DEL MAR, Calif. – In 2019, trainer Brendan Walsh came to Southern California with an undefeated 2-year-old he thought had an excellent chance to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

The morning after entries were made for the race, Maxfield was off in his right front and had to be scratched with what was ultimately diagnosed as the start of a condylar fracture. Maxfield went on to have a terrific career, winning 8 of 11 races, including a pair of Grade 1s.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Twirling Queen returns to a stakes on turf in Friday’s $200,000 Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes for fillies and mares at Del Mar after an interrupted late summer and early fall campaign.

Trainer Jose D’Angelo had stakes in mind for Twirling Queen at Kentucky Downs and Keeneland, but missed those races when the filly was excluded because of full fields, he said. Twirling Queen instead ran in the Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes on dirt on Oct. 19 at Keeneland and finished ninth of 10.

She is unlikely to race on dirt anytime soon.

Takeout rates for the various bets being offered on Friday and Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup races will mirror those offered by Del Mar during its regular fall meet.

As a result, win, place, and show bets will have a takeout of 15.43 percent. Daily double bets will have a takeout of 20 percent, while other two-horse exotics, such as the exacta, will have a takeout rate of 22.68 percent.

All other bets, including trifectas, superfectas, and multi-race bets like the pick three, pick four, pick five, and pick six will have a takeout rate of 23.68 percent.

DEL MAR, Calif. – It took the Europeans five years to come up with a 2-year-old who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Japan could get one in their first attempt.

Ecoro Sieg, on raw time, staked a claim in September as the fastest 2-year-old turf sprinter ever to race in Japan. With two brilliant wins behind him at home, Ecoro Sieg could take Del Mar by storm as the morning-line favorite in the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Two notable trends have emerged in the last decade in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, which will be run for the 17th time on Friday at Del Mar.

European fillies arrive with dynamite race records, but lose to horses from stables based in New York or Kentucky. A California-based filly has never won the one-mile race.

Thought Process, trained in California by Phil D’Amato, may reverse the pattern Friday on a turf course she adores.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The victories by Japan-based runners March Lorraine and Loves Only You at the 2021 Breeders’ Cup held at Del Mar figured to spur interest in Japanese participation when the event returned to the seaside track this year. But even those closest to the situation were surprised that 19 horses from 13 different trainers have traveled here for the 41st Breeders’ Cup to be held Friday and Saturday.

Godolphin swept the opening weekend’s 2-year-old stakes at Keeneland, then swept opening day’s 2-year-old stakes at Churchill Downs. Could it sweep a pair of 2-year-old stakes on opening day of the Breeders’ Cup – and then some?

Godolphin’s colors will be carried by homebred juveniles Immersive, winner of the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes, and East Avenue, winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity, in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and Juvenile, respectively.

Stakes winners Majestic Venezuela and Vive Veuve both will bring perfect records over the Gulfstream Park turf course into the track’s $95,000 Cellars Shiraz on Friday.

The race for 3-year-old fillies will be run over 1 1/16 miles on the grass. A full field of 12 is set for the stakes, which goes as the 10th and final race. Gulfstream is moving its regular first post to 12 p.m. Eastern beginning with the Friday card.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The career of the popular gray gelding Coleyville is winding down. Woodbine has barred 10-year-olds and up from competing next year, and 10-year-old Coleyville goes postward with a chance to hit the board in Friday’s fifth race for $7,500 claimers.

Owner-trainer Ted Knight claimed Coleyville for $15,000 in November 2019. Over the years, he has won four races with him, which were all on Tapeta over the 1 1/16-mile distance of Friday’s race.

DEL MAR, Calif. – It is true California-bred 2-year-olds sprinting in a pair of early stakes Friday at Del Mar will receive less attention than 2-year-olds running in five Breeders’ Cup races in late afternoon.

What’s also true is both California-bred stakes include longshot contenders that might slip through the cracks, the same type of overlays that bettors look for in Breeders’ Cup races.