Odds-on favorite Ted Noffey cemented his campaign for 2-year-old of the year and all but guaranteed his place as next year’s Kentucky Derby frontrunner with a scintillating, pressing victory in the $2 million Juvenile as the highlight of Future Stars Friday at the 42nd Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club just north of San Diego.
The Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies, both worth $2 million, were the featured pair of races among five Grade 1 Championship events held on Day One, which is limited to 2-year-old horses.
Ted Noffey, who went off at odds of 4/5 in the six-horse Juvenile that was shrunk by two scratches, sat just off the pace set by 8/5 second choice Brant and pounced as the pair turned for home, holding on to his margin through the stretch under Hall of Fame jockey John Velasquez.
Ted Noffey got to the wire a length in front of latecomer Mr. A.P., a 20-1 longshot. Brant held on for third, a head in back of the runner up. The time was 1:42.25 for the 1 1/16-mile dirt race.
Bred in Kentucky and owned by Spendthrift Farms LLC, Ted Noffey’s name comes from a social media post that misspelled Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey. He has won all four of his career starts, including the Hopeful and the Breeders’ Futurity, both Grade 1s.
Ted Noffey’s performance gave Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher his 16th career Breeders’ Cup win and Velasquez his 21st in the Championships, which is second all time.
Super Corredora went wire to-wire to win the Juvenile Fillies, run at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt, never relenting while outlasting race favorite Explora by 3/4 of a length in a time of 1:43.71. Super Corredora, who was bred in Kentucky, was ridden by Hector Berrios (who captured his first ever Breeders’ cup race), is trained by John Sadler and is owned by Spartan Equine Racing LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, Robert C. Gardiner and Michael W. Olszewski.
Runner-up Explora, who went off at odds of 3/2, was 3 3/4 lengths ahead of Percy’s Barn, who was bumped twice at the top of the stretch but nosed out Meaning at the finish line to capture third at odds of 7-1.
Super Corredora’s win was just her second in four career starts, with her most recent race a maiden victory at one mile at Santa Anita by 8 1/4 lengths on Oct. 11.
In Friday’s other Championship events:
– The $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf was a wild upset, with 20-1 longshot Balantina (IRE) grabbing the lead at the 16th pole and winning by a 1 1/4 lengths over Ground Support (14-1) and Pacific Mission (24-1), who was a head back in third. Balantina is owned by Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Reeves Thoroughbred and Lissa Ann McNulty, and is trained by Donnacha O’Brien, the 27-year-old son of British Hall of Fame conditioner Aiden O’Brien.
Oisin Murphy piloted Balantina to the win in the one-mile event, with the victory the trainer’s first in the Breeders’ Cup and second for the jockey.
Balantina was 1-for-5 in her lifetime before winning Friday’s Juvenile Fillies Turf. The race was completely thrown open when Precise, the Irish-bred charge of Aidan O’Brien and the 6/5 favorite when the draw was announced, was scratched Friday morning due to a cough. Precise had won four consecutive races in Europe including a pair of Group 1s.
– Cy Fair opened Friday’s Breeders’ Cup card with 3/4 of a length win in the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint, a five-furlong blitz. Cy Fair was bred in Kentucky, is owned by a partnership of Medallion Racing, Swinbank Stables LLC, Joey Platts and Mark Stanton. He is trained by George Weaver and was ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. and was sent off at odds of 5-1, covering the firm turf course in 56.02 seconds.
He crossed under wire ahead of late-coming Brussels (GB), who was 6-1, and 1 1/4 more in front of 28-1 longshot Aspect Island (GB). Race favorite True Love (IRE) ended up eighth in the 12-horse field.
It was the first Breeders’ Cup win for Weaver. Cy Fair is 3 for 4 in his career, with one second-place finish beaten by a neck. He’s now won in New York, Toronto and San Diego in the last two and a half months.
– Favorite Gstaad overcame to far outside post to win the $1 million Juvenile Turf by 3/4 of a length. Sent to the post at odds of 6/5, the Irish-bred colt waited in the pack that chased the frontrunners in the 14-horse field over a mile on the grass before asserting himself at the eighth pole and then holding sway by 3/4 of a length when 50-1 longshot Stark Contrast came charging up the rail.
North Coast (IRE) was third by 2 1/4 lengths at odds of 16-1.
Gstaad, who is owned by Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor and is trained by Aiden O’Brien, was ridden to the win by Christophe Soumillon. He has won three of his six career races and snapped a streak of three consecutive runner-up finishes.
Nine more races for division titles for 3-year-old and older horses will be contested on Saturday, including the $5 million Turf and the $7 million Classic, with the latter carrying the largest purse in Western Hemisphere horse racing.
–Field Level Media
