The Breeders’ Cup kicks off on Friday with five championship races. The feature contest is the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, with the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf part of the supporting cast. myracing has horse racing tips for all five races, which will be broadcast live on ITV4. Find our selections below.
A perfect four from four, Wesley Ward’s Averly Jane (11-4) can get the US off to the perfect start on the West Coast. She’s won three minor stakes races since winning her debut at Keeneland, latterly geared down to win the Indian Summer back at that venue. She’s thoroughly uncomplicated and likes to race on the pace, which will suit the tight turns of Del Mar. She’ll be perfectly position under Tyler Gaffalione and will be really