It was a full day of amazing races at the 42nd Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on November 1. The World Championships will be held at Keeneland in 2026 and the newly-refurbished Belmont in 2027.
Here are the recaps:
FILLY & MARE SPRINT
By Talla Racing’s Splendora ($7.80) roared past her favoured stablemate Hope Road at the top of the stretch and drew off for a 4 ¾-length victory over Vahva to win the 19th running of the $1 million PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) to kick off nine World Championships races Saturday afternoon at Del Mar.
Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, Splendora completed 7 furlongs on the fast main track in 1:21.79. It is the 20th victory in the World Championships for Baffert and second in this race and it is the eighth Breeders’ Cup win for Prat.
Haulin Ice led a three-horse scramble for the lead through an opening quarter-mile of :22.12 before Hope Road took over exiting the backstretch. Hope Road held the advantage around the turn but Prat was launching a wide bid on Splendora that drew them on even terms at the head of the lane.
Hope Road offered no resistance as Splendora rocketed past to secure her first graded-stakes victory. The victory was worth $520,000 and increased her earnings to $860,800 with a record of 10-5-4-0. Splendora is a four-year-old Maryland-bred daughter of Audible out of the Frost Giant mare Miss Freeze.
MILE
The Woodbine Mile (G1) has been a superb prep race for horses heading to the Breeders’ Cup Mile and that was the case this year with NOTABLE SPEECH (GB). The race that spawned exciting Cup stars such as Wise Dan and Tepin was held on the inner turf this year and did not have a strong field, but no matter, its winner was a good one.
Godolphin’s homebred NOTABLE SPEECH (GB) ($7.20) found running room along the rail in the stretch and burst through for a scintillating 1 1/2-length victory over Formidable Man to win the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) Presented by PDJF for three-year-olds and up.
Trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, Notable Speech covered the mile on a firm turf course in 1:33.66. It is the fourth time Appleby and Buick have teamed up to win the Mile. Appleby has 12 World Championships victories and Buick 10.
Longshots One Stripe (SAF) and Qirat (GB) led the field of 13 through fractions of :22.59 and :46.76 as Notable Speech saved ground in midpack. On the turn, Rhetorical made a huge sweeping move that propelled him to the front in the stretch where he opened a daylight advantage. However, Buick had a clear path along the inside and rushed past Rhetorical at midstretch and drew off for the victory.
Formidable Man (City of Light), trained by Mike McCarthy, was coming off two straight graded stakes wins.
Ontario-bred Gas Me Up, trained by Kevin Attard, finished seventh, beaten 4 1/4 lengths.
A four-year-old son of Dubawi (IRE) out of the Invincible Spirit (IRE) mare Swift Rose (IRE), Notable Speech earned his fourth Grade or Group 1 victory and boosted his earnings to $3,190,342 with Saturday’s $1,040,000 payday. His record stands at 14-7-1-1
TURF
Trainer WILLIE MULLINS is the most successful conditioner in Cheltenham Festival jump racing history and this April, his horses finished 1-2-3 in the Grand National.
In July 2023, Mullins obtained ETHICAL DIAMOND (Ire) for HOS Syndicate, who had bought the gelding by Awtaad (Ire) for $434,000 at a Horses of Racing Age sale. The gelding had won one of three races and Mullins prepared him to be a hurdle horse. He won a maiden hurdle this past February at Punchestown. When the gelding won the $600,000 Ebor Handicap at 1 3/4 miles at York in August, Mullins wanted to point the horse to the Melbourne Cup, except that he was not permitted to run due to having a screw in one leg for a fracture.
The Breeders’ Cup Turf was then the goal. On Saturday, Ethical Diamond and jockey Dylan McMonagle flew around stars such as Minnie Hauk and two-time Turf winner Rebel’s Romance to win by 1 1/4 lengths in a course record 2:25.45. The gelding was 25-to-1 after walking into the gate at 50-to-1.
Mullins, incidentally, saddles ABSURDE in the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday (Monday in Canada).
Ethical Diamond (14), ridden by jockey Dylan McMonagle, wins the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf on Breeders’ Cup Championship Saturday at Del Mar. (Bill Denver/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders Cup)
DIRT MILE
Baoma Corp.’s Nysos ($3.40) wore down stablemate Citizen Bull in the shadow of the wire to post a head victory in the 19th running of the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) for three-year-olds and up Saturday afternoon at Del Mar.
Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, the winner completed the mile on the fast main track in 1:34.71. It was Baffert’s second victory of these Championships and 21st overall to put him in a tie with Aidan O’Brien for the most Breeders’ Cup victories all time.
Prat also won his second race of these Championships for nine overall and two in the Dirt Mile.
Citizen Bull, also trained by Baffert and winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) here last year, was pressured by last year’s Dirt Mile winner Full Serrano (ARG) and Touch of Destiny (URU) as Nysos received a ground-saving trip from Prat through fractions of :21.74 and :44.96. On the far turn, Citizen Bull disposed of his two closest pursuers, but Prat had moved Nysos off the rail and began to close the gap. It took the length of the stretch, but Nysos finally pushed past in the final yards. Superstar WHITE ABARRIO was a vet scratch in the post parade.
Nysos, a $130,000 weanling, $150,000 yearling and $550,000 Ocala April two-year-old, is a four-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Nyquist out of the Bernardini mare Zetta Z. The victory was his sixth in seven starts and his first Grade 1 triumph. With Saturday’s $520,000 cheque, he increased his earnings to $1,118,500.
Zetta Z was unraced and she has three other winners from six other named foals. One of her foals, Attabe, was third in the Ruling Angel Stakes at Woodbine in 2023 for Mark Dodson and Josie Carroll. Attabe is entered in next week’s Fasig Tipton sale.
