European juveniles set to leave mark on 2014 Breeders' Cup

ARCADIA, Calif. – European 2-year-olds have been a dangerous group in the brief history of the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Since the race was first run in 2007, horses from England and Ireland have won five of the seven runnings, as well as two of the seven editions of the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf.

No wonder they have arrived in force for the same races Friday at Santa Anita. There are five European colts entered for the Juvenile Turf and five fillies in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Overall, there are 13 foreign runners in Friday’s four Breeders’ Cup races.

The European domination of the Juvenile Turf may continue with Aktabantay, Commemorative, Faithful Creek, War Envoy, or Wet Sail. By no measure are they considered top European 2-year-olds. None of them features prominently in the future-book lists for the English 2000 Guineas or English Derby next year, for example, but that’s not to say they will not play roles in the Juvenile Turf.

Aktabantay, trained by Hugo Palmer, and Commemorative, trained by Charlie Hills, have won Group 3 races in England. Commemorative has won at a mile in his last two starts, including the Group 3 Autumn Stakes on Oct. 11 at Newmarket, a racecourse with an uphill finish. Expect him to be a leading contender.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2014: Post positions and odds

Top Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien starts War Envoy, who placed in three group stakes in England and Ireland before finishing with interest to be fifth, beaten 1 1/4 lengths, in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp in Paris on Oct. 5. Aktabantay was sixth in that field.

Ryan Moore rides War Envoy. Moore and O’Brien teamed to win consecutive runnings of the Juvenile Turf with Wrote and George Vancouver in 2011 and 2012.

Wet Sail was third in a field of 23 in the $330,000 Two-Year-Old Trophy at tiny Redcar Racecourse in northern England on Oct. 4. Faithful Event, who is on the also-eligible list, was third behind the highly regarded John F Kennedy at Leopardstown in Ireland in the Juvenile Turf Stakes on Sept. 13.

The quintet of Europeans for the Juvenile Fillies Turf has a range of accomplishments and plenty of experience.

Osaila, trained by Richard Hannon, has made six starts in races from five to seven furlongs. She won a sale-progeny race, the $496,300 Tattersalls Millions 2-year-old Fillies Trophy at seven furlongs Oct. 4 at Newmarket. She should handle the one-mile distance Friday, considering Newmarket’s uphill finish.

Qualify, trained by O’Brien, has run six times. She was sixth at 50-1 in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes in Ireland on Sept. 14 but rebounded two weeks later to win the Group 3 Park Stakes at seven furlongs by three lengths.

Prize Exhibit is the real veteran of the group, with two wins in eight starts. The victories were in minor races at small tracks in England, but she was third, beaten only a neck, in the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes at seven furlongs Oct. 4 at Newmarket.

War Alert, who is stuck on the also-eligible list, needs to show more. She has won 2 of 5 starts, including a small handicap at 5 3/4 furlongs Sept. 13 at Bath, England, another track with an uphill finish. Her last start was a fifth Sept. 20 in the Group 3 Firth of Clyde Stakes at Ayr, Scotland.

Sivoliere has been with trainer Chad Brown in New York for more than a month but made her last start in France. She won a minor stakes on firm turf Aug. 6 at La Teste and was third Aug. 23 in the Group 3 Prix du Calvados at Deauville, France.

The foreign runners in Friday’s $1 million Dirt Mile and $2 million Distaff will be outsiders.

Bronzo runs in the Dirt Mile in his first start since a win in the Group 2 Copa de Oro Breeders’ Cup Stakes in Chile in June, a victory that clinched his participation Friday. He has won 11 of 19 starts in South America but never has faced a field of this depth.

A top-three finish by L’Amour de Ma Vie or Valiant Emilia in a tough running of the BC Distaff must be considered a success.

Valiant Emilia was a Group 3 winner on dirt in Peru in June, her 11th win in 23 starts in that country. She now is trained by Santa Anita-based Gary Mandella and has been in Southern California for more than two months.

L’Amour de Ma Vie was a stakes winner on turf in Dubai in February and was second in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. She was last of four in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild Stakes at Deauville in August and a disappointing ninth in the Group 1 Premio Vittorio di Capua against males in Italy on good turf Sept. 28.

The BC Distaff will be L’Amour de Ma Vie’s first start on dirt. The odds will reflect that.