LEXINGTON, Ky. – Vequist powered through a rail opening down the short Keeneland stretch when dealing four of her six rivals their first career defeat Friday in the 37th running of the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Ridden by Joel Rosario from post 2, Vequist never had to move far away from the rail at any point of the 1 1/16-mile race, scooting past the race-long front-runner, Dayoutoftheoffice, with some 100 yards to run prior to moving off to a two-length triumph.

Fire At Will got an easy lead winning the Pilgrim Stakes last month at Belmont Park. Friday at Keeneland, he didn’t need one.

Ignored in the betting at 30-1, Fire At Will, sparked to life in upper stretch and toasted his 13 opponents in the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Drawing away powerfully after collaring pacesetter Outadore past the eighth pole, Fire At Will crossed the finish three lengths best.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Golden Pal got the 2020 Breeders' Cup at Keeneland off to a flying start. With his speed metered out by Irad Ortiz Jr., the favored colt broke running to take command of the race, spurted clear to break it open in upper stretch, and held sway in the final stages for a three-quarter-length victory in the Grade 2, $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, the first of the 14 races at the event.

There must be something about Kentucky in the fall brings out the best in Rocketry. He returned to the Bluegrass State for the first time in two years on Friday, and got his first win in two years when storming down the center of the Keeneland main track to win the Grade 2, $200,000 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes for 3-year-olds and up.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Star European jockey Christophe Soumillon has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus ahead of the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland and is off his two scheduled mounts Saturday.

A Breeders’ Cup media release said the positive was returned Thursday after Soumillon was tested at Keeneland the previous day. It was the only positive out of 55 tests administered to all Breeders’ Cup jockeys. Soumillon left the track following reaffirmation of the positive and has entered into isolation.

LEXINGTON, KY. – The first appearance of trainer Aiden O’Brien’s troops is always a show-stopper at whatever venue the Breeders’ Cup happens to be stopping at each year. And while the contingent is a bit smaller than usual this year at Keeneland, the spectacle is no less enthralling, as just about everybody pauses what they are doing to watch Team O’Brien parade around the track in a line and in perfect unison, whether at a jog or relatively brisk canter, as was the case here Thursday.

The National Hockey League returned for the playoffs 4 1/2 months after a premature end to the regular season, and successfully completed a post-season that crowned the Tampa Bay Lightning as Stanley Cup champion.

The National Basketball Association, similarly, picked up with the playoffs 4 1/2 months after suspending regular-season play, and completed a season in which the Los Angeles Lakers reigned as champion.

One Master was scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Thursday morning because of persistently elevated muscle enzymes.

The elevated enzyme levels can produce a condition know as tying up, a locking of muscles that restricts movement, and that is what happened to One Master the first day she trained at Keeneland this week, according to trainer William Haggas.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Inthemidstofbiz has been scratched as a longshot from the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint after being found Thursday morning at Keeneland to have a slight fever, according to trainer Cipriano Contreras.

The defection of Inthemidstofbiz reduces the field for the $1 million Filly and Mare Sprint to eight. The seven-furlong race will be run Saturday as the fourth of 12 races and the first of nine straight BC events.

Global Campaign, who races for the partnership of Sagamore Farm and WinStar Farm, will make the final start of his career in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic before going to stud at WinStar Farm. The race will also mark the end of the latest chapter in Sagamore’s history in the Thoroughbred industry, as the farm’s principals announced Thursday that they plan to use the Maryland property to focus on the Sagamore Spirit whiskey brand.