Ted Noffey, Gstaad Impress in Breeders' Cup Opener

Spendthrift Farm’s TED NOFFEY ($3.60) lived up to his heavily-backed favoritism by posting a one-length victory over Mr. A.P. to win the 42nd running of the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) Friday afternoon at Del Mar for two-year-olds.

The Juvenile was one of five Breeders’ Cup World Championship races on Halloween, setting the table for the nine-race Cup extravaganza on November 1. The wagering statistics are below and both the all sources and on-track numbers dipped this year.

Ted Noffey, a light grey colt by the great Into Mischief from the Old Fashioned mare Streak of Luck, came into the the Juvenile with three handy wins from three starts including scores in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga and Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. The $650,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase had just five rivals after the late scratch of Blackout Time and earlier scratch of Civil Liberty. Ted Noffey’s main rival, Brant, unbeaten in two sprints, put up a good fight after setting a modest early pace, even drawing even again with Ted Noffey in deep stretch before the favourite edged clear.

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Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Velazquez, Ted Noffey covered the mile and a sixteenth over a fast track in 1:42.25. The victory is the 16th Breeders’ Cup win overall for Pletcher and fifth in the Juvenile and for Velazquez it is his 22nd World Championship victory and third in the Juvenile, all on Pletcher-trained horses.

John Velazquez: “I was very confident. The only thing he did a little bit was he idled really bad at the eighth pole, getting to that shadow between the building, and he kind of waited. After that, he passed the shadow and the two horses came in and he went back in and re-engaged again.

Todd Pletcher: “It pretty much unfolded like we thought it would. Just glad that he was able to keep finding more. He fought back. I thought for a second like, ‘Oh man.’ But when they came to him, he kind of got serious again.”

PEDIGREE NOTES: Ted Noffey is the second foal of stakes winner Streak of Luck, who won six of 30 races including the Lady Canterbury Stakes. Streak of Luck earned over $352,000. Her first foal is the winner Fully Authorized.

Second dam Valeria won two of 18 races, has four winning siblings and her dam, Lindsay Jean, won the Grade 3 Brown Bess Stakes and four other stakes.

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Trainer AIDAN O’BRIEN picked up his 21st Breeders’ Cup win, one more than D. Wayne Lukas, and his 26th Group 1 this year when GSTAAD (GB) took the long way home to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) worth $1 million.

Despite drawing post 14 for the one-mile turf event and exiting a step slow behind the field, Gstaad was angled to the inside after a sluggish start by jockey Christophe Soumillion as Outfielder set fractions of :22.20 and :46.52 while being tracked by Hey Nay Nay (IRE). On the far turn, Gstaad began picking off horses with a wide, sweeping move that propelled him to the front by mid-stretch.

Stark Contrast, ridden by champion Canadian jockey Kazushi Kimura, got out of traffic and rallied for second at 28-to-1 and he was 2 ¼ lengths in front of North Coast (IRE), trainer by O’Brien’s son Joseph.

Gstaad, bred by Maywood Stud and owned by Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Mrs. John Magnier, was a $596,000 weanling purchase at the 2023 Tattersalls December Foal sale. He won his first two career starts including the Coventry Stakes and then had three straight second-place finishes by a head, neck and 3/4 of a length in Group 1 races.

Soumillon: “I heard it asked why I hadn’t won a Breeders’ Cup in 20 years, but it’s like winning a British classic, you’ve got to have a proper horse. I was loaded last, and when the guy who put me in the gate went backwards, he got a bit scared and turned his head and they opened the gates. I think if I had been loaded before the last, I think he would have jumped nearly in front because he’s got that much speed. I was quite happy to be able to get him in, because doing three- or four-deep on the first corner is not a big advantage. Finally, we came into the last turn, he was cruising and I knew he was doing everything well. When I came into the straight I knew it was game over.”

The victory was worth $520,000 and increased Gstaad’s earnings to $993,157 with a record 6-3-3-0. Gstaad is a son of Starspangledbanner (AUS) out of the Exceed And Excel (AUS) mare Mosa Mine (GB).

Mosa Mine was placed and her first four foals include Prix Morny (G1) and Middle Park Stakes (G1) winner Vandeek, who entered stud this year.

Gstaad (14), ridden by jockey Christophe Soumillon, wins the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Breeders’ Cup Championship Friday at Del Mar. (Casey Laughter and Scott Serio/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders Cup)

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From Woodbine to the Breeders’ Cup, CY FAIR won the Juvenile Turf Sprint and became only the second filly to win the five-furlong dash. The dark bay won Woodbine’s Algonquin Stakes on October 5 under Sahin Civaci with a devastating run and she proved it was legitimate on Cup day.

