Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf: Key contenders

Key contenders

MADE YOU LOOK, by More than Ready

Last 3 Beyers: 75-72-59

◗ This is a case where Beyer Speed Figures might not tell the whole tale: No way he could clock a fast final time in the slow-paced With Anticipation, and to his credit, he was able to sit in the pocket behind such a slow pace while coming out of sprints.

◗ Won going six furlongs, and his tactical speed should help him gain a favorable early position – key in this 14-horse field.

DRF Formulator Fact: Trainer Todd Pletcher is 21-4-5-2 with a $4.33 ROI with horses off for 50 to 70 days returning in a graded turf stakes at one mile or longer.

GOOD SAMARITAN, by Harlan’s Holiday

Beyers: 94-79

◗ Has done nothing wrong in two starts, and trainer Bill Mott said he was “pleasantly surprised” that Good Samaritan won his debut since he wasn’t cranked up for that start.

◗ He was the second choice to the fast debut winner Conquest Fahrenheit in the Summer Stakes at Woodbine and blew past him at the top of the stretch.

◗ A bulky, long-striding colt with a come-from-behind style, he could find trouble in a 14-horse field on a tight course.

OSCAR PERFORMANCE, by Kitten’s Joy

Last 3 Beyers: 83-80-55

◗ Has won two straight by more than 16 lengths combined but was loose on the lead in both races and won’t be this time, though trainer Brian Lynch thinks he will rate from off the lead.

◗ Post 13 is not that significant an impediment since he has speed to get over.

DRF Formulator Fact: The Pilgrim Stakes was Lynch’s first 2-year-old graded-stakes win in the last five years. His other five starters ran third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh.

FAVORABLE OUTCOME, by Flatter

Beyers: 78-88

◗ He made both of his starts on dirt. Trainer Chad Brown has gone from dirt to turf in a graded stakes with just two horses in the last five years. One of them, Money Multiplier, finished second.

◗ His pedigree leans to dirt, and Brown said he was “bought as a dirt horse,” but he was mightily impressed by the colt’s breeze over a synthetic surface at the sale where he was purchased this past spring.

“A horse that handles synthetic doesn’t always handle turf, but a lot of the time they do,” Brown said.

◗ He comes out of a third-place finish in the Champagne, where the competition probably was stronger than in any North American juvenile turf race this year.

◗ Worked head-and-head with Juvenile Turf entrant Ticonderoga in his lone turf drill, which encouraged this entry.

BIG SCORE, by Mr. Big

Last 3 Beyers: 62-80-86

◗ Undeniably improved his performance when he won the Zuma Beach at Santa Anita last out. That race never has produced a Juvenile Turf winner, though Luck of the Kitten used it as a springboard to a second-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup.

◗ He kept closer to the pace last time without diminishing his finishing kick. The question is whether he’s good enough.

INTELLIGENCE CROSS, by War Front

◗ One of two entered by trainer Aidan O’Brien, he gets leading stable jockey Ryan Moore.

◗ He has only raced down straight six-furlong courses in his six-start career. Has the pedigree for a mile, and his trainer believes he can get it in the U.S., at least.

◗ Has good form through Mehmas and Blue Point.

LANCASTER BOMBER, by War Front

◗ Has been used as a pacemaker for the highly regarded Churchill but managed to stay on for second last out in the Group 1 Dewhurst, one of the top European 2-year-old races.

◗ He is nowhere near the best 2-year-old in O’Brien’s barn, but the trainer’s three BC Juvenile Turf winners all have come in under the radar, going off at 7-1, 9-1, and 11-1.