Will Halloween At Breeders’ Cup Be Trick Or Treat

It promises to be a ghoulish good time at the Breeders’ Cup on October 31 at Del Mar

Coady Photography

Friday. October 31, is the Stars of Tomorrow Day at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar. Because there will be five races for the juveniles on All Hallow’s eve, we must ask… can we expect a trick…or a treat?

Two-year-old races can always be a mixed bag. When you factor in a bunch of young horses that are short on experience but long on talent, it makes it even more unpredictable. It could be you get the full size Hershey’s with almonds or perhaps your house gets rolled. Let’s take a look at a few youngsters that could provide a big bag of candy or a busted pumpkin.

The most highly acclaimed race is the Juvenile. Even though only two winners (2006 Street Sense, 2015 Nyquist) in forty races have went on to win the Kentucky Derby, this is considered a major pathway to the road that leads to the first Saturday in May. Ted Noffey has looked every bit the best two-year-old male in his three previous outings. Can this Todd Pletcher trained colt continue to be scary good?

The Turf Sprint is always full of excitement. Geeked up youngsters rolling over five speedy furlongs on the Jimmy Durante turf course at Del Mar makes for some chills. Schwarzenegger has been on the muscle in his two lifetime starts and has a strong turn of foot. With five other entrants from across the pond (Europe) in the race, this Kentucky based horse might be the one lifting heavy for the stars and stripes.

We can never underscore the importance of the girls. As most married men know, women rule the world. With that in mind, the Juvenile Fillies race features a fantastic female named Bottle of Rouge. Considered by some to be that “other” two-year-old filly in the Bob Baffert barn, this daughter of Vino Rosso was nothing short of brilliant in winning the Del Mar Debutante in her last start. This race offers another opportunity for this pretty girl to be pretty.

Race 10 on the day is the Juvenile Turf. The aptly named Street Beast was a monster on the turf at Kentucky Downs in winning two starts in eight days. As a race that has been dominated by the European monsters, the best one to play the Wolfman might just be this Beast.

Halloween can be about the dress up and Juvenile Fillies Turf offers opportunities for young ladies to show off. Imaginationthelady has won the costume contest in both her starts. Trained by the brilliant Brendan Walsh, this daughter of Not This Time has come home first in big fields against strong competition in both career starts.

So what will it be, trick or treat? Anytime you get this type of talent competing at a place like Del Mar, it has to be a treat.