves co-owns won important stakes in prep races for the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita on Nov. 3 and 4. “We started the morning with a Group 1 and finished the day with a Grade 2 for the doctor,” Reeves said earlier this week. At Newmarket, Porta Fortuna, trained in Ireland by Donnacha O’Brien, won the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs in a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at a mile on Nov. 3. At Santa Anita, Dr. Schivel won the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship in his final start before the BC Sprint at six furlongs on Nov. 4. Dr. Schivel, trained by Mark Glatt, was second in the 2021 BC Sprint at Del Mar. Porta Fortuna joins a crowded group of contenders for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, a cast expected to include Opera Singer, the winner of the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris on Sunday; She Feels Pretty, the stylish winner of the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine on Sept. 16; and Hard to Justify, who earned a fees-paid berth with a win in Wednesday’s Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes at the Belmont at Aqueduct meeting. :: BREEDERS’ CUP 2023: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more for each division The list is evolving. There are two major preps this weekend – Friday’s Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Keeneland, and Sunday’s Grade 3 Surfer Girl Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita. The winner of the $350,000 Jessamine earns a fees-paid berth. Porta Fortuna, by Caravaggio, has won 4 of 6 starts. The Cheveley Park was her first stakes win since the Group 3 Albany at six furlongs at Royal Ascot in June, which gave legendary jockey Frankie Dettori his 80th career win at the famous race meet. “That was a real thrill,” Reeves said. The difference between the Albany and Cheveley Park Stakes is that the Newmarket race was run on a course with a more testing uphill finish. Porta Fortuna won by 1 1/2 lengths after racing near the front throughout on the straightaway course. She will race at a mile for the first time in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. “I don’t think a mile will be a problem at all,” Reeves said of the Breeders’ Cup distance. Reeves bought a share in Porta Fortuna after her debut win in a maiden race at The Curragh in Ireland in June. Reeves had considered buying into the filly before the maiden win, and acted quickly after the race. Working with bloodstock agent Justin Casse, Reeves joined an ownership group that includes Medallion Racing, Steve Weston, and Barry Fowler. “I thought, I better stop screwing around and get in on the horse,” he said. “I’m happy to have what I got.” The filly was purchased from Donnacha’s parents, the famous trainer Aidan O’Brien and his wife, Annemarie. Aidan O’Brien trains Opera Singer. Reeves was on a boat with friends when the races were run in Britain and California last weekend. Before Porta Fortuna and Dr. Schivel won, Reeves showed his friends a video of Mucho Macho Man’s win in the 2013 BC Classic. Reeves was a co-owner in Mucho Macho Man. That left Reeves hoping that Porta Fortuna and Dr. Schivel would run to expectations. “When you start talking up your horses you don’t want to run last,” he said. Reeves, who has a commercial real estate business in Atlanta, travels to Turks and Caicos for snorkeling and boating. The flight to and from Atlanta is about three hours, or the same time that Reeves jokes it takes to commute through Atlanta’s notorious traffic. :: Bet the races with a $250 First Deposit Match + $10 Free Bet and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. This could be a big sporting autumn for Reeves. Aside from racing, his Atlanta Braves are favorites to win the World Series. “The guys hit home runs like pop flies,” he said. For the Juvenile Fillies Turf, Porta Fortuna is scheduled to run in Reeves’s white, green, and gold silks. She ran in Weston’s colors at Royal Ascot. “I flipped for silks with Steve Weston and he won Royal Ascot,” Reeves said with a laugh. “She will run in my silks for the Breeders’ Cup. That will improve her at least a length.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.