Big Al's Breeders Cup Juvenile Preview

The Breeders Cup Juvenile is one of the most exciting races of Championship Weekend and the most important race to be contested on Friday when all the Breeders Cup races feature the two-year-olds.  It's our first big look at the leading contenders for the next year's Kentucky Derby but this year's Juvenile will be a bit different.  The horse who most people consider the leading two-year-old Colt at this point -- U.S.S Valor -- is skipping the BC Juvenile because his trainer, Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey, wants a longer on-ramp to the Derby and doesn't consider the timing of the Breeders Cup to be optimal.  Simply put, the connections of the best two-year-old in the country feel there is a better path to success in 2027.  And the Juvenile hasn't proven to be a crucial stepping stone to the Derby anyway, as the last Juvenile winner to wear the Blanket of Roses the following May was Nyquist in 2015.

   

Just because U.S.S. Valor won't be running doesn't make this race any less compelling, There are some major players in here -- likely two from Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher and one each from Brad Cox and Chad Brown.  Below is a preview of some of the horses we feel will be the major players when the Juvenile Colts go post-ward in Race 9 (approximately 4:55 pm ET) on Friday, October 30 at Keeneland Race Course.

   

Hughes:  Surprise, surprise -- One of the favorites in this year's Breeders Cup Juvenile will be a well-bred colt trained by Bob Baffert.  This son of leading sire Into Mischief is venturing away from the West Coast for the first time but that hasn't prevented Baffert from winning this race before.  And Hughes has done nothing wrong in his young career, winning all four of his California races, including the Grade 1 American Pharoah and Del Mar Futurity.  Regular rider Juan Hernandez should travel east for the mount.

   

American History:  This lightly-raced son of Constitution is one of two colts trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher who are pointed for the Juvenile.  American History has only raced twice coming into the Breeders Cup but both of those have been impressive wins.  His latest score was right here at Keeneland in the Grade 1 Breeders Futurity when he beat the highly-regarded Coach Pope on October 3.  Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez has won this race twice previously, most recently in 2023 with the Pletcher-trained Fierceness.

   

Gaudreau:  Although U.S.S. Valor is skipping the BC Juvenile, the horse who finished second to him in the Champagne Stakes will be here.  Gaudreau is a speedy colt trained by Chad Brown and after beating both U.S.S. Valor and Coach Pope in his debut maiden race, U.S.S. Valor flipped the script on him in the Champagne at Belmont on October 3.  It remains to be seen how Gaudreau will do around two turns and if he is perhaps better suited to sprint races, but the connections feel he's earned the right to be here.  Named for a former NHL star who tragically passed away, Gaudreau's sire Nyquist (also named for an NHL player) is the last horse to complete the Juvenile-Kentucky Derby double.

   

Coach Pope:  This son of Tapit trained by Kenny McPeek was thought to be the top two-year-old racing on the Kentucky Circuit until he was upset by American History in the 1 1/16 mile Breeders Futurity right here at Keeneland.  Coach Pope will look to turn the tables on American History in the Juvenile as McPeek looks for his second victory in the Breeders Cup (he took home the Distaff trophy in 2024 with the great race filly Thorpedo Anna).  Red-hot jockey Jose Ortiz will have to decide between this one and the Baffert horse Salahudin (see below).

   

Salahudin:  Here is the second likely Bob Baffert-trained participant in the Juvenile.  Like his stablemate Hughes, this son of Uncle Mo has done nothing wrong so far, winning all three of his starts.  But unlike Hughes, when Baffert decided to keep a string of horses in Kentucky this Spring for the first time, he brought this one with him, so Salahudin has all of his race experience here in the state (although he has yet to race at Keeneland).  Salahudin has also improved his speed figure with each race.  This speedy colt is owned by Amr Zedan who campaigned Medina Spirit -- famous for crossing finishing line first in the 2021 Kentucky Derby but who was later DQ'd for a drug violation.

   

QB Rocket:  Trainer Brad Cox is usually loaded with two-year-old prospects this time of year but for whatever reason his barn feels a little light in 2026.  The best of his Juveniles at this point is this son of Gun Runner who has only raced twice coming into the Breeders Cup.  After breaking his maiden over the summer at Saratoga, QB Rocket got into a bit of a speed duel with Coach Pope in his second start in the Breeders Futurity here at Keeneland and ended up finishing third.  Look for jockey Junior Alvarado to be a little more patient today as QB Rocket's pedigree suggests he should have no problem with the 1 1/16 mile distance.  You'll get a very nice price on him as well.

Good luck, as always,
Al McMordie