In the much-loved 1994 film “Forrest Gump,” the title character says his mother told him, “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

Owner-breeder Nick Alexander, who counts “Forrest Gump” as one of his favorite movies, didn’t quite know what he had with Lieutenant Dan, his California-bred gelding named after Forrest’s friend in the film. But the gelding belied his modest beginnings and overcame a long layoff to emerge as a multiple graded stakes winner this season, making his case to be a supplemental entry to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

Races in California and New York this past weekend – New York especially – were informative in regard to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 5 at Del Mar. France – not so much.

Annapolis followed an encouraging debut win in a Saratoga maiden turf route with a narrow but impressive victory Sunday in the Grade 2 Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont. Annapolis, a Bass Racing homebred by War Front trained by Todd Pletcher, got a showy 89 Beyer Speed Figure for his Pilgrim performance.

Friday will bring the last prep for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, and wouldn’t it be something if the winner of the Alcibiades at Keeneland had a reply for Echo Zulu and Ain’t Easy?

Echo Zulu was sensational in remaining unbeaten Sunday in the Grade 1 Frizette, winning off as she pleased in a performance to make her the 7-5 favorite for the Nov. 5 BC Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar in the latest Daily Racing Form rankings.

There’s still one more Win and You’re In event toward the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, but it figures to have minimal impact on the big picture.

The Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America is that final prep on the road to the BC Filly and Mare Sprint, but it will have little effect on Gamine being a huge favorite in the seven-furlong race set for Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

The New York Racing Association can proceed with an internal hearing to consider a ban of the trainer Bob Baffert at its tracks, a federal judge in New York ruled Tuesday morning, according to officials involved in the case.

Attorneys for the New York Racing Association argued in a court filing on Wednesday that the association should be able to proceed with a hearing to determine whether to ban the trainer Bob Baffert from its racetracks.

The centers of power for the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Mile rest in California and Europe.

Mo Forza and Smooth Like Strait, part of the 2021 Mile’s initial Top 10 list, face Hit the Road in the City of Hope Mile on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Things grown murkier across the Atlantic. Palace Pier, the leading European miler, races Oct. 16 in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, and his connections have hinted the colt will be sent to stud afterward. Baaeed, a rising star miler, also is aimed at the QE II, but so far there have been no indications he could come to America.

When the Breeders’ Cup was held at Del Mar four years ago, trainer Brad Cox was largely on the outside looking in. His lone runners in graded stakes that weekend were horses in the three undercard stakes on the Saturday program. One finished sixth in a 10-horse field, the other two were 12th in 14-horse fields. He didn’t have a single runner in any of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races.

The $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf figures to be top-heavy with European-based runners, the contenders likely to reveal themselves in major races this weekend in France and England.

Audarya, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner, will hope to convince her connections to bring her to Del Mar when she runs in Sunday’s Group 1 Prix de l’Opera, the same race she finished third behind Tarnawa in last year prior to upsetting the Filly and Mare Turf at 17-1 for trainer James Fanshawe. (Tarnawa would win the BC Turf.)

Grade 1 stakes this week in California and New York should begin to define the true contenders for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, to be run at Del Mar on Nov. 5.

Trainers Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher go into the week with a bevy of hopefuls for the Juvenile. While Baffert, a four-time Juvenile winner, has seemingly decided to train Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity winner Pinehurst up to the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile, he will send out three high-quality runners in Friday’s Grade 1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita: Corniche, Rockefeller, and Flying Drummer.