Divisive as much as
prestigious, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile has always held intrigue on
Championship day and beyond. Hope
springs eternal with every running, but usually ends with disappointment come
May. Many promising 2-year-olds
have convincingly won the race only to either fail winning the Kentucky Derby
six months later or veer off the difficult path to get there. In 28 runnings only one winner has worn
the Roses the following year.
Considering the Juvenile winner is usually Champion 2-year-old and early
favorite for the Derby, this 4% winning percentage is especially baffling. As many lumps as the winners have
taken, the Juvenile field as a whole usually includes strong contenders that
hold up well for the Classics. The
most recent Kentucky Derby consisted of 9 horses that raced in the 2011
Breeders Cup Juvenile, which represented close to half the field.
This 2012 Juvenile is knocked
down in stature with the introduction of the new Kentucky Derby point
system. In year’s past the winner
was guaranteed a spot in the Derby gate given the huge graded earnings score,
but this year the race only awards the winner 10 “points”, putting him on equal
footing as the winners of such races as the Delta Jackpot, Grey Stakes, and
Smarty Jones Stakes.
Nonetheless, the Juvenile
still boasts a huge 2 million dollar purse and features some of the best
2-year-olds we’ve seen all year, including early Derby future book favorite
Shanghai Bobby and second favorite Power Broker. The nine entrants have combined earnings of 28 points for
the 2013 Kentucky Derby and look to earn even more Saturday.
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1)
Santa Anita Park
1 1/16 Miles
Race Video
Title Contender
Speak Logistics
He’s Had Enough
Shanghai Bobby
Monument
Dynamic Sky
Capo Bastone
Fortify
Power Broker
