Month: November 2022

Following is a selection of quotes from connections of the runners in Friday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), won by Forte: 

Winning trainer Todd Pletcher (Forte): “Obviously delighted with everything. He got a beautiful trip. Just kept coming. I think we both got a fair run at it today (referring to being second choice to Cave Rock).

“He got that two-turn experience (in the Breeders' Futurity) and it paid off today. He's much more professional today. We learned a little something (from the Breeders' Futurity) and we tweaked off the last race and it paid off coming here.

“The last time, he made the lead pretty comfortably, but he got to waiting and laying on the horse next to him so today, if we were lucky enough to get in a position to get (the lead), we wanted to give ourselves plenty of space and not get close to the horse next to him.”

Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr (Forte): “Beautiful trip. I broke good, saved some ground around the first turn and took my time down the backside. I started making my move around turn. I hit him once and he responded. He deserves all the credit.”

Trainer Bob Baffert (second with Cave Rock, favorite and third with National Treasure): “Forte ran a great race and came and got us. I knew they went very fast early and I thought Juan (Hernandez) did a good job. He stayed away when they were going fast and slowed it down. He didn't switch leads until way late. He got tired and that other horse came running. He ran a big race. There is a reason why he won three in a row. He'll get a lot out of it. He's a big, strong horse. It's a different kind of surface, but he had every chance to win, even though he was going fast. I noticed today that the track is drying out. It's not as fast as the old Keeneland-type tracks. They showed up. They ran well.

Cave Rock: “He ran a gallant race. He got beat by a good horse.”

National Treasure: “He ran a great race. He's getting better and better. Johnny (Velazquez) had him in a perfect spot. He just hasn't caught up with (Cave Rock) yet.”

Second-place jockey Juan Hernandez (Cave Rock, favorite): “I was really comfortable the whole way. My horse was very comfortable the whole way. When I asked him to go, he responded. We just got beat today. He was running really straight. He's still learning.”

Third-place jockey John Velazquez (National Treasure): “I thought I'd be a little closer. I was fourth early. I caught up to him and I thought he had done that pretty easy, but that's all there was. He's still learning.”

Fourth-place trainer Chad Brown (Blazing Sevens):“He didn't break that well and was back a little farther than we had planned, but that's him – that's the horse – and after that, I thought Flavien (Prat), once again, made some really good decisions. He followed Forte at one point and he was a fine horse to follow. He took him all the way to the lane and a clear tip-out and he just couldn't quite crack the trifecta. He galloped out well and looks to be a nice prospect for the future as the distances go longer. Hats off to the winner. Another convincing winner always traveling well, the winner.”

Fifth-place trainer Tom Amoss (Curly Jack): “We've talked a lot about his understanding of competition and unfortunately that's one of the hardest things to do in training. Racing is what brings that about. You saw that again today. He was laying close and they got away from him around the turn. All of a sudden he restarted and came on in the end and finished. I've said all along this horse was going to be a much better 3-year-old than 2-year-old. I wasn't trying to hedge my bet today. He's got great talent and I'm really looking forward to giving him a short rest in Florida and bringing him back for his 3-year-old year. He'll get a month and a half off in Florida and we'll go from there.”

Following is a selection of quotes from connections of the runners in Friday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), won by Wonder Wheel: 

Winning trainer Mark Casse (Wonder Wheel): “I have to watch the replay. I was like 'oh my goodness.'  She's usually close. I thought 'I can't believe she's not running.' She's tough.

“There was lots of doubt (that we would win) probably the entire race given the way she has run in the past (running on or near the lead). She is just a really good horse. She is just special and now she is going to be champion.”

Winning jockey Tyler Gaffalione (Wonder Wheel): “She didn't break very well. I got pushed back a little further than I wanted to be. But when she broke her maiden, she took dirt and went in between horses and I wasn't too concerned (today). Spots kept opening up inside so I just going forward and it just worked out.”

Second-place trainer Phil Serpe (Leave No Trace): “I thought she ran a very good race. We knew we were going to have to get some position the way the track is playing. The first quarter was a little bit fast, but she ran game. She got the lead. Wonder Wheel beat her. We beat
Wonder Wheel before. We'll beat her again.”

Second-place jockey Jose Lezcano (Leave No Trace): “My filly broke sharp. I don't think the position really helped us, but she broke so sharp I had to just let her go. I think she put in a very good race. She's a nice filly.”

Third-place trainer Chad Brown: (Raging Sea): “Ran well. Somewhere between the three-quarter marker and three and a half, she lost position there. At one point we were beside and a little behind wonder wheel, who had the run of the race and had the horse to do it. (Raging Sea) followed her and was able to get up for a piece. Losing ground maybe cost us second, but even though we lost position, we thought the best horse won today.” 

Trainer Brad Cox (beaten favorite Chop Chop): “Didn't work out very well. She broke, she was fine. She was a little hot in the paddock for me. I didn't love that. She got pushed wide going into the first turn. She got pushed wide actually by the winner. The winner was ultra-impressive. We just didn't have much horse.”

