Ivar headed to Breeders' Cup Mile; gives Lobo first Grade 1 since 2004

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Ivar is by a Japanese-bred stallion, was born in Brazil, and spent the early part of his career racing in Argentina, where he was a multiple Group 1 winner. But he didn’t have far to travel to get home after winning his first U.S. Grade 1 on Saturday. After cooling out from his victory in the Shadwell Turf Mile on Saturday evening, Ivar vanned straight back to his base at The Thoroughbred Center on the northeast side of Lexington, just more than 20 minutes from Keeneland.

On Sunday morning, trainer Paulo Lobo reported that the colt was doing “very well.”

The Shadwell Mile was one of nine stakes during the opening weekend of Keeneland’s fall meeting that awarded automatic berths into corresponding Breeders’ Cup races as Keeneland prepares to host that championship-crucial event for the second time on Nov. 6-7. Ivar earned a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 7 with his win, which was Lobo’s first Grade 1 victory since Pico Central won the Vosburgh Stakes in October 2004 at Belmont Park.

“You know how hard it is to win a Grade 1, especially here at Keeneland,” Lobo said. “We need to celebrate.”

:: Click to learn about our DRF's Free Past Performance program.

Ivar would be the second career Breeders’ Cup starter for Lobo, who sent out his 2002 Kentucky Oaks winner and Eclipse Award divisional champion Farda Amiga to finish second in the 2002 Distaff. Lobo said Ivar would have two or three works at The Thoroughbred Center and return to Keeneland Breeders’ Cup week.

The other eight winners of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge races on opening weekend were Simply Ravishing (won Grade 1 Alcibiades, earned a spot in the Juvenile Fillies), Diamond Oops (Grade 2 Phoenix, Sprint), Uni (Grade 1 First Lady, Filly and Mare Turf), Essential Quality (Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity, Juvenile), Inthemidstofbiz (Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America, Filly and Mare Sprint), Valiance (Grade 1 Spinster, Distaff), Mutasaabeq (Grade 2 Bourbon, Juvenile Turf), and Bodenheimer (Indian Summer, Juvenile Turf Sprint).

All are likely to be aimed at the Breeders’ Cup, although not necessarily for the races for which they qualified. Diamond Oops is a graded stakes winner on both dirt and turf and could opt for either the Sprint or Turf Sprint. Uni is likely to remain at a shorter distance for the Mile, a race she won in 2019 at Santa Anita, rather than stretching out for the Filly and Mare Turf.