Future Stars Friday Breeders’ Cup Analysis

Race 6 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

1. Brickyard Belle 2. Moonrise 3. Harper’s Corner

Longshot: Velozee

Analysis: Brickyard Belle’s ability to reel in a winging Harper’s Corner in the G3 Matron showed an unmistakable young talent. From a top barn and retains rider Manny Franco. With no annoying speed directly to her outside, Moonrise should get a clear stalking trip off Harper’s Corner from her rail post. Showed the ability to rate in the G3 Princess Margaret in July down the straightaway at Ascot. Extremely gritty runner and the price is attractive. Yes, Libertango looks hugely formidable in here, and likely is the class of the field, but the setup benefits others. The raw speed of Harper’s Corner is not a mirage. Lexington hasn’t seen rain in two weeks, and the Keeneland turf course, which favored closing sprinters during the fall meet, should be firm and maybe blazing. No looking around, jockey Paco Lopez should just lower his head and go.

Race 7 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies

1. Emphatic 2. Domain Expansion 3. Voyager

Longshot: Foxiest

Analysis: Curious, counterintuitive course progression for trainer Brendan Walsh, sending Emphatic through Colonial Downs and Monmouth – not exactly his domains – but there is no questioning the rise of this filly as she well held the field at bay in the Grade 1 Alcibaides at the track, at the distance, and with jockey Tyler Gaffalione, who keeps the mount here. The pace will be testing, no doubt, so expect her to rate as she did in the Sorority, a race she sailed away to win by 5 ¼ lengths. She’s working on even terms in the morning with 3-year-old Measure, who came second in the Alabama, third in the Cotillion and third in the Coaching Club America Oaks. A win locks up an Eclipse Award. The only pause is the lesser tracks used to start her career. You could make a case this race runs through the undefeated Bob Baffert filly Miss Monica, but Domain Expansion just might be the more talented runner coming out of California, and the price sure is better. Trainer Leonard Powell certainly was bullish jumping from a debut second on the turf to the win-and-you’re-

in Grade 2 Oak Leaf on the first dirt try, and this filly hugged the rail, tipped outside and simply destroyed the competition. It was far lesser field than this, granted, but she galloped out like she could go all day. The team looked a little shellshocked when asked about the Breeders’ Cup in the winner’s circle after the Oak Leaf. Penultimate work was a doozy. Voyager showed some talent dirt sprinting this past summer, finishing within 5 ¼ of Harper’s Corner in the Schuylerville at Saratoga, and then blossomed on grass, including winning the Grade 1 Natalma at Woodbine. Obviously was eligible for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, so the shift back to dirt signals either confidence by trainer Mark Casse or fear of Sun Goddess. Two pauses: Irad Ortiz is not around to pilot her and the speed figures are going to need a big boost to win. Demand a price.

Race 8 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

1. Sun Goddess 2. Amusingly 3. Domestic Agenda

Longshot: Alwaysanangel

Analysis: Sun Goddess is Timeform’s highest rated 2-year-old filly in Europe since Lady Aurelia in 2016. She has stacked eight races since May 9 yet only seems to be getting stronger. Fast ground, yielding ground, soft ground – she runs on it. Stretches out beyond seven furlongs here for the first time, and trainer Aidan O’Brien did employ a rabbit to set her up last out in the Group 1 Cheveley Park. There does not seem to be much speed beyond longshot Seneca Park, but Sun Goddess has overcome a variety of less-than-ideal journeys to continually win going away. O’Brien has won two of the past four editions of this race. Best until proven otherwise. Amusingly was the lone filly contesting the 10-horse Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on the straightaway at Longchamp. At 10-1 she ambled along behind the field, tipped to the near side and gathered them in with a relentless gallop. Her mama, Joyeuse is a stakes-winning half-sister to the legendary Frankel. Meant to be this good. Domestic Agenda has two professional scores in two starts as heavy favorite for the king of filly turf trainers, Chad Brown. So, to get Flavien Pratt AND an 8-1 morning line is a gift from the heavens.

Race 9 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

1. Hughes 2. Salahudin 3. He Is No Lie

Longshot: None

Analysis: Hughes might be the lock of all locks for this entire Breeders’ Cup, especially with the scratches of formidable Gaudreau and Earth Song. This Baffert monster, from the female family of the long-winded and versatile stakes star Go Between, has put all the convincing you need on the page, four daylight scores, the last being a first try around two turns with a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. It’s worth your time to go view the video of his mind-bending workout Oct. 17. The free square in your horizontal play. Salahudin, the other Baffert, is undefeated and progressive as well, but with lower speed figures in lesser races. The two runners have been favored in all seven combined starts. Horses can go through a growth spurt at any time between ages 2 and 4, so don’t automatically rule out a step forward here. His work Oct. 25 not only was the best of 80 on the Churchill Downs dirt that morning, but he sat directly behind a mate, tipped out and sharply accelerated in deep stretch to go by. Visually very impressive. He Is No Lie can be used as a gauge for the two Baffert runners. Hughes drilled him in the Grade 3 Best Pal sprint by 13 ½ lengths, and Salahudin beat him by a half-length in the Grade 3 Iroquois on Sept. 12 in a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs. Even with the two scratches, He Is No Lie might still be close to his 15-1 morning line here, and he was 2-1 against Hughes in the Best Pal. Worth playing underneath in the exacta.

Race 10 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf

1. Haffner 2. Folsom Blues 3. Man’s Best Friend

Longshot: Florida Bay

Analysis: Going to start with one horse left out of the picks – How’s Al Today. There is no denying how good and powerful he has looked in his two wins at Kentucky Downs, but until Shisospicy scored sprinting last year, the record of horses coming off that turf course in the Breeders’ Cup was 0-for-129. It doesn’t get uglier. Haffner sets up as an interesting price play. Yes, jockey Ryan Moore opted for Great Barrier Reef over this runner with shared ownership, but that colt got doomed to the No. 14 post (and as if this writing was a likely

scratch). Haffner has won both his starts on firm ground, including Sept. 26 in the Group 2 Royal Lodge. He has speed to lay close and massive stamina influences in the female family of Order of St. George, one of the great top-level stayers in recent European racing history. Must be forgiven the loss on yielding ground at the Curragh. With a second to Sun Goddess, a massive score in a Group 1 race in September and a second to Amusingly in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere – 1 ¾ lengths clear of Man’s Best Friend – Folsom Blues has distinguished himself in top company. But he was beaten as a very heavy favorite last out and has only won on very soft ground. That said, he hasn’t run on firm turf, either. Yet you only need to look back to the 2023 when Big Evs took the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita to see a 2-year-old Blue Point-Oasis Dream cross winning a Breeders’ Cup race on firm going. Man’s Best Friend drew a death trap of a post (No. 11), but he can get a piece. His female family is hardly top class, but he’s proven on firm ground at Goodwood in a Group 2 stakes and came third in what we are going to say (hope?) proves the key Prix-Jean-Luc Lagardere. Wouldn’t go too heavy on him, and, honestly, if there is one race just begging for a punch of the “ALL” button to keep your mind at rest, this is it.