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Kennedy Road Stakes Betty Grable Stakes Breeders Cup Wrap Up Breeders Cup Saturday Breeders Cupnbsp;Friday |
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 Jockey Ryusei Sakai celebrates with Forever Young after winning the Classic |
The 2025 Breeders' Cup World Championships ended on Saturday at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in north San Diego County, California with nine races, all with year-end championship implications, five of which were conducted over the 1 mile main track. Conditions were similar to Friday, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid 60's for the 35,173 fans in attendance, and the main track rated fast.
Total all-sources handle for the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club was $180,036,799, the third highest total handle in the history of the event and an increase over the 2024 total handle of $179,218,631. Total common-pool handle on Saturday's 12-race Breeders' Cup card was $118,028,444. On-track handle for the two days was $18,079,169.
 Forever Young wins the Classic |
Jockey Florent Geroux sent 66-1 longest shot Contrary Thinking to the lead first time by through fractions of 23.04, 45.97, and 1:10.48 while pressed by Forever Young and stalked by Fierceness. Turning for home Contrary Thinking tired badly as Forever Young took over through 1 mile in 1:35.70, opening up a 1 1/2 length lead on Fierceness at the 1/8 pole. Kept to task by Ryusei Sakai, Forever Young held off late-running Sierra Leone to win by 1/2 a length in 2:00.19. It was a length back to favorite Fierceness third.
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Purse: $7,000,000 Distance: 1 1/4 miles
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 5 Forever Young Sakai 9.00 4.80 3.20 7 Sierra Leone Prat 4.60 2.80 1 Fierceness Velazquez 3.40 Winning Time: 2:00.19 $1 Exacta 5-7 17.30 $1 Trifecta 5-7-1 60.20 $1 Superfecta 5-7-1-9 207.40 $1 Super High Five 5-7-1-9-8 683.70 Expanded results with lots more photos and details |
Forever Young returns after the race. Winning trainer Yoshito Yahagi said, "Obviously a horse is not a machine. Even trainer made order to plan, but normally the horse cannot go through with this plan. Obviously, Forever Young made my plan to go through everything. We plan to go to Saudi maybe next year, which he will be -- last year will be next year. I like to challenge all over the world big races too, and I'd like to win all of it."
Winning jockey Ryusei Sakai said, "Obviously the horse had a really great order for condition side, so automatically the horse took me there. Last two years the experience really helpful for Forever Young, how to ride. Obviously he's a little bit not too good at that turn, a little bit of speed down. So this time we did a lot of practice for that. Then he really did handle well, yes, and he got turned fit to go."
 Scylla wins the Distaff |
Jockey Junior Alvarado sent 15-2 fourth choice Scylla to the lead first time by through fractions of 22.27, 45.75, and 1:10.02 while pressed by 19-1 Gin Gin and stalked by Seismic Beauty. Turning for home, Seismic Beauty and Gin Gin both tired badly (and were eased in the stretch) allowing Scylla to open up a 3 length lead through 1 mile in 1:35.29. Kept to task by Alvarado, Scylla drew off to win by 5 1/2 lengths over Nitrogen in 1:48.07. It was another 1/2 length back to 30-1 Regaled third, while favorite Seismic Beauty officially finished 11th beaten 39 lengths after being eased by Juan Hernandez.
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Purse: $2,000,000 Distance: 1 1/8 miles
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 4 Scylla Alvarado 17.20 5.60 4.00 1 Nitrogen Ortiz 5.00 3.80 13 Regaled Ramos 10.20 Winning Time: 1:48.07 $1 Exacta 4-1 30.10 $1 Trifecta 4-1-13 326.30 $1 Superfecta 4-1-13-3 1,631.50 Expanded results with more photos and details |
Scylla in the post parade. Winning jockey Junior Alvarado said, "She's a filly, so you just have to get out of her way. She wants to do things her own way. I think, today, when she broke out of there very aggressively that was my first thought. ‘If you want to do it, I'm gonna let you do it.' And that's what she did. She went a little quicker at first part to get to the lead, but like I said she was doing it fairly easy for her. In the second quarter, I could feel she slowed down. She came back to me. She relaxed, so, I was very happy. Once we hit the half-mile pole, I was like, ‘oh boy, I mean, I feel loaded right now.' And then when I turned for home and she just like rebroke again and I mean, it was an outstanding race today for her."
Winning trainer Bill Mott said, "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 and she didn't get the distance last year."
