The multiple Breeders’ Cup floral blankets outside of the barn where trainer Bill Mott was stabled at Santa Anita Park | BloodHorse.com Track Profile”>Santa Anita Park made for great selfies. As a few people walked by and grabbed something Instagrammable, Mott did a quick check of those left in his barn before heading out to catch his plane home.
“Everybody looks pretty good—two of them (Elite Power and Cody’s Wish ) are already on their way to Kentucky,” Mott said. “War Like Goddess and Just FYI are going to Payson Park right now. There’s a lot of time to work out what’s next.”
With six entered in Breeders’ Cup races, Mott won three: the Dirt Mile (G1) with Cody’s Wish, the Sprint (G1) with Elite Power, and the Juvenile Fillies with Just FYI. Casa Creed , a two-time grade 1 winner this year, ran third in the Mile (G1T).
War Like Goddess, third in the Turf (G1T) in 2022, finished seventh this year. Drawn on the outside, post 13, the two-time winner of the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1T) had traffic trouble in this year’s Turf. Last by the stands the first time, she split horses in the final turn, but encountered a wall of horses in the stretch. Jockey Junior Alvarado tried to get War Like Goddess to the outside, but couldn’t do it in time and she ended up seventh.
“She had to wait a little bit—(Alvarado) said he was following the winner and they spurted clear and he couldn’t quite keep step with them,” Mott said after the race. “By the time he got there, it kind of closed up on him. She didn’t run bad. She just wasn’t able to get going and get her run going. She had to kind of fish for some room.”
Hall of Famer Mott’s three 2023 Breeders’ Cup victories brought his total to 15. He was winning back-to-back Breeders’ Cups with Cody’s Wish and Elite Power, who each won their respective races in 2022 as well. This was the first time Mott had won the Juvenile Fillies, though he finished second in 1989 with Sweet Roberta .
Just F Y I prevails over Jody’s Pride in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies
Just FYI, a daughter of Triple Crown winner Justify , ran her record to a perfect three-for-three with her neck victory over Jody’s Pride in the Juvenile Fillies after pressing the pace of odds-on favorite Tamara . Elite Power, the 2022 champion male sprinter, solidified his chances of a repeat Eclipse Award with a 1 1/2-length win as the favorite over Gunite in the Sprint in his final start prior to his stud career at Juddmonte near Lexington.
But it is Cody’s Wish, who now heads to stud at Jonabell Farm near Lexington, whose story resonates the most and the special relationship forged between the horse and Cody Dorman. Mott has been honored to be a part of that journey along with owner/breeder Godolphin.
“It’s a great story,” he said. “I think Cody’s Wish has been an inspiration for Cody Dorman. They are a wonderful family all the way around—very nice, genuine people.”
Brown Reflects on Goodnight Olive’s Stellar Career
As owners First Row Partners and Team Hanley put Goodnight Olive ‘s racing career to bed, trainer Chad Brown took a moment to reflect on the mare’s racing career.
Goodnight Olive in the winner’s circle for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint
“She’s tough as nails, this horse,” Brown said. “And she has the heart the size of this facility here at Santa Anita. She’s just all class. And what also makes her great is she has an even-keeled temperament where she can switch off and just really only go full throttle when she needs to and she really takes care of herself. She’s one of the most intelligent horses I’ve trained”
Brown said that Goodnight Olive had two bilateral ankle surgeries prior to her ever running in a stakes race. That she overcame that to become a two-time Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) winner and the 2002 champion female sprinter, speaks volumes about her perseverance.
“She’s always been a very quiet horse. Anyone can really work with her. From a temperament standpoint, she’s just a real softy until the gates open. I mean, she’s coming straight at you. Those are the perfect horses to train,” he said.
Goodnight Olive finishes her career with a 9-2-1 mark from 12 starts and $2,196,200 in earnings. She will hit the sales ring in the Fasig-Tipton November Sale Nov. 7. Elite Sales will consign the mare as Hip 237.
With Two Seconds, Baffert Adds to Leading BC Earnings
Bob Baffert may not have won any Breeders’ Cup races in 2023 at Santa Anita, but his contingent gave him two seconds and purse earnings that padded his all-time lead in that category. And Baffert reported that all of his runners returned well from their efforts.
Trainer Bob Baffert watches his horses train ahead of the Breeders’ Cup
National Treasure and Muth ran second in their respective races, the Dirt Mile (G1) and Juvenile (G1). National Treasure turned in the most dramatic performance, leading through most of the race and then vying with crowd favorite Cody’s Wish in the stretch to lose by just a nose.
“I’m proud of him—he showed up and showed what he could do,” Baffert said. “He just got beat by a horse that has the heart of a champion.”
With the Dirt Mile a $1 million race, National Treasure earned $170,000, the third-highest of the Baffert runners this year. Muth collected the biggest paycheck of the Baffert barn—$340,000—in the $2 million Juvenile. His second to Fierceness netted him almost double what he earned in winning the American Pharoah Stakes (G1).
