Gouverneur Morris will bypass Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Gouverneur Morris, runner-up to Maxfield as the favorite in last Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, will not run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, Barry Irwin, president of co-owner Team Valor, said Tuesday.

Instead, Gouverneur Morris is being turned out at WinStar Farm and will be aimed at a 3-year-old campaign. WinStar's racing operation co-owns the colt.

“We just felt he had too tough a race,” Irwin said. “We’ll keep him at WinStar for six weeks and turn him out and then send him down to [trainer Todd] Pletcher and get him ready for the Triple Crown campaign. We’re hoping for a little bit of a growth spurt.”

Gouverneur Morris, a son of Constitution, won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race by nine lengths on Sept. 2, closing day of the Saratoga meet. He stretched out to 1 1/16 miles in the Breeders’ Futurity, and breaking from post 10 had a four- to six-wide trip basically the whole way. He finished 5 1/2 lengths behind Maxfield and a half-length in front of Enforceable.

Enforceable also will not move on to the Juvenile, trainer Mark Casse said. Casse said the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen at Aqueduct on Dec. 7 is likely his next target. Enforceable won at the Remsen distance of 1 1/8 miles when he took a maiden race on Aug. 22 at Saratoga.

Casse said Tap It to Win, last in the Breeders’ Futurity, will regroup. No plans have been set for him as of yet.

Gouverneur Morris joins Grade 1 Champagne winner Tiz the Law -- also a son of Constitution -- as significant players who will skip the Juvenile.