 Bentornato wins the Sprint |
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. sent Bentornato to the lead out of the chute through fractions of 21.48 and 44.14 while pressed by Straight No Chaser and stalked by 22-1 American Stage. Into the stretch Bentornato continued to lead through 5f in 56.02 and drew off to win by 2 1/4 lengths over late-running 8-1 Imagination in 1:08.20. It was a nose back to 39-1 Dr. Venkman third.
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Purse: $2,000,000 Distance: 6 furlongs
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 10 Bentornato Ortiz Jr. 5.40 4.20 3.00 7 Imagination Hernandez 7.00 5.00 6 Dr. Venkman Rispoli 13.40 Winning Time: 1:08.20 $1 Exacta 10-7 19.10 $1 Trifecta 10-7-6 327.80 $1 Superfecta 10-7-6-9 5,446.80 Expanded results with more photos and details |
Bentornato gets a hug after the race. Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, Jose (D'Angelo) said he was doing so good honestly. We were so positive on the horse. All we wanted was a clean break, and after that, I let him be, let him be him. He can use that speed, natural speed. He's a nice horse. I had Straight No Chaser right beside me. And, he was in that order as a 3-year-old last year, and he just got beat by a head by that horse. So, I just tried to ride him with confidence. I was working my horse since the summer. I know I was going to have some horse at the end."
Winning trainer Jose D'Angelo said, "So happy to stand here again. We prepared these two horses all year round to have them ready for today and it worked perfectly. We think about all the small details, like the travel and everything. They figured it out and they showed up today. I am just grateful to God to stand here. I think I don't know what is going on now (after winning back to back Breeders' Cup races), but probably today, we will know. But in two days, we're working again."
 Nysos wins the Dirt Mile |
Jockey Juan Hernandez sent Citizen Bull to the lead first time by through fractions of 21.74, 44.96, and 1:09.08 while pressed by 30-1 Touch of Destiny and stalked by Full Serrano. Turning for home Citizen Bull continued to lead through 7f in 1:21.67, but favorite Nysos, 5th early under Flavien Prat, came out for room and rallied to win by a head in 1:35.71. It was a long 3 1/4 lengths back to late-running 22-1 Chancer McPatrick third.
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Purse: $1,000,000 Distance: 1 mile Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 3 Nysos Prat 3.40 2.40 2.10 7 Citizen Bull Hernandez 5.20 4.00 8 Chancer McPatrick Ortiz . 4.80 Winning Time: 1:35.71 $1 Exacta 3-7 7.70 $1 Trifecta 3-7-8 48.40 $1 Superfecta 3-7-8-5 345.00 Expanded results with more photos and details |
Nysos heads out for the post parade. Winning jockey Flavien Prat said, "I was pleased with my trip and was traveling well. The pace was strong but I was able to make up a lot ground. When I got in the clear, I thought I had the measure of Citizen Bull, but he gave me a good run and Citizen Bull ran well. At the wire, I thought I was ahead of him but it got me worried."
Winning trainer Bob Baffert (who trains the first two finishers) said, "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."
 Splendora wins the Filly and Mare Sprint |
Jockey Jose Ortiz sent Hope Road to the lead exiting the chute through fractions of 22.21 and 44.64 while pressed by 14-1 Haulin Ice and stalked by Richi. Turning fro home Hope Road tired as Splendora, 5th early under Flavien Prat, swept to the lead through 3/4 in 1:09.29. Kept to task by Prat, Splendora drew off to win by 4 3/4 lengths over late-running 10-1 Vahva in 1:21.79. It was another 1 1/4 lengths back to favorite Hope Road third.
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Purse: $1,000,000 Distance: 7 furlongs
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 2 Splendora Prat 7.80 4.40 2.60 3 Vahva Ortiz Jr. 7.00 3.60 8 Hope Road Ortiz 2.10 Winning Time: 1:21.79 $1 Exacta 2-3 28.40 $1 Trifecta 2-3-8 70.90 $1 Superfecta 2-3-8-1 282.00 Expanded results with more photos and details |
Splendora in the post parade. Winning jockey Flavien Prat said, "I honestly was a bit worried that we might have a lack of speed because of all the scratches, but the pace was fair and I was able to travel good. I really felt like I was traveling well all the way around and as soon as I was able to go around everybody, she just give me a good run."
Winning trainer Bob Baffert said, "She has been working really well and she loves this track. I told (Flavien) Prat, when she ran here this summer, going six furlongs, she ran an incredible race and just sat off the pace. When he swooped up to the outside (today) and she took off, it was over. Hope Road, she ran great. I thought she would be off the pace a little bit. These races, they are so tough to win."
Part 2 of Saturday's results and photos are available here.
Results and photos for the five Breeders' Cup races on Friday are available here.
Photos courtesy of Amber Chalfin of Downthestretchphotos.com.
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