Missing the spring and summer might prove to be no problem for Super Corredora, after all she’s already proven to do her best running in the fall.
The 2025 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner returned from a near seven-month layoff Sept. 27 in the Zenyatta Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park and put the division on notice with an eye-catching victory that punched her ticket to the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In.
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The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series is an international series of stakes races, the winners of which receive automatic starting positions with fees paid into a corresponding race of the 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, to be held at Keeneland Oct. 30-31.
The daughter of Gun Runner entered 2026 with high expectations after elevating in class from her maiden win to take the Juvenile Fillies in gate-to-wire fashion. However, she was off-the-board in both her starts this winter, not making the lead in either start. When she developed an illness in late March, owners Spartan Equine Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, Robert Gardiner, and Michael Olszewski decided to give her a rest. They were rewarded for their patience Sunday afternoon.
With Joel Rosario aboard for trainer John Sadler, Super Corredora was back in her preferred frontrunning position and coasted through the early stages. Unbeaten Rabeeba began a rally on the far turn and appeared to be a potential threat, but when they turned for home it was clear Super Corredora had gas left. She continued strongly down the lane, defeating a closing Majestic Oops by 2 3/4 lengths with Rabeeba finishing third.
Bred in Kentucky by Woodford Thoroughbreds, Super Corredora now has an opportunity to make history as just the second Juvenile Fillies winner to also win the Distaff later in her career.
Listenupshance Gets the Job Done in Santa Anita Sprint Championship
Speed was also the name of the game earlier in Santa Anita’s Sunday card as Listenupshance used his early foot to defeat his two rivals in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes (G2). The victory was the 4-year-old Shancelot gelding’s second in the Challenge Series after taking the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) in July, both races offering a berth to the $2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).
The Doug O’Neill trainee’s race could have very well been undone at the start when he broke last in the scratched-down field of three, but jockey Emisael Jaramillo knew his horse’s best weapon. Pointing to the outside of Maximum Bourbon, who was closing fast and came up just a nose short in the Bing Crosby, Jaramillo allowed Listenupshance to pick up the pace and had the lead after the eventful opening quarter mile.
He would continue to set a quick pace as March of Time came on to press from second. Maximum Bourbon would again chase him home, but Listenupshance would win more comfortably this time by three-quarters of a length while completing 6 furlongs in 1:08.70.
Listenupshance may not have faced a large quantity of horses this time, but he has been well battle tested this season. In June, he shipped across the country to New York and nearly upset Eclipse champion Book’em Danno and 2025 Cygames Sprint winner Bentornato in the True North Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course. He has since shown that effort was no fluke as he returned home to California and has handled business since.
With Book’em Danno and Bentornato both focusing on 2027 after injuries this summer, Listenupshance will likely be among the favorites in the Cygames Sprint.
Forged Steel Strengthens Eastern Depth in Classic Division with Goodwood Win
If there was an option to bet on whether the 2026 winner of the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) would be a horse based in the eastern or western half of the United States, it would be a smart move to bet on the East.
Just as it happened in the Pacific Classic (G1) Aug. 22 at Del Mar, a pair of East Coast shippers came to California Sept. 26 and swept the exacta in the Goodwood Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, with the winning Forged Steel punching his ticket to the Longines Classic through the Challenge Series. With New York-based Knightsbridge taking the Pacific Classic, both of California’s Longines Classic berths were swept by eastern horses.
Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. for C2 Racing Stable, Mathis Stable, and TCC Stables, Forged Steel was based in Florida throughout the winter and spring and spent the summer at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. However, with tough competition like Sovereignty and Magnitude competing in the major East Coast races, Joseph has taken advantage of the California circuit.
Forged Steel previously shipped to Santa Anita and won the Hollywood Gold Cup (G2) in frontrunning fashion by an impressive 9 1/2 lengths. He then returned to California for the Pacific Classic where he faded to seventh after not making the lead.
However, the son of Vekoma bred in Kentucky by Richard Wilson showed development Saturday evening that he can indeed compete and win without having the lead to himself. With Edwin Gonzalez aboard, he stalked pacesetter Taif through the opening 5 furlongs before assuming command entering the far turn and putting him away easily.
From there, despite Caldera making a bold outside move, it was clear Forged Steel was moving strong as Gonzalez checked for rivals beneath his arm. He let loose down the stretch and was never directly challenged, winning by 1 1/4 lengths while completing 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.48.
Caldera, also trained by Joseph and shipping in from the trainer’s Florida base, made it an exacta for the East Coast runners while the race’s defending winner, Nevada Beach, finished third while making his first start since February’s Saudi Cup (G1).
Forged Steel’s win strengthened the notion that the East Coast’s depth of talent this year is quite good, and they will need to be to top Japanese superstar and reigning Longines Classic winner Forever Young (JPN), who himself just invaded New York Sept. 18 and took the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park during the Challenge Series.
Veteran Cabo Spirit Wins City of Hope Mile
The tried and true 7-year-old gelding Cabo Spirit will get a second chance at Breeders’ Cup glory this year after a hard-fought win in the City of Hope Mile Stakes (G2) earlier in the Santa Anita card Saturday afternoon.
Two years ago, the son of Pioneerof the Nile competed in the 2024 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), but this year he earned a Win and You’re In spot in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). The old WinStar Farm-bred veteran showed he still has it while making his 45th start for Kretz Racing and trainer George Papaprodromou. Most of those starts have come in graded stakes company, and he earned his sixth graded triumph.
In order to do so, Cabo Spirit needed to reverse the result of his last start in the Aug. 22 Del Mar Mile (G2). He had set the pace that day before wavering late, finishing fourth by only a half-length. Those three that caught him—King of Gosford (GB), Detain (IRE), and El Potente—were all back in the five-horse field.
This time, it was Cabo Spirit’s day in the spotlight. Hall of Fame rider and the Breeders’ Cup’s winningest jockey Mike Smith worked out an easy lead early and had plenty left in the stretch. Cabo Spirit started drifting toward the center of the track in the stretch as El Potente rallied up in the inside, but Smith kept him to task and running forward, squeezing out a head victory after the two were stride for stride, albeit several lanes apart from each other, for the final furlong. The final time was 1:33.06. King of Gosford was third.
“He’s such a cool horse,” Smith told Santa Anita’s Zoe Cadman in the winner’s circle. “He doesn’t win all the time, but he always runs a winning race. It’s great to see him end up on this side of it because so many times he’s second or third.”
Saturday was also supposed to feature two Challenge Series races at Belmont Park, but bad weather canceled weekend racing in New York. The Vosburgh Stakes (G3), a Win and You’re In for the Cygames Sprint, and the Flower Bowl Stakes (G2), a Win and You’re In for the $2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1), will now be held Thursday, Oct. 1.
