Breeders’ Cup World Championships
Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31
2-Year-Old Report
Saturday, October 31
$2 Million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I) 2-Year-Old Colts & Geldings
$2 Million 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade I) 2-Year-Old Fillies
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
1 1/16 Miles
1 1/16 Miles
Contact Notes Team (859) 250-0358
Bold Quality – Bold Quality, with only two lifetime starts under her belt, comes into the
$2 million 14 Hand Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies off a good showing in the Pocahontas
Stakes at Churchill Sept. 12. She finished second, a half-length off Dothraki Queen, but was
placed third for interference.
“She worked at Monmouth Park over the weekend, came here and acclimated well. She’s
feeling good,” said trainer Kelly Breen. “She hasn’t run since the Pocahontas at Churchill, where
she finished second but was disqualified. She should be sitting on a big win.”
Dale Romans (Brody’s Cause and Unbridled Outlaw, Juvenile; Ma Can Do It,
Juvenile Fillies) –Romans said his $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile entrants
Brody’s Cause and Unbridled Outlaw are “ready to roll.”
Brody’s Cause won the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland on Oct. 3. Unbridled Outlaw was
third in the Iroquois at Churchill Downs on Sept. 12 in his most recent start.
Romans noted that Juvenile Fillies entrant Ma Can Do It has a good chance despite being
winless in three career starts. The Majesticperfection filly was third in Keeneland’s Alcibiades
Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 2.
“She had two good seconds (in sprint maiden races) and I thought stretching out would
improve her and she ran a good third,” Romans said. “She’s trained well since that race”
Cocked and Loaded – Richard Ravin and Patricia’s Hope’s Iroquois winner Cocked and
Loaded continued his preparation for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by jogging a mile
“He’s doing great and is very calm right now,” Rivelli said. “Nothing bothers him. We’re
excited for the race.”
Nickname – LNJ Foxwoods’ Steve Asmussen-trained Nickname left Barn 60 and
galloped on the sloppy main track on Wednesday morning after walking the shed row on
Tuesday and putting in her final work for the Juvenile Fillies on Monday (4f in 49 3/5).
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2-2-2-2
Doug O’Neill (Nyquist and Ralis, Juvenile; Land Over Sea, Juvenile Fillies) – The
three youngsters once again took their skills to Keeneland’s training track during a rainy morning
Wednesday. Exercise rider Jonny Garcia took each one for a 1 ¼ m gallop around the 5f oval.
Later, in Barn 64, Dennis O’Neill, the trainer’s brother and one of Reddam Racing’s
prime bloodstock agents, discussed his purchase of the undefeated Nyquist, heading for the
Juvenile, as well as Land Over Sea, entered in the Juvenile Fillies.
Of Nyquist, O’Neill said, “I fell in love with him the first time I saw him. He had a
beautiful body and he looked so athletic. I thought we might have to pay about $800,000 for him
but surprisingly we got him for $400,000. You just never know in these sales.”
While Nyquist turned out to be something of a bargain, Land Over Sea brought a bigger
than O’Neill had expected. “I thought she might be in the $60,000 to $80,000 range but we had
to go to $130,000.”
“An interesting sidelight is the fact she was owned by Victor Davilo, the man from whom
we bought I’ll Have Another (2012 Kentucky Derby winner).”
Though he didn’t have anything to do with the Reddam homebred Ralis, O’Neill was
quick to point out that the colt added a special touch to the powerful Reddam juvenile crop by
being a son of Reddam’s stallion Square Eddie, who was second in the 2008 Juvenile.
Rachel’s Valentina – Stonestreet Stables’ Rachel’s Valentina hardly flew under the
radar when she joined trainer Todd Pletcher’s stable earlier this year.
Rated second at 7-2 in the morning line for Saturday’s Juvenile Fillies, she demanded
attention just by being the daughter of Bernardini and 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.
“It doesn’t always guarantee (greatness) just because they have a great pedigree, but she
pleased everyone at the farm and it sounded like her training was good coming in,” Pletcher said.
The well-connected 2yo filly earned Pletcher’s respect during her preparation for her
career, which had gotten off to a most promising start with a debut victory Aug. 2 and a victory
in the Spinaway, both victories coming at Saratoga.