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Quotes:
Winning and second-place trainer Bob Baffert (Nysos and Citizen Bull) – “It should have been a dead heat! I knew I was going to win. Citizen Bull caught another gear and Nysos – he hadn’t run in a while – he dug in and it was just unbelievable. We work so hard and there are so many ups and downs and you just want to be able to cheer for them coming down the stretch.
“That Citizen Bull, he looked like a champion that he was last year. Nysos is a great horse. It was actually his first Grade 1 win; a lot of people thought he was a superstar. They were on their bellies and they ran … what a race. It’s a shame that one of them had to lose.”
Nysos (left) ridden by jockey Flavien Prat, wins the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. (Tere Poplin/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders Cup)
DISTAFF
This was one of the races on Saturday that notified everyone the track was speed-favouring. Juddmonte’s homebred Scylla ($17.20) went to the front through wild pace fractions of 22.27 and 45.75 and kept going, winning the 1 1/8 mile Distaff by 5 1/2 lengths for Juddmonte and trainer Bill Mott. Junior Alvarado rode the winner.
Scylla, fourth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), began to cruise unopposed as the three-year-old Nitrogen moved into second only to have Scylla expand her lead. Nitrogen held second by a half-length over Regaled, who rallied from far back to get third.
The victory, her first Grade 1 after four placings at that level, was worth $1,040,000 to increase her earnings to $2,287,795 with a record of 16-6-5-3. Scylla is a five-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Tapit out of the First Defence mare Close Hatches.
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Quotes:
Winning trainer Bill Mott (Scylla) – “I didn’t know how it would go. She broke, she put him there and Junior (Alvarado) had the good sense not to drag her back. When you let them go the lead, there is a risk that you are going to go fast. And she did. And she kept going. I was a little worried she might come back to them. I kept watching and she turned for home and opened up two (lengths). She ran a two-turn race out here last year (G1 Clement Hirsch, finished second) and she didn’t get the distance last year.”
Second-place trainer Mark Casse (Nitrogen) – “I’m proud of her. She ran her butt off. I think we know who the champion three-year-old filly is now. That’s what I wanted for her. I think she earned it today.”
TURF SPRINT
Morplay Racing and Qatar Racing’s Shisospicy ($12.60) went to the front out of the gate and held the advantage all the way around to post a 2 ½-length victory over Ag Bullet to win the 19th running of the $1 million Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) for three-year-olds and up Saturday afternoon at Del Mar.
Trained by Jose D’Angelo and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Shisospicy covered the 5 furlongs on a firm turf course in :55.24. It is the first victory in the World Championships for D’Angelo and the 22nd for Ortiz and second in this race.
Shisospicy was challenged early by Invincible Papa (AUS) with Ag Bullet tracking a close third through an opening quarter-mile in :21.75. She maintained a daylight advantage on the field through the turn and opened up in the stretch and was not challenged in the run to the finish.
The victory was worth $520,000 and improved Shisospicy’s earnings to $2,090,270 with a record of 9-6-1-1 that now includes three graded-stakes victories. Shisospicy is a three-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Mitole out of the Into Mischief mare Mischief Galore.
Note – Mischief Galoe’s dam is Ontario-bred Grade 3 stakes winner Maren’s Meadow. Maren’s Meadow’s third dam is Broodmare of the Year Cool Mood.
SPRINT
Leon King Stable Corp.’s Bentornato ($5.40), second in this race last year, lived up to his role as the favourite this time around in scoring a 2 ¼-length victory over Imagination in the 42nd running of the $2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) for three-year-olds and up Saturday afternoon at Del Mar.
Just days before the Sprint, Michael and Jules Iavarone bought 25 percent of the colt for $1 million at the Keeneland Digital sale.
Trained by Jose D’Angelo and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Bentornato covered 6 furlongs on the fast main track in 1:08.20. The victory completed a consecutive race sweep for D’Angelo and Ortiz, who won the Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) 40 minutes before with Shisospicy.
It is D’Angelo’s second Breeders’ Cup victory and 23rd for Ortiz with four coming in the Sprint. Bentornato emerged with the lead out of the gate with defending champion Straight No Chaser and American Stage pressing him through opening fractions of :21.48 and :44.14. Approaching the top of the stretch, Bentornato put away Straight No Chaser and opened up on the field with none of the closers making any headway.
Bentornato increased his earnings to $2,322,180 with Saturday’s $1,040,000 cheque. In winning his first Grade 1 race, the four-year-old Florida-bred son of Valiant Minister out of the Put It Back mare Her Special Way improved his record to 11-7-2-2.
FILLY & MARE TURF
Peter Brant’s Gezora (FR) ($20.20) surged past She Feels Pretty in deep stretch to post a half-length victory in the 27th running of the $2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Turf (G1) at Del Mar to close out the 42nd World Championships.
Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and ridden by Mickael Barzalona, Gezora completed the mile and three-eighths over a firm turf course in 2:12.54. It is the first World Championship victory for Graffard and second for Barzalona.
Longshot Be Your Best (IRE) led the field of 13 through fractions of :24.36, :47.43 and 1:11.17 while being tracked by five-time Grade 1 winner She Feels Pretty. Going into the far turn, She Feels Pretty took command while Gezora began closing in from midpack. She Feels Pretty dug in during the run to the wire only to be passed inside the sixteenth pole by Gezora.
The victory was worth $1,040,000 and increased her earnings to $2,037,412 with a record of 10- 5-2-1 that includes two Grade or Group 1 victories. Gezora is a three-year-old daughter of Almanzor (FR) out of the Silver Hawk mare Germance.
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