Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf: Stay Hot as longshot is Eurton's style
?q=100)
ARCADIA, Calif. - The 2-year-old colt Stay Hot has made three starts during his short career. He lost two dirt sprints, then won a turf-route maiden here at Santa Anita on Oct. 7. He’ll be a longshot Friday in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, and that might be a good thing since Peter Eurton trains Stay Hot.
Eurton has two Breeders’ Cup wins. In the 2016 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, Champagne Room captured the Juvenile Fillies at 33-1. In the 2019 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, Eurton won the Juvenile with Storm the Court, who was 45-1.
“I’ve had a lot of luck with 2-year-olds in the Breeders’ Cup. Not many horses have got more than three or four races in them. Everybody’s inexperienced. It’s a good place to take a little shot,” Eurton said Sunday.
Stay Hot didn’t run poorly in his first two starts, six-furlong dirt races at Del Mar, but he's by turf influence Summer Front and out of Etsu, by Smart Strike, the dam of 3-year-old filly Prerequisite, who won the Grade 2 Wonder Again on grass earlier this year. The middle-distance grass pedigree came out with the move to a turf mile; Stay Hot and jockey Antonio Fresu worked out a perfect trip saving ground just behind the speed. Fresu tipped out his mount in upper stretch and Stay Hot took care of business, winning off by 2 1/2 lengths. It can be unwise comparing times from different days, but Eurton points out Stay Hot’s time of 1:34.36 was faster than Endlessly’s 1:34.52 in the Zuma Beach Stakes.
“I have a lot of confidence in this horse’s ability. He’s never done anything wrong, and his last two works, the last one especially, he’s just so laid back and got such a great attitude,” Eurton said.
Stay Hot won’t be 45-1 in the Juvenile Turf, but he’ll be a price. Eurton’s only other 2-year-old Breeders’ Cup starter was Weemissfrankie, third at 5-1 in the 2011 Juvenile Fillies. Three starters, two wins and a show at the Breeders’ Cup – what are the odds of that happening?
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.