The opening day of the Breeders’ Cup is all about the youngsters, and we’ve seen plenty of British and Irish winners in the turf races on this card. I’ve highlighted three races this year where the British and Irish trainers appear to hold strong hands, and looked at what it’s taken previously to land each contest.
JUVENILE TURF SPRINT
There have been only eight renewals of this race. The first was run as a Listed contest, before three years as a Group 3, and for the last four years it’s been a Group 1. In three of those four years, we’ve seen a British or Irish-trained winner.
Recent Winners
Year – Winner – Jockey – Trainer – Country – SP
- 2025 – Cy Fair – Irad Ortiz Jr. – George Weaver – USA – 5/1 2F
- 2024 – Magnum Force – Colin Keane – Ger Lyons – Ireland – 125/10
- 2023 – Big Evs – Tom Marquand – Michael Appleby – Britain – 16/5
- 2022 – Mischief Magic – William Buick – Charlie Appleby – Britain – 69/10
- 2021 – Twilight Gleaming – Irad Ortiz Jr. – Wesley Ward – USA – 26/5
- 2020 – Golden Pal – Irad Ortiz Jr. – Wesley Ward – USA – 6/5F
- 2019 – Four Wheel Drive – Irad Ortiz Jr. – Wesley Ward – USA – 5/2F
- 2018 – Bulletin – Javier Castellano – Todd A. Pletcher – USA – 15/2
Topline Trends
- 7 of the 8 winners posted their best RPR last time out (3 of the last 4)
- 6 of the 8 winners had 3-5 previous runs (4 of the last 4)
- 6 of the 8 winners were NOT the favourite (4 of the last 4)
- 6 of the 8 winners raced over 5f or 5.5f last time out (3 of the last 4)
- 6 of the 8 winners were sent off favourite last time out (3 of the last 4)
- 6 of the 8 winners were males (3 of the last 4)
- 6 of the 8 winners won last time out (2 of the last 4)
Contenders
Libertango – Trained by George Boughey, this filly has raced exclusively over 6 furlongs, with three wins and two seconds from her five starts. She was a Royal Ascot winner, beating Sun Goddess, who reversed the form last time out in the Cheveley Park Stakes, and she typically races from the rear.
Orthodox – Trained by Clive Cox, this colt has three wins from four starts, with his only defeat coming on soft ground in France following a break. He took the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes last time out by a neck from Force Noir, is unbeaten over 5 furlongs and is a strong traveller.
Nabati – Trained by Charlie Appleby, this colt has three wins from five starts, with four of those five races coming over 6 furlongs, the trip all three of his wins have come over. He’s unraced over 5 furlongs, and his best efforts have all come over 6 furlongs on good to firm ground.
Force Noir – Trained by Robson De Aguiar, this colt was only a neck behind Orthodox in the Middle Park Stakes over 6 furlongs last time out, but his two wins have come over 5 furlongs, both for this yard, having moved in between for his Royal Ascot appearance.
JUVENILE FILLIES’ TURF
This race is for fillies and run over a mile, with three of the last four winners trained by the O’Briens. Aidan O’Brien has the generational talent of Sun Goddess in contention, while Joseph O’Brien could be looking to add his name to the roll of honour with Green Empress.
Recent Winners
Year – Winner – Jockey – Trainer – Country – SP
- 2025 – Balantina – Oisin Murphy – Donnacha O’Brien – Ireland – 206/10
- 2024 – Lake Victoria – Ryan Moore – Aidan O’Brien – Ireland – 7/10F
- 2023 – Hard To Justify – Flavien Prat – Chad C. Brown – USA – 91/10
- 2022 – Meditate – Ryan Moore – Aidan O’Brien – Ireland – 41/20F
- 2021 – Pizza Bianca – José L. Ortiz – Christophe Clement – USA – 99/10
- 2020 – Aunt Pearl – Florent Geroux – Brad H. Cox – USA – 5/2F
- 2019 – Sharing – Manuel Franco – H. Graham Motion – USA – 16/1
- 2018 – Newspaperofrecord – Irad Ortiz Jr. – Chad C. Brown – USA – 5/6F
- 2017 – Rushing Fall – Javier Castellano – Chad C. Brown – USA – 9/2
- 2016 – New Money Honey – Javier Castellano – Chad C. Brown – USA – 9/1
Topline Trends
- 9 of the last 10 winners did NOT race at exactly a mile last time out
- 8 of the last 10 winners posted their best RPR last time out
- 8 of the last 10 winners had posted an RPR of 100+
- 8 of the last 10 winners had NOT been beaten over a mile (3 of the last 4 hadn’t tried the trip)
- 8 of the last 10 winners had 1 or 2 career wins (the other 2 both had 4)
- 7 of the last 10 winners last ran between 30 and 41 days ago
- 7 of the last 10 winners won last time out
- 7 of the last 10 winners had won a Group race
Contenders
Sun Goddess – Trained by Aidan O’Brien, this filly has won her last five races, including an unprecedented three Group 1s as a two-year-old. Her Timeform rating of 120 puts her at the top of all juveniles in Britain and Ireland this year. She’s an eight-time raced filly who is yet to tackle a mile, but she shaped on her penultimate start as though this trip would be well within her grasp, and she’s one of the most exciting runners at this year’s meeting, assuming she lines up.
