By Dennis Miller
It’s time.
Two days. Fourteen races. Fourteen world champions crowned.
The 2026 Breeders’ Cup is taking place Friday and Saturday, October 30-31 at the Keeneland.
Today we look at the five races on Friday – the Futures Day -where all five Breeders’ Cup races feature 2-year-olds.
Tomorrow our preview will focus on the nine races taking place on Saturday. Following are the horses in each race that drew my attention.
Friday, October 30
BC Juvenile Turf Sprint
(6th race, 11:55 a.m.)
This race has nine-of-12 entrants shipping into the United States for this race. We are going 5.5 furlongs on the main track and get things going with the shortest race on the two days.
Libertango (George Boughey, Flavien Prat, 5/2) ships in from Great Britain for this race with three wins and two seconds in five starts this year. He has shown he likes to come from off the pace, which can certainly work, can also be tough in a race so short with 12 runners. That’s a lot of horses to get through. If he finds a clear path turning for home, he will be flying.
Brickyard Belle (Miguel Clement, Manny Franco, 3/1) is one of the three American horses in the race and is certainly worthy of being one of the two favorites. A filly, she has had two starts this year and has taken them both. August 27 he faced a debut of straight maidens and came from off the pace and won by over four lengths. She came back October 3 at Belmont in the Grade III Belmont and once again came from the off the pace to win by over a length. Since then, she has turned in a bullet-work on the turf at Saratoga. She’s only two races into her career so a change in strategy could be in order here.
Harper’s Corner (Cathal Lynch, Paco Lopez, 8/1) another filly who ran second in the Matron to Brickyard Belle and has two wins and two seconds in four starts. This one is a speed demon who has been either first or second at every point of call in all four starts. The Matron on Oct. 3 was the most recent start, and she has gone out and threw a pair of bullet works on the board for this start.
BC Juvenile Fillies
(7th race, 12:35 p.m.)
There are 12 runners set to go here in a race where the favorites look strong but there is also a value play here as well as they race 1-1/16 miles.
Miss Monica (Bob Baffert, Flavien Prat, 5/2) has run two races and has won two races, both convincingly. It started August 9 against straight maidens at Del Mar and saw her come home with an almost six-length win, wiring the field in the process. On September 5 it was the Grade I Del Mar Debutante where he took control turning for home and drew off to win by over six lengths. Since then, she has turned in a pair of bullet works and appears to be sitting on a big one.
Emphatic (Brendan Walsh, Tyler Gaffalione, 8/5) has won all three career starts, two of them easily. The debut came July 25 at Colonial Downs and was a win by six lengths taking control of the race early and opening it up. On August 29 she came back in the Sorority at Monmouth and rolled by over five lengths. She stepped up on August 2 in the Grade I Alcibiades at Keeneland and wired the field, winning by almost two lengths. There’s a lot of speed here and she will be part of the pace factor.
Life Changing (Todd Pletcher, JJ Hernandez, 30/1) this could be a very interesting play. The million-dollar horse has only a win in the straight maiden debut and was eased in her second start but there is an interesting choice of pilots here. JJ Hernandez is normally Baffert’s go-to rider and has ridden Miss Monica in both starts but is not up there today. Baffert does have a history of putting riders in his doghouse, but this is a perplexing move. Hernandez is not going to get up on a horse unless there is something there. Take a good look at this one.
BC Juvenile Fillies Turf
(8th race, 1:15 p.m.)
One mile on the turf and again there is a heavy presence of shippers coming into the United States. In fact, this may be the least value of any race, certainly on Friday.
Sun Goddess (Aiden O’Brien, Ryan Moore, 6/5) has eight starts this year, with six wins, two seconds, and almost $1.3 million in earnings – and she’s a 2-year-old. She has been running in Great Britan and Ireland and comes in on a five-race winning streak. Has shown the ability to sit close to the pace or to come from further back and get is done. This is 100 percent her race to lose.
Amusingly (Francis Henri Graffard, Colin Keane, 7/2) has two wins and a second in three career starts. She comes in from France and has come from off the pace in all three starts. Has overcome some trouble in a couple of starts, which is always big in a 2-year-old race.
Domestic Agenda (Chad Brown, Flavien Prat, 8/1) is the top American runner in the field and has won both her starts. She beat straight maidens on September 4 at Saratoga, then came back to take the Grade II Miss Grillo on Octo. 3 at Belmont, coming from off the pace to win by over four lengths. She’s done everything right but it’s tough to beat the European runners on the grass.
BC Juvenile
(9th race, 1:55 p.m.)
Eight horses are entering the 1-1/16-mile race that will determine the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby next year.
Salahudin (Bob Baffert, Tyler Gaffalione, 6/1) has won all three races he’s run, with the first two coming at Ellis Park and the most recent at Churchill Downs. In the Grade III Iroquois she broke slowly, was rolling halfway through and went on to win by almost two lengths.
Hughes (Bob Baffert, Flavien Prat, 1/1) is the heaviest favorite of the first day with four wins in four starts, but while he may roll again, I don’t think he’s as much a layup as the Juvenile Fillies Turf. First, all the starts have come in Southern California which is no longer the power broker of racing it used to be. Even Baffert has moved a stable of runners to Churchill Downs. Second, there are some other quality runners here. Like I said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him roll but do your diligence on this one and you might find some value.
American History (Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez, 9/2) has won both of his starts including the Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 3 over the Keeneland surface, overcoming a slow start to get up and win by a length. In the straight maiden debut on August 22 at Saratoga he overcome a slow start again to cruise by over seven lengths. He has come back from the last start with a couple of big works over the Keeneland track.
Coach Pope (Kenneth McPeak, Jose Ortiz, 4/1) has won one of his three starts and his last start saw him finish second to American History in the Breeders Futurity at Keeneland. He is getting some love in the morning line, despite being beaten by a pair entered here.
BC Juvenile Turf
(10th race, 2:55 p.m.)
The last race of the first day ends with the big turf race for the first day of the event. There are 14 entered here, with the field going one mile.
Haffner (Adian O’Brien, Christophe Soumillon, 8/1) has won three of six starts and ships over from running in Great Britan and Ireland. This one sits on or near the lead, but his usual pilot goes with another of the barn’s runners.
How’s AI Today (Riley Mott, Brian Hernandez, 3/1) has won three of four career starts, with the last two starts coming over the turf, with both being easy wins. The last start was the Juvenile Mile on September 9 at Kentucky Downs where he came from off the pace by over four lengths. Before then it was an allowance race on Aug. 29 at Kentucky Downs that he also won by over four lengths. Through all four starts he has favored coming from off the pace.
Folsom Blues (Joseph O’Brien, Dylan McMonagle, 7/2) has hit the board in all six starts, with all taking place in France or Ireland. There are two wins, three seconds, and a third in the starts. Has shown a liking for coming from off the pace so will need some speed out front to set the race up.
Great Barrier Reef (Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Moore, 4/1) has five career starts, with three wins, one second, and one third. Ships over the racing in Great Britan and Ireland. He won his first three starts, then was second by a neck and third, 2.5 lengths out in his most recent effort Oct. 10. There is no denying the excellence of the connections when it comes to the Breeders’ Cup.