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Asmussen, Baffert, Brown, Cox Dominating Grade 1 Competition

Four trainers – Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert, Chad Brown and Brad Cox – have combined to win 41% of the 83 Grade 1 races run in North America so far this year, a marked increase in the success rate for racing's elite “super trainers” from just a decade ago.

Asmussen and Cox have won nine G1 races each this year, with Baffert and Brown just one behind. Throw in Todd Pletcher's six G1 wins and fully 40 of 83 (48%) of the sport's most important races have been won this year by horses from one of five stables.

Going back a decade to 2011, the dominance was not as severe. When that racing year ended, Bob Baffert led all trainers with 11 G1 wins, but the trainer with the next highest number was Dale Romans, with six, followed by Todd Pletcher, H. Graham Motion and William Mott, with five apiece.

The combined 32 G1 races won by those five trainers accounted for 28% of the 116 G1 stakes run by the end of 2011.

Looking at all graded stakes run so far this year, Pletcher leads the way with 29, followed by Cox at 28, Brown at 27, Baffert at 26, and Asmussen at 20. The combined 130 graded race wins by those five trainers accounts for 33% of all the graded stakes run so far this year.

In 2011, the top five trainers, led by Pletcher's 43 graded wins, combined to win 125 of the 486 graded races by year's end, or 26%.

Anecdotally, it seems as though a handful of trainers are dominating North America's best races – the Grade 1 events – like never before. These numbers, though they only represent a one-season comparison from 10 years ago, would tend to back that up.

The charts below include all trainers with 10 or more graded stakes wins by year's end in 2011 and through Oct. 10 in 2021.

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In Love Finds Running Room Late To Take Keeneland Turf Mile, Earn BC Mile Spot

Of the two horses clad in the colors of Bonne Chance Farm and Stud Rio Dois Irmaos LLC, all eyes were on Ivar (BRZ), last year's winner of the Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile, but it was In Love (BRZ) who brought home the win in the 2021 edition at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., earning a guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the Breeders' Cup Mile along with his first graded stakes win.

Over a good Keeneland turf course, the 5-year-old gelded son of Agnes Gold with jockey Alex Achard broke cleanly, settling into seventh early in the one-mile stakes. As Brown Storm led the field around the first turn and into the backstretch, Achard and In Love bided their time in the middle of the field of 12, waiting until the far turn to move for a more advantageous position. On the rail, though, In Love was stymied by a wall of horses, Achard going wide in the stretch to find running room. That move was the winning one.

Clear of horses, In Love dug in late, passing Somelikeithotbrown and Tell Your Daddy to take the lead and drawing away to win by three lengths. The final time for the one-mile G1 stakes was 1:34.84.

In Love paid $26.40, $15.40, and $9.60. Tell Your Daddy paid $24.60 and $13.20. Somelikeithotbrown paid $8.20. Find this race's chart here.

The G1 Keeneland Turf Mile is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. Winners of Challenges Series races receive a fees-paid, guaranteed spot for the corresponding event at the Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

“I think the big key was we went to Arlington and tried an easier spot, and he won the race, and then we put blinkers on him and he improved a lot, and running the one-turn mile – they are very unfamiliar in South America with that – and I think the horse is improving. You know, Kentucky Downs horses get very fit. And also he loves it here (at Keeneland). Last year he won an allowance very easy here, and I think the giving ground helped him,” trainer Paulo Lobo said after the race.

“(Recording my first Grade 1 win) feels great. Especially at Keeneland—I love Keeneland—and it couldn't be any better,” jockey Alex Achard told the Keeneland Communications Office after the Turf Mile. “He's getting older but he's getting better. He's like a good wine. Every race he shows up and he's even better every time.”

Bred by Fazenda Mondesir and Stud Rio Dois Irmaos, In Love is out of the Know Heights mare Last Bet. With his win in the G1 Keeneland Turf Mile, the 5-year-old gelding has three wins in six starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of five wins in 13 starts and career earnings of $729,700.

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Following Sea Dominant In Vosburgh, Earns Spot In BC Sprint

Following Sea gave sire Runhappy his first graded stakes winner with his multi-length score in the Grade 2 Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. With this victory, the 3-year-old colt earns a fees-paid, guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Though the field numbered only four, the Vosburgh featured Firenze Fire, last-out second in the Grade 1 Forego, where he attempted to bite eventual winner Yaupon multiple times down the stretch at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and Baby Yoda, who earned a 114 Beyer Speed Figure in his last start, also at Saratoga. The six-furlong G2 was all Following Sea, though, improving off of his third-place finish in the G1 H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga and a second via disqualification in the G1 Haskell at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. After Firenze Fire broke through the gate and was reloaded, the short field broke cleanly, with Firenze Fire grabbing a short lead in the race's opening strides. Jockey Joel Rosario sent Following Sea to the lead within the first furlong and, from there, had no trouble holding off the multiple graded stakes winner.