Trained by George Weaver for the partnership of Medallion Racing (a syndicate through Taylor Made Farm), Swinbank Stables (Regan Swinbank), Joey Platts and Mark Stanton, Cy Fair and jockey Irad Ortiz roared past pacesetting Schwarzenegger in the upper stretch en route to a three-quarter-length victory over a fast-closing Brussels (GB) to win the eighth running of the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1)

Cy Fair covered the 5 furlongs on a firm turf course in :56.02. It is the first Breeders’ Cup victory for Weaver and 21st for Ortiz and his fourth in this race.

Swinbank named Cy Fair for his mother’s high school.

Weaver: “She’s been a bullet all year long. Frankly, I don’t know how she got beat the second time we ran her in a stake. But she looked fantastic at Woodbine, like a super, special horse. She came over here and did it against the best in the world. We’re thrilled.”

Cy Fair won her career debut in July at Saratoga at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf and was second by a neck in the Bolton Landing Stakes. She was bred by Marc Keller and was a $185,000 Ocala April two-year-olf purchase.

Kiss Kiss: Cy Fair (10), ridden by jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., wins the Juvenile Turf Sprint on Breeders Cup Championship Friday at Del Mar. (Sophie Shore/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders Cup)

PEDIGREE NOTES: Cy Fair is by the amazing Not This Time, who has been sizzling hot in 2025. The filly’s dam is Remarqued, By Arch, who won one of 14 races and is a half-sister to stakes winner Crimson Advocate, a fast turf sprinter. This is the first foal to race for Remarqued.

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SUPER CORREDORA, by Gun Runner, gave jockey Hector Berrios his first Breeders’ Cup win as she battled hard on the pace and won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) worth $2 million. Trained by John Sadler for West Point Thoroughbreds, Spartan Equine Racing LLC, Robert Gardiner and Michael Olszewski, Super Corredora was 8-to-1 and coming off an 8 1/4 length maiden win at Santa Anita in her third career race. The $400,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase impressed with a big workout on October 24, showing a long stride and plenty of power.

Super Corredora outraced favoured Explora and La Wally to the first turn and set fractions of :22.42 and :45.63 while maintaining a clear advantage. She maintained that edge into the stretch and had enough to hold off Explora with Percy’s Bar another 3 lengths back in third. The time was 1:43.71.

PEDIGREE NOTES: Super Corredora’s dam is Super Simple, by Super Saver and she won 1 of 11 races. Super Simple is from the stakes winner Simplify, whose half sister Classify won five stakes and $336,000. This is the second foal for Super Simple and her first, Gunite Max, is a winner.

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The most perplexing winner of the first day of the Breeders’ Cup was BALANTINA (IRE) at 20-to-1 in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf. A one-time winner from five starts in Ireland, Balantina and jockey Oisin Murphy were outrun early behind a hot pace.

Switch in Love (JPN) set the blistering pace of :22.33 and :45.96 and maintained the lead going into the far turn when Ground Support challenged to her outside and Balantina began picking off horses from the back of the pack. Ground Support opened up in the stretch, only to have Balantina roar past her on the inside and draw clear for the victory. Pacific Mission (GB) rallied late to get second by a head over Ground Support. The time was 1:35.07.

Ballantina, a $108,000 Deauville yearling purchase by Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never), was second by a nose in the Group 3 Six Perfections Stakes at Deauville for trainer Donnacha O’Brien, son of Aidan. But the filly was dull in the Group 2 Debutante Stakes in August and that led to her long odds. The young O’Brien, a former jockey, began training in 2019.

Donnacha O’Brien on his first Breeders’ Cup win: “This is very special. It was fantastic. Precise (IRE) is a champion filly, so when she was scratched it made it a little bit easier for us, but it’s incredible. Oisin was majestic on her. She was slow away, but when he got her on the rail he had the luck and had enough filly beneath to go and win the race, so it’s brilliant.”

The winner is another one owned by Medallion Racing, who shares the filly with Steve and Debbie Weston’s Parkland Thoroughbreds, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Lissa McNulty. The Westons and Medallion had the filly Porta Fortuna finish second in the Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2023.

PEDIGREE NOTES: Balantina’s sire Ten Sovereigns (who was ridden by Donnacha O’Brien) was a top-notch sprinter, winning the Group 1 July Cup and Middle Park Stakes. He currently stands in Turkey. Balantina’s dam is Balankiyla by Montjeu and she was a winner and has also produced Group 3 winner Baiykara. This is a pedigree from the Aga Khan.