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Cave Rock was touted as one of the most likely winners on Breeders' Cup weekend, and indeed, the dual Grade 1-winning 2-year-old colt went off at odds of 2-5 in Friday's $2 million Juvenile.

On the track, however, it was Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte who was able to make a big move late and run down the favorite for a 1 1/2-length victory. Piloted by Irad Ortiz, Jr. on behalf of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, the son of Violence paid $12.04 to win. With a win already over the Keeneland surface in the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity, Forte doubled up at the Lexington oval with a final time of 1:43.06 for 1 1/16 miles over the fast main track.

“Obviously delighted with everything,” Pletcher said. “He got a beautiful trip. Just kept coming. I think we both got a fair run at it today (referring to being second choice to Cave Rock).”

The victory is the 13th for Pletcher in the Breeders' Cup and third in this race. His previous winners were Uncle Mo in 2010 and Shanghai Bobby in 2012. It is the first victory in the race for Ortiz and 15th overall in the World Championships, and it was the second Breeders' Cup Juvenile win for owner Mike Repole, who won with Uncle Mo 12 years ago.

The victory also earns Forte 30 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Runner-up Cave Rock and third-place finisher National Treasure, both trained by Bob Baffert, will not earn Derby points due to the trainer's ban from Churchill Downs, which extends through Kentucky Derby 2023.

“Forte ran a great race and came and got us,” Baffert said of beaten favorite Cave Rock. “I knew they went very fast early and I thought Juan (Hernandez) did a good job. He stayed away when they were going fast and slowed it down. He didn't switch leads until way late. He got tired and that other horse came running. He ran a big race. There is a reason why he won three in a row. He'll get a lot out of it. He's a big, strong horse. It's a different kind of surface, but he had every chance to win, even though he was going fast. I noticed today that the track is drying out. It's not as fast as the old Keeneland-type tracks. They showed up. They ran well.”

Cave Rock was challenged early on by 70-1 longshot Hurricane J, pressing the favorite through fractions of :22.90 and :47.01. Curly Jack and Forte remained third and fourth early on until National Treasure rushed up halfway down the backstretch take over second position.

Jockey Juan Hernandez kept Cave Rock four paths off the rail down the backstretch, likely in an effort to keep the colt from engaging with Hurricane J on his inside. Cave Rock dropped back down to the rail around the far turn and was in the lead turning for home.

Forte was along the rail in fifth, about four lengths off the lead around the far turn, when Ortiz put him under a drive and angled out to make his run. Ortiz kept Forte well out in the center of the track as the colt blew past Cave Rock. The favorite faltered in the stretch, refusing to change leads until nearly the sixteenth pole.

At that point it was too little, too late, as Forte and Ortiz kicked clear to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Cave Rock had to settle for second, while National Treasure hung on to finish third.

“Beautiful trip,” said Ortiz. “I broke good, saved some ground around the first turn and took my time down the backside. I started making my move around turn. I hit him once and he responded. He deserves all the credit.”

It did appear as if Ortiz used his whip as many as eight times during the running of the Juvenile. Under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority rules, in place for the Breeders' Cup for the first time this year, eight strikes would amount to a class 3 violation. Sanctions for Ortiz would include a one-day suspension and a fine consisting of 10 percent of the rider's share of the purse.

The full order of finish is as follows: Forte, Cave Rock, National Treasure, Blazing Sevens, Curly Jack, Verifying, Hurricane J, Congruent, Wound Up, and Lost Ark. Lost Ark walked across the wire, but appeared fine; he was unsaddled and walked home under his own power.

Bred in Kentucky by South Gate Farm, Forte is the first foal out of the five time stakes-winning Blame mare Queen Caroline. Forte commanded a final bid of $110,000 when consigned by Eaton Sales at the Keeneland September sale. He won impressively on debut in May, then ran fourth in the G3 Sanford Stakes. Forte returned to win both the G1 Hopeful and G1 Breeders' Futurity ahead of the Breeders' Cup.

In the Futurity, Forte ran a bit greenly late in the stretch, but there was nothing but professionalism in Friday's Juvenile.

“He got that two-turn experience (in the Breeders' Futurity) and it paid off today,” Pletcher said. “He's much more professional today. We learned a little something (from the Breeders' Futurity) and we tweaked off the last race and it paid off coming here.

“The last time, he made the lead pretty comfortably, but he got to waiting and laying on the horse next to him so today, if we were lucky enough to get in a position to get (the lead), we wanted to give ourselves plenty of space and not get close to the horse next to him.”

Now, the colt's career record stands at four wins from five starts with earnings of $1,595,150.

REPLAY: Forte captures the $2 Million @FanDuel #BreedersCup Juvenile pres. by @TBAftercare! Congrats to the connections on a thrilling #FutureStarsFriday victory! pic.twitter.com/1Duzr91nbO

— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 4, 2022

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