Kicking off the 36th World Championships was the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2), a 5 furlong dash around 1 turn of the infield turf at Santa Anita for 2-year-old colts and geldings. Kicking off the World Championships, the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) featured 12 two-year-olds going 5 furlongs around one turn of the turf. Rosies Stakes and Futurity Stakes (G3) winner Four Wheel Drive was sent off as the 3-2 favorite. In to challenge him included 5-2 second choice Kimari, runner-up in the Queen Mary (G2) before winning the Bolton Landing and Indian Summer, and 6-1 third choice A'Ali, winner of the Flying Childers (G2).
Four Wheel Drive draws away in the stretch.
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. sent Four Wheel Drive to the lead down the backstretch and around the turn through fractions of 21.55 and 44.03 while pressed by 12-1 Chimney Rock and stalked by 51-1 Dream Shot. Four Wheel Drive opened a 1 1/2 length lead midstretch and easily held off the steadily closing Chimney Rock to win by 3/4 length in 55.66. It was another 1 1/2 lengths back to 19-1 Another Miracle third.
Four Wheel Drive wins the Juvenile Turf
The Juvenile Turf Sprint
Purse: $1,000,000 Distance: 5 furlongs turf
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show
9 Four Wheel Drive Ortiz Jr. 5.00 3.40 3.00
1 Chimney Rock Ortiz 8.20 5.40
3 Another Miracle Franco 7.80
Winning Time: :55.66
$1 Exacta 9-1 23.10
$1 Trifecta 9-1-3 207.70
$1 Superfecta 9-1-3-7 802.00
Left: Four Wheel Drive heads to the winner's circle. Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, "I got a good trip. He broke good and put me on the lead. He was relaxed and turning for home when I asked him, he responded. He ran really well. He's a nice horse."
Right: Trainer Wesley Ward and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. celebrate with the trophy.
Left: Four Wheel Drive in the post parade.
Right: Four Wheel Drive heads back to the barn after the race. Winning trainer Wesley Ward said, "He's a very, very talented colt. He's done nothing wrong so far, he's 3 for 3, he's got a big, big future next year as a three-year-old. We're all real excited. It's always nervous jitters when you're coming through here trying to get here and trying to get something done, and to actually do it with an American Pharoah is the first crop, everybody's got such high expectations for him, and to get it done on the big stage like this in the Breeders' Cup is just unbelievable."
Left: Second place finisher Chimney Rock in the post parade. Trainer Mike Maker said, "He ran great. No complaints. We'll get through today and figure it out tomorrow. I don't think five furlongs is his best distance, so we have been trying to keep him a little sharper and close to the pace and that worked out."
Right: Third place finisher Another Miracle returns after the race next to Chimney Rock. Trainer Gary Contessa said, "He's smaller in stature and he really got beat up going down the backside. He was like a ping pong ball, just in the wrong place with three or four horses inside of him and three outside of him, and you see him beat up. Then to overcome that and come running and finish third, I thought he ran a heck of a race. I'm very proud of him today. He goes back to New York Sunday morning and then probably on to Florida. I doubt he's going to run again this year."
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Review: Crushing the Cup 2019 - by Jim Mazur and Peter Mallett. An invaluable tool for trying to unlock the mysteries of handicapping the Breeders' Cup races at Santa Anita.
2018 Breeders' Cup Saturday Results - The feature race was the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic won by Accelerate. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 9 races here.
2018 Breeders' Cup Friday Results - Friday was headlined by the $2 million Juvenile won by Game Winner. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 5 races here.
Breeders' Cup History - Historical info, past results, and photos from previous runnings
The Breeders' Cup Championship Day - The official page for the Breeders' Cup championship races. Just about anything you need to know about it: results, video clips, and race calls for past years, and eventually nominations, entries, and results.
Free Prep Replays - for major prep races in the Breeders' Cup Challenge. The ones with camera logos have video available.
Breeders' Cup Postcards - Breeders' Cup theme virtual postcards to send your friends including many past winners
Breeders' Cup Supplemental Entries - The old official policy on supplemental entries plus all the supplemental entries and how they fared, mostly it was a losing proposition. There are no more supplements now, only late nominations making it impossible to track since the change.
Left: Four Wheel Drive heads to the winner's circle. Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, "I got a good trip. He broke good and put me on the lead. He was relaxed and turning for home when I asked him, he responded. He ran really well. He's a nice horse."
Left: Four Wheel Drive in the post parade.
Left: Second place finisher Chimney Rock in the post parade. Trainer Mike Maker said, "He ran great. No complaints. We'll get through today and figure it out tomorrow. I don't think five furlongs is his best distance, so we have been trying to keep him a little sharper and close to the pace and that worked out."
