Future Stars Friday, day 1 of the 41st Breeders’ Cup World Championships, was fairly formful, but there were several unlucky horses in some big fields.
East Avenue and Al Qudra were among the very troubled juveniles during the day which saw Aidan O’Brien win two of the five races and the Euros win three of the five.
The Japanese horses did not fare well. Several came out with four bandages and got quite sweaty.
$63 million was wagered, the second highest in Cup history.
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE – G1
CITIZEN BULL –c. by Into Mischief – No Joke by Distorted Humor
$675,000 Keeneland September Yearling
Br – Robert and Lawana Low – Ky
Owners SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables
Trainer – Bob Baffert. Jockey – Martin Garcia
1:43.07 – 96 Beyer Speed Figure
Once favoured EAST AVENUE stumbled badly out of the gate, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile was a free-for-all. And once CITIZEN BULL got an easy lead and set modest pace fractions, the race was over. Winner of the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita in last start, Citizen Bull held his stablemate Gaming safe to win by 1 1/2 lengths and earned $1,040,000 from the $2 million purse. It was Bob Baffert’s sixth win in the Juvenile.
Citizen Bull is from the unraced mare No Joke who has had two previous foals but no winners. Second dam Unenchantedevening has produced eight winners including 2-time Grade 1 winner Moonshine Memories. And Unenchantedvening is a half sister to Horse of the Year Favorite Trick.
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF-G1
HENRI MATTISE (IRE) – b.c. Wooten Bassett (GB) – Immortal Verse (Ire) by Pivotal (GB)
Bred by Immortal Verse Syndicate (Ire)
Owners: Magnier, Tabor, Smith, Merriebel Stable. Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
Jockey – Ryan Moore
1 mile turf – 1:34.48
Another dramatic incident in a Breeders’ Cup race as AL QUDRA clipped heels and stumbled badly in deep stretch, causing James Doyle to lose his irons.
Meanwhile, from post 12, Ryan Moore had Henri Matisse, winner of his first three career starts including the Group 2 Railway Stakes and Irish EBF Futurity, in the two path and in the back, angled the colt out and stormed to grab the win by a head. Iron Man Cal, by Collected, was second at 29-to-1 while Godolphin’s Aomori City (Fr) flew along for 3rd. Woodbine-based Dream On was fifth. Summer Stakes one-two finishers New Century flattened out and landed fourth while Al Qudra clipped heels in the stretch and nearly fell down.
This was the seventh win in this race for Aidan O’Brien.
Henri Matisse is a son of the Group 1 winning millionaire Immortal Verse, winner of the Prix Jacques le Marois among other races. This is the sixth named for Immortal Verse who has produced Group 1 winner Tenebrism.
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES TURF – G1
LAKE VICTORIA (IRE)
Frankel (GB) – Quiet Reflection (GB) by Showcasing (GB)
Breeder: Coolmore (Ire). Owners: Magnier, Tabor, Smith
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
Jockey – Ryan Moore
Heavily-favoured LAKE VICTORIA looked like a mature woman in a field full of little girls as she came onto the track for the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
The undefeated gal made easy work of those fillies to win the one mile turf race in slightly faster time than the colts went, 1:34.28. Lake Victoria came from well off the pace to win and fillies behind her early in the race finished second and third. May Day Ready (Tapit) was second and Mark Casse trainee NITROGEN (Medagloa d’Oro) was really motoring to get third at 49 to 1.
D J Stable owns and bred Nitrogen who was third in the Natalama (G1).
Lake Victoria is a daughter of Commonwealth Cup (G1) winner Quiet Reflection ($807,687).
JUVENILE FILLIES – G1
IMMERSIVE
b.f. Nyquist – Gap Year by Bernardini
Owner/breeder: Godolphin (Ky). Trainer: Brad Cox.
Jockey: Manny Franco
Immersive was hard-ridden to stay in touch with an absolutely maniacal pace and it worked as she forged ahead to remain unbeaten after four races. The Alcibiades and Spinaway winner beat Vodka With a Twist and Quickick in 1:44.36.
Front-runner Nooni went in 22 flat and 44.99 under Flavien Prat and simply made a mess of the 1 1/16 mile race.
Immersive is from the 2012 mare Gap Year who won three of 12 races. Gap Year has one other winner from one foal to race. Third dam Sassy Pants is a stakes winner and dam of Grade 2 winners Madcap Escapade and Dubai Escapade.
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1)
MAGNUM FORCE (IRE)
Owner: Abdulla Alkhalifa. Breeder: same.
Trainer: Ger Lyons. Jockey: Colin Keane.
Colt by Mehmas (Ire) – Tropical Rock (GB) by Fastnet Rock (ASus).
Most thought a Euro would win this race, but not many thought it would be Magnum Force, a maiden winner and Group 2-placed in his latest behind fellow starters Aesterious and Big Mojo.
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