Maintaining a one-length lead throughout, Following Sea kicked away as the field hit the stretch, stretching his lead out to three lengths before Rosario powered him down. At the wire, the son of Runhappy was 4 3/4 lengths to the good, with Firenze Fire second and Baby Yoda third. Good Effort (IRE) was fourth in his American debut. The final time for the six furlongs was 1:09.20.

Following Sea paid $7.00 and $3.10. Firenze Fire paid $2.50. With only four horses in the field, no show betting was offered. Find this race's chart here.

The G2 Vosburgh is a Win and You're In event for the Breeders' Cup Sprint, to be contested Nov. 6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. Winners of Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races earn a free guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the corresponding Breeders' Cup event.

“I thought he ran great. We just wanted to take advantage of the outside post and see how everything unfolded. He really took all the strategy out of play in the first 50 yards. He broke great, put himself right on the front and it seemed like he was in hand throughout,” trainer Todd Pletcher said after the race. “We left the paddock with the idea that we won't take anything away that comes easily. If he breaks well, that's great. If he gets in a speed duel, that's okay, too. So, I said to use judgment and it looked like he made a decision pretty easily. When he made the lead that easily, I was pretty confident. He looked like he kicked on pretty well and Joel [Rosario] wrapped up on him pretty late.”

“I just helped him out of there. It looked like he broke really well and he put himself on the lead. I thought he liked that and he ran a big race,” jockey Joel Rosario told the NYRA Press Office after the Vosburgh. “Todd just told me to ride him the way it came up. He broke sharp and I asked him a little bit to get a position. If somebody else goes, I could sit second but I decided to go to the lead because I was there. He ran really well.”

Bred by owner Spendthrift Farm, Following Sea is out of the Speightstown mare Quick Flip, a black-type stakes winner. The 3-year-old colt has three wins in six lifetime starts, for career earnings of $513,020.

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Juju’s Map Earns Juvenile Fillies Spot With Darley Alcibiades Victory

Albaugh Family Stables LLC's Juju's Map, narrowly favored over her Brad Cox stablemate Matareya, tracked pacesetter Runup through the initial stages of Friday's Grade 1, $400,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes, took command on the stretch turn and drew off to a 4 1/4-length victory under Florent Geroux in the 1 1/16-mile main track contest for 2-year-old fillies on the opening day card at the Lexington, Ky., oval.

The Darley Alcibiades is a Breeders' Cup Win and You're In Challenge Series race, giving the winner a fees-paid berth to the G1 Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar on Nov. 5, along with a travel allowance to California for the horse.

Distinctlypossible, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, finished second, a neck in front of a fast-finishing Sequist and jockey Junior Alvarado in third. Mama Rina was fourth, followed by Dream Lith and Matareya in a dead heat for fifth, then Penny Saver, Miss Interpret, Runup, Myfavoritedaughter and Pipeline Girl in the field of 11. Diamond Wow was scratched.

The Liam's Map filly out of Nagambie, by Flatter, bred in Kentucky by Fred W. Hertrich III, covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.52. She paid $6.80 on a $2 mutuel.

The win was the ninth Grade 1 victory of 2021 for Cox and it was his second in the Alcibiades, the first coming in 2019 with British Idiom. It was the first Alcibiades for Geroux and the Albaugh Family Stables headed by Dennis Albaugh of Ankeny, Iowa.

Juju's Map was a $300,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase. She was winning for the second time in three starts, having broken her maiden in front-running fashion in her second outing at Ellis Park on Sept. 3.

In the Alcibiades, Geroux saved ground after breaking from the No. 1 post position and was content to sit in second while Runup set fractions of :22.75 for the opening quarter and :46:00 for the half mile. Geroux moved Juju's Map to the front through six furlongs in 1:11.23, and she was never seriously threatened thereafter, clicking off a mile split of 1:36.93 en route to her final time.

Cox said if Juju's Map exited the win in good order it would be on to the Breeders' Cup.

“She sat close to a hot pace and was still able to finish, and I thought, 'That's what good horses do,'” said Cox. “She broke running, Florent (Geroux) put her in a good position and she finished up well. I'm very proud of her performance. We'll obviously talk it over with the Albaugh team, and as long as she comes out of it in good order I think we'll march on toward California (and the Nov. 5, $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies-G1). It was a good trip last time and hopefully she can show up and run her race and be very effective.”

“She's very talented to start with, but today it was tricky because there were a couple other speed horses,” said Geroux. “From the one hole, you have to use speed to your advantage, to make sure they don't cross over and slow it down too fast. So I just wanted to break ahead so if they wanted the lead they would have to work for it, and that's what they did.

“I was able to ease her back in the first turn. From there she took a nice breather with me down the backside and from there I knew she was going to be pretty tough. Turning for home I saw (Matareya) coming up and she's pretty talented too, but when I asked her down the lane she gave me another gear, the kind of effort you want to see, and hopefully she's going into the Breeders' Cup in the right way.”

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