Ted Noffey (L), ridden by John Velazquez, edges Brant, with Flavien Prat up, to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile during 42nd running of the Breeders’ Cup Championships at Del Mar, Calif., on Friday. Photo by Mark Abraham/UPI | License Photo
DEL MAR, Calif., Oct. 31 (UPI) — Ted Noffey battled his chief rival into submission at mid-stretch in Friday’s $2 million Grade I FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar and ran on to win by 1 length, remaining undefeated and stamping himself the early favorite for the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
The Juvenile was the highlight of a five-race Breeders’ Cup program, all for 2-year-olds. Another nine races are on tap Saturday, with the $7 million Grade I Classic as the feature.
$2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
Ted Noffey, trained at Saratoga by Todd Pletcher, and Brant, handled by California-based trainer Bob Baffert, were the overwhelming favorites in the Juvenile field.
As expected, Brant went right to the lead, shadowed by Ted Noffey. The latter drew even around the turn and edged ahead by mid-stretch.
Brant, whose longest previous race was 7 furlongs, was passed by long shot Mr. A.P. in the closing strides and settled for third as Ted Noffey finished 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.25.
“We had the target in front of us, the horse we had to beat,” winning rider John Velazquez said. “I was very confident and we took him real easily.”
Ted Noffey, a gray son of Into Mischief, extended his win streak to four. The last three were Grade I events — the Hopeful at Saratoga, the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland and the Juvenile.
The Juvenile win vaulted him to the top of Churchill Downs’ “Road to the Kentucky Derby” leaderboard, but the Juvenile-Derby double is no sure thing. Only two horses have turned the trick since the inauguration of the Breeders’ Cup in 1984.
Victory in the Juvenile was turning into something of a Derby jinx before Street Sense finally reprised a victory in the 2006 Juvenile with a Derby win the following year. Nyquist followed in 2015-16.
The 2024 Juvenile winner, Citizen Bull, finished 15th in this year’s Run for the Roses and is entered in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
The $2 million NetJets Juvenile Fillies
Super Corredora shot out to the early lead in Juvenile Fillies and never relinquished it, rolling home 3/4 length ahead of Explora, who chased all the way. Percy’s Bar was third as Super Corredora finished the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.71 for jockey Hector Berrios.
Her only previous win came in a Santa Anita maiden race Oct. 11, and she was an 8-1 long shot Saturday.
The Gun Runner filly, trained by John Sadler for a partnership, jumped to the top of the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” leaderboard and typically would be considered the early favorite for that race.
However, the Breeders’ Cup-Kentucky Oaks double has been as elusive for the fillies as for the colts. Only Open Mind in 1988 and 1989 and Silverbulletday 10 years later have accomplished that feat. Fran’s Valentine finished first in the inaugural Juvenile Fillies in 1984, but was disqualified and placed 10th, and then won the 1985 Kentucky Oaks.
The $1 million Juvenile Turf
Gstaad salvaged an otherwise disappointing day for trainer Aidan O’Brien and the Irish Coolmore “lads” with a perfectly timed, come-from-behind victory in the Juvenile Turf.
The Starspangledbanner colt started from the No. 14 gate, but gained a pace-stalking position heading into the first turn. Jockey Christophe Soumillon hit the accelerator around the second turn and the colt circled the leaders to get home first by 3/4 length. Long shot Stark Contrast was second and North Coast third.
O’Brien said he felt Gstaad had been unlucky in finishing second in each of his three previous races in France, Ireland and England, all Group 1 contests. He now takes his place on a squad of Coolmore 2-year-olds poised to take on the 2026 Classics.
O’Brien also takes his place atop the list of Breeders’ Cup-winning trainers. Gstaad’s victory was the trainer’s 21st, now one more than the late D. Wayne Lukas, with whom he had been tied.
The $1 million John Deere Juvenile Fillies Turf
Three long shots, all coming from the outside gates, stormed home at the head of the field in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, with 20-1 chance Balantina in front by 1 1/4 lengths. Pacific Mission, at 14-1, and Ground Support, 24-1, filled out the trifecta.
Balantina, an Irish-bred miss by Ten Sovereigns, came with a late rush along the rail after trailing a blistering pace set by Japan’s Switch in Love. She had only one previous win and was last seen a well-beaten fifth in a Group 2 event in Ireland.
Oisin Murphy, who rode Saturday, also was aboard for Balantina’s previous score.
The big prerace favorite, Irish-trained Precise, was scratched the morning of the race with blood work indicating an infection and generating two ironies.
Precise was drawn No. 14, the only slot outside the first three finishers, with outside gates seen as a handicap. And the winner is trained by Donnacha O’Brien, son of Precise’s trainer, Aidan O’Brien. The scratch, announced Saturday morning, was the first blow to the O’Brien hopes.
The $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint
New York-trained Cy Fair held off Ireland’s Brussels by 3/4 length in the opening Breeders’ Cup heat. Cy Fair, a daughter of red-hot sire Not This Time, took the lead in the lane, and Brussels, who missed the break badly in the 5-furlong race, didn’t quite have time to recover.
Cy Fair, one of five fillies in the 11-horse sprint, finished in 56.02 seconds under Irad Ortiz Jr.
Long shot Aspect Island, a British invader with Frankie Dettori up, finished third. The favorite, True Love, started almost as poorly as Brussels and finished eighth as O’Brien, who trains both Brussels and True Love, saw his ultrabright prospects in the juvenile races evaporate in the California sunshine — until Gstaad’s last-race victory.