Green Empress – Trained by Joseph O’Brien, this filly has two wins from her five starts, both coming in her last three races, including over a mile last time out. Her defeats have all come when runner-up to Sun Goddess, and the stiffer the test the better for her.
JUVENILE TURF
This race over a mile for the colts has been won seven times in the last ten years by British or Irish trainers, with Aidan O’Brien responsible for five of those himself. In 2021, eventual winner Modern Games was withdrawn in error before the start for Charlie Appleby but was subsequently allowed to compete for purse money only. For betting purposes, he was considered a non-runner.
Recent Winners
Year – Winner – Jockey – Trainer – Country – SP
- 2025 – Gstaad – Christophe Soumillon – Aidan O’Brien – Ireland – 6/5F
- 2024 – Henri Matisse – Ryan Moore – Aidan O’Brien – Ireland – 39/10F
- 2023 – Unquestionable – Ryan Moore – Aidan O’Brien – Ireland – 6/4F
- 2022 – Victoria Road – Ryan Moore – Aidan O’Brien – Ireland – 558/100
- 2021 – Modern Games – William Buick – Charlie Appleby – Britain – no SP
- 2020 – Fire At Will – Ricardo Santana Jr. – Michael J. Maker – USA – 33/1
- 2019 – Structor – José Ortiz – Chad C. Brown – USA – 11/2
- 2018 – Line Of Duty – William Buick – Charlie Appleby – Britain – 3/1JF
- 2017 – Mendelssohn – Ryan Moore – Aidan O’Brien – Ireland – 9/2
- 2016 – Oscar Performance – José Ortiz – Brian A. Lynch – USA – 7/1
Topline Trends
- None of the last 10 winners raced at exactly a mile last time out
- 9 of the last 10 winners posted their best RPR last time out
- 9 of the last 10 winners finished in the top two last time out (6 won last time out)
- 8 of the last 10 winners last ran between 20 and 34 days ago
- 8 of the last 10 winners were sent off 7/1 or shorter (Modern Games had no SP)
- 8 of the last 10 winners had either 2 or 3 career wins
- 8 of the last 10 winners had 4 or more runs
- 7 of the last 10 winners were trained in Britain or Ireland
Contenders
Great Barrier Reef – Trained by Aidan O’Brien, this colt was unbeaten in his first three starts, but he’s been beaten twice following a break since being declared a non-runner for his first Group 1 attempt back in August. All three wins have come over 6 furlongs, but connections have described him as a horse they think wants further, and he won the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot this year, just as Gstaad did last year before going on to land this race.
Folsom Blues – Trained by Joseph O’Brien, this colt has been described as incredibly fast for a miler, and while his two starts over 6 furlongs both ended in defeat, he’s already a Group 1 winner over 7 furlongs. Both wins have come with ease in the ground, and he’s a strong traveller who likes to get on with things.
Al Hudaiba – Trained by Charlie Appleby, this colt has been described by jockey William Buick as not the most straightforward, and he’s sported blinkers in his last two races. He unseated Tom Marquand on his second start at Yarmouth and even swerved last time out, before running out a comfortable winner of the Group 1 Summer Stakes over a mile at Woodbine.
Haffner – Trained by Aidan O’Brien, this colt has already been talked of as a French Derby horse for next season, his trainer believes a mile round a bend will be ideal for him, and he looks set to run at this meeting. He has three wins from his six starts, including the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes last time out, when he looked very strong through the line on his first try at a mile. He has won on good ground but is unbeaten on good to firm, which might be his preference, having flopped on yielding ground on his penultimate start.
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