“The 2-year-olds are fine—we’ll just find spots for them down the road,” Baffert said. “Prince of Monaco (who finished fifth in the Juvenile) got cut off in the first turn. I didn’t like those posts for those horses.”
Prince of Monaco , undefeated in three starts going into the Breeders’ Cup, drew post 2 in his first start around two turns. Wine Me Up , who ran eighth after finishing second in the American Pharoah, drew post 3. Muth, who now has two wins and two seconds in four starts, drew post 10.
Baffert had nothing but praise for Fierceness, who posted a winning margin of 6 1/4 lengths and a time of 1:41.90 for 1 1/16 miles.
“The horse that won it—we weren’t going to beat him; he freaked,” Baffert said. “That was a serious race. He ran fast.”
Fierceness clocked the fastest Juvenile since Midshipman ‘s 1:40.94 in 2008 at Santa Anita. Baffert trained Midshipman, who holds the stakes record when the Juvenile has been conducted at 1 1/16 miles. In three of its first four runnings, the Juvenile was a mile.
“I was proud of Muth,” said Baffert. “I really thought at the three-eighths pole Muth was just going to come on and ‘get ‘er done.’ Breeders’ Cup races are tough because they’re all good horses. These races are hard to win.”
Arabian Knight leads the field early in the Breeders’ Cup Classic
Three-year-old Arabian Knight earned $300,000 for finishing fourth in the $6 million Classic (G1), behind White Abarrio , Derma Sotogake , and Proxy . Arabian Knight, under jockey Flavien Prat, led for a mile of the 1 1/4-mile trip, posting fractions of :22.46, :45.73, 1:10.28, and 1:35.29. White Abarrio’s final time was 2:02.87.
“I thought Arabian Knight ran unbelievable,” Baffert said. “I knew the pace was going to be ridiculous.” The trainer chuckled and added, “Prat said he could have won the Sprint (G1) or the (Dirt) Mile yesterday—he’s so brilliant. But I wanted to run him in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. I think with the right kind of trip, and he’s still learning—he’s a young horse.”
Baffert said that Arabian Knight will run next year, though the trainer has not yet mapped out a schedule for him.
Adare Manor brought a five-race winning streak into the Distaff (G1) that included four consecutive graded stakes victories. Sent away the 4-1 third choice behind Idiomatic , the 9-5 favorite and eventual winner, Adare Manor was caught a little tight between horses during the stretch run and finished seventh as several horses tried—and failed—to catch the winner.
“She got away a little slow,” Baffert said. “We knew we were up against it with those good mares. She didn’t get her trip. But she came out of it fine and she’s going to run again.”
Speed Boat Beach , in only his second start back after 10 months off, finished fourth in the Sprint behind Elite Power , Gunite , and Nakatomi . He led until the stretch, traveling a quarter-mile in :21.99 and a half-mile in :44.35.
“He was on the lead,” Baffert said. “He got beat by good horses. Those are really good horses. The Breeders’ Cup is like the playoffs—everybody’s good.”
When the 2023 Baffert team’s earnings were added to his previous purse earnings, which include 18 wins, his total is $40,385,000, the most of any trainer. Second is European trainer Aidan O’Brien, with $33,795,590. O’Brien won two Breeders’ Cup races this year.
“The Europeans are unbelievable—they’re just so good,” Baffert said. “Those guys bring some good horses over here.”
The day after the races, Baffert was philosophical about the barn’s performance.
“We’re disappointed—we got a couple seconds out of it—but they ran well. We just got beat. They all came back great with no issues. That’s the important thing.”
Butler Delighted With a ‘Brilliant’ Breeders’ Cup
Years and planning and preparation go into hosting the Breeders’ Cup and for Aidan Butler the Nov. 3-4 40th edition of the World Championships at picturesque Santa Anita Park was filled with superlatives.
Aidan Butler
“Everything was brilliant,” said Butler, the Chief Operating Officer of 1/ST Racing and Gaming that operates Santa Anita. “It was so nice to see Santa Ania with such big crowds and so much positivity. There was some really good racing. It was great to enjoy a spectacle like the Breeders’ Cup and when I watched the races I understood why we do this for a living.
“The weather was perfect and everyone I have spoken to was positive about the weekend and that’s not always the case in this industry. We had a great couple of days thanks to a great team out here who worked their socks off.”
While all-sources wagering on the two days of racing framed by the San Gabriel Mountains dropped from $189 million to $176.2 million, attendance during a record 11 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita jumped to 109,624, the highest total since 112,672 in 2018 at Churchill Downs.
Best of all, there were no fatalities during the two days of racing contested in front of large on-track crowds and a national television viewing audience.
“We needed a safe run this weekend and when we do it right, this is the best sport,” Butler said. “It was so nice to have a couple days of great, safe racing. All horses are special and we have to make the races as safe as possible.”
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