Breeders' Cup Juvenile: O'Connell has hot prospect in My Brown Eyed Guy

From what trainer Kathleen O’Connell has seen so far, this year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile is wide open.

“I feel it could be anybody’s kind of dash,” O’Connell said. “No disrespect to anybody’s horse, but I haven’t seen a super-big gun out there.”

O’Connell hopes to participate in the $2 million Juvenile on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita with My Brown Eyed Guy, who seeks his fourth straight victory in Saturday’s $300,000 In Reality Stakes at Calder. The In Reality is restricted to progeny of Florida-based stallions. My Brown Eyed Guy won the two prior legs of the series for males – the Dr. Fager and the Affirmed – this summer.

Both of those races were sprints run around one turn. The In Reality is at 1 1/16 miles and run around two turns.

“The route races are much easier on them,” O’Connell said. “And he seems to have no bottom. I can’t be happier with them going into it.”

In addition to running My Brown Eyed Guy in the In Reality, O’Connell is running Scandalous Act in the My Dear Girl for 2-year-old fillies. Like My Brown Eyed Guy, Scandalous Act has won two divisions of the Stallion Stakes for fillies, and she could earn a shot at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with a win Saturday.

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Both horses are owned and bred by Gil Campbell, a longtime Florida horseman. Of making it to the Breeders’ Cup, O’Connell said, “It’d be very, very good for Mr. Campbell. He’s put a lot into the business.”

My Brown Eyed Guy will take on nine rivals in the In Reality. O’Connell said that would be a good test for him.

“It’s a bigger field – you’re not going to have everything your own way,” she said.

Without a standout, the Juvenile field likely will be big as well. Honor Code, the runner-up in the Grade 1 Champagne, still is just a possibility, trainer Shug McGaughey said Wednesday. He did return to the track Wednesday morning.

Trainer Bob Baffert is hoping to get New Year’s Day and Can the Man to the Juvenile. New Year’s Day, a maiden winner at Del Mar who missed the FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita due to a temperature, returned to the work tab Monday with a half-mile move in 47.80 seconds at Santa Anita. Can the Man, fourth in the FrontRunner, also worked Monday.

Josie Carroll, the trainer of Grey Stakes winner Ami’s Holiday, said the Juvenile is “certainly something to consider.”