Breeders' Cup Juvenile: Late-bloomers will try to upset favorites Jackie's Warrior, Essential Quality
Despite the presence of unbeaten and ultra-impressive Grade 1 winners Jackie’s Warrior and Essential Quality, 15 2-year-olds, including three who won a maiden race just last weekend, were pre-entered for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, to be run Nov. 6 at Keeneland. Fourteen will be allowed to start.
Jackie’s Warrior, who has won all four of his starts including the Hopeful and Champagne – both Grade 1 stakes in New York – will likely be favored. Essential Quality, who has gone 2 for 2 including a victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, should go off second choice. Jackie’s Warrior will get his first test around two turns in the Juvenile, while Essential Quality will have the benefit of having a race over the track and at the 1 1/16-mile distance of the race.
“We’re going to need to move forward off the Breeders’ Futurity, and I feel like he has,” said Brad Cox, trainer of Essential Quality. “His two works since the Breeders’ Futurity have been fantastic.”
The maiden winners from last weekend who were pre-entered for the Juvenile are Classier, trained by Bob Baffert; Camp Hope, trained by Ken McPeek; and Next, trained by Wesley Ward.
Classier, a son of Empire Maker, went gate to wire in a 6 1/2-furlong race last Saturday at Santa Anita, winning by four lengths and earning a 78 Beyer Speed Figure.
Baffert, a four-time Juvenile winner, said he pre-entered Classier to give himself the option to run him, and that he doesn’t have to make a final decision about running until Tuesday, when his horses are scheduled to ship from Southern California.
“It’s a little close, but he’s got a great foundation under him,” Baffert said. “We’ll see how he is. I’m monitoring it really close.”
Camp Hope, a son of Summer Front, won his debut Sunday going 1 1/16 miles at Churchill, one race after King Fury won the Street Sense Stakes going the same distance. Both horses are trained by Ken McPeek, who said Wednesday both are likely to run.
“I’m not worried about them coming back close,” McPeek said. “The fact they don’t run on Lasix, you can bring a horse back quicker. Both horses got two-turn experience, both are extremely talented, and both clients are gamers – they’re not scared – so we put them in.”
Next, a son of 2016 BC Juvenile runner-up Not This Time, won an off-the-turf maiden race on Saturday at Keeneland by 11 3/4 lengths, earning an 82 Beyer Speed Figure.
“Short rest is never good,” Ward texted. “I will see how his energy level is this week.”
In addition to McPeek, three other trainers have pre-entered two horses. Steve Asmussen is the trainer of Jackie’s Warrior and also pre-entered Calibrate, an impressive debut winner at Saratoga who dead-heated for sixth in the Breeders’ Futurity. Robertino Diodoro pre-entered Breeders’ Futurity runner-up Keepmeinmind and two-time winner Dreamer’s Disease, while Dale Romans pre-entered Sittin On Go, winner of the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes, and maiden winner Smiley Sobotka.
Adding depth to the field are Rombauer, second in the Grade 1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita; Reinvestment Risk, second in the Hopeful and Champagne; and Likeable, a maiden winner.
Hot Rod Charlie, a maiden winner on Oct. 2 at Santa Anita, will need one defection to make it into the field. He could be carded as an also-eligible when entries close and post positions are assigned Monday.