“We didn’t know immediately, until we got far enough in her training to learn a little bit
more about her ability level. But she passed every test we gave her along the way,” Pletcher said.
“We were pretty confident once we got up to the five-eighths level that she was pretty special. So
far, she’s proved that to be true.
Riker – Tucci Stables’ Nick Gonzalez-trained Riker enters the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as
the best 2yo in Canada, while sporting a perfect 4-for-4 record. The son of Include capped three
consecutive stakes wins, all in gate-to-wire fashion, with a handy 1½-length tally in the Grey
Stakes at Woodbine on Oct. 4. Bedded down in Barn 60, Riker has jogged both Tuesday and
Wednesday on Keeneland’s sloppy main track.
He shipped really well and when we took him to the sloppy main track before,” Gonzalez
said. “He enjoyed himself and took in the scenery. He hasn’t done anything wrong in his first
four starts and that has us on a high. My clients have always dreamed of the Breeders’ Cup and
the horse is doing great. We’re looking forward to participating on the big stage.
“We’ve always known since even before his first race that he could rate,” he continued.
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“We have a lot of horses and train them in company and he has rated well when training.
Plus, his jockey Jesse Campbell and I have always said that if he doesn’t break that we could
easily get him to break. It just so happens that he’s left the gate well every time. He was looking
around a bit and getting aggressive in the beginning last time, but then he went into a good
galloping mode down the backstretch going two turns for the first time. He’s not onedimensional.”
All four of Riker’s runs have been at Woodbine over its Polytrack main surface. It will be
the 15-1 morning-line shot’s first attempt on a dirt surface.
“Primarily, my stable does training on the dirt training track at Woodbine. He breezed
great on the training track in a minute and change the other day and I think he might be even
better on the dirt.
“I wasn’t insulted by the 15-1, but I guess they’re skeptical against those he ran against at
Woodbine over synthetic,” he continued. “He has great Beyers like a 90 and 84 and the way he
gallops out is unbelievable. He’s gone from being a kid when I first got him to a young man and
I think he is going to grow even more and get better.”
Songbird- The morning-line favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies galloped 1
1/2m on the main track on Wednesday morning for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who was always
hopeful about the 2yo filly’s future and discussed how sound she has been.
“(I was hopeful) from the very beginning,” Hollendorfer said. “I have to turn a lot of
them out, since some of them have problems early, but this was a 2-year-old that has trained
steadily. She’s avoided all the problems and has done everything right on top. Her demeanor
around the barn is great, nothing seems to upset her. When she works, she doesn’t go until the
rider asks her.”
Much like her stable-mate Super Majesty in the Filly & Mare Sprint, Songbird does most
of her running on the lead, but Hollendorfer does not believe that she has to have the lead.
“I think she’s totally rateable,” he said.
Keith Desormeaux (Exaggerator and Swipe, Juvenile; Right There, Juvenile Fillies)
– Big Chief Racing’s Keith Desormeaux-trained trio of Exaggerator, Swipe and Right There all
hit the track on Wednesday morning from their Barn 66 base.
Exaggerator, one of the expected favorites for the Juvenile, jogged on the training track
under exercise rider Kim Wessner.
Swipe and Right There, who arrived around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday from Desormeaux’s
California-based string, galloped on the main track in consecutive sets under exercise rider
Amelia Harris. Swipe, who broke his maiden in stakes company third-time-out, exits three
consecutive runner-up finishes in Graded-stakes company in California, including a threequarter-length loss to fellow Juvenile runner Nyquist in the FrontRunner. Right There, who also
broke her maiden in stakes company, exits a distant third behind fellow Juvenile Fillies entrants
Songbird and Land Over Sea in the Chandelier at Santa Anita on the same card.
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“With Swipe, he’s an overachiever and will like the distance,” said Julie Clark,
Desormeaux’s top assistant. “He’s run a lot of hard races, but has had a nice five-week break to
freshen. He’s galloping nicely and he seems to have bounced out of his effort well. The thing
about him is that he always brings a good effort.
“Right There is a great big filly,” she continued. “It is a tough race, but my hope is that
she’s continuing to develop. She’s really gentle and sweet and one of those big-striding types.
She ran well sprinting, which surprised us, but I think distance and maturity will be good for her.
It’s the kind of race that has to set up for her, but she has run well against Songbird and she’s
improving.”
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