Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf: Summer winner obvious favorite
The Group 3 Autumn Stakes and Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes on Saturday at Newmarket in England, and the Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes on Sunday at Keeneland will help determine the shape of the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. But already the likely favorite for the $1 million fixture is no mystery.
Mysterious Night won the Grade 1 Summer Stakes on Sept. 17 at Woodbine by nearly six lengths. It appeared to be an ideal Juvenile Turf prep race for a colt whose connections – Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby – already have won the Juvenile Turf three times. That tally includes the 2021 Juvenile Turf with Modern Games, who is bound for the BC Mile and could be part of another huge Breeders’ Cup weekend for Appleby and Godolphin, who last November also won the Mile with Space Blues and the Turf with Yibir.
Modern Games’ Juvenile Turf tune-up came Sept. 23, and while he prepped in England, Appleby is keeping to roughly the same schedule with Mysterious Night, a homebred colt by Dark Angel out of Mistrusting, by Shamardal. Mysterious Night’s full sister, Althiqa, shipped from Appleby’s yard in England to win the Grade 1 Just a Game at Belmont Park and the Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga during 2021.
Mysterious Night already has made six starts and looked well suited to North American racing in the Summer, where he sat a good inside stalking trip under regular jockey William Buick before taking a big lead without being asked for any run. The colt lost his focus going along with no rivals near him in the late stages, switching leads and drifting toward the rail, but his was the best 2-year-old turf-route performance put forth this North American racing year.
Closer to home, Major Dude, making his turf debut, upset odds-on favorite I’m Very Busy in the Pilgrim Stakes on Sunday over the Aqueduct grass course. Three times the last six years (Fire At Will in 2020, Structor in 2019, and Oscar Performance in 2016) the Pilgrim winner has come back to capture the Juvenile Turf, though many will prefer this year’s runner-up, I’m Very Busy, to victorious Major Dude.
The race, usually held at Belmont, was contested over a yielding course, and Major Dude stuck close to a tepid pace. I’m Very Busy started poorly and raced wide from the back of the field, coming with a run through the homestretch that looked like it would carry him to victory, only to be turned back by Major Dude. Both horses are expected for the Juvenile Turf.
No Juvenile Turf winner has come out of the Bourbon, which should have a full field – heavily populated by Mike Maker-trained runners – on Sunday while run over the same course as Breeders’ Cup races.
A couple horses in Saturday’s Dewhurst, Auguste Rodin and Isaac Shelby, have been mentioned for the Juvenile Turf, as has Holloway Boy, who could start in the Autumn Stakes.
The California wing of the division, rarely a factor in the Juvenile Turf, is headed by Packs a Wahlop and goes through the Zuma Beach Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita.
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