Ocho Ocho Ocho, Acceptance kick off Breeders' Cup Day with stakes wins

ARCADIA, Calif. – The 12-race Breeders’ Cup card at Santa Anita began Saturday under a caution flag of sorts: two of the three lead-in races originally scheduled for turf were transferred to the main track because of overnight rain, leading to scratch-laden fields for both.

The Saturday opener became the misnomered Juvenile Turf Sprint, with Ocho Ocho Ocho easily prevailing in a field of seven 2-year-olds by finishing 6 1/2 furlongs in a swift 1:14.57 over a main track rated good.

Ocho Ocho Ocho, a Kentucky-bred colt by Street Sense, returned $3.60 to win.

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Trained by Jim Cassidy and ridden by Joe Talamo, Ocho Ocho Ocho contested the pace in the $100,000 race before gliding home a 5 3/4-length winner. “I knew when it came off the turf we’d be real tough,” said Talamo.

Peacenluvpeacenluv was second and Tizcano was third.

The second race was the $200,000 Golden State Juvenile, run as originally scheduled on the main track. It, too, was won by an odds-on favorite, as Acceptance ($3.40) held off previously unbeaten Wake Up Nick in taking the seven-furlong race in 1:21.70. Seven California-bred 2-year-olds started.

Acceptance, a 13-length winner of his only prior start, is trained by Don Warren and was ridden by Elvis Trujillo.

The third and final pre-BC race, the $100,000 Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes, was reduced to six starters (from 14 on the program) when moved from turf to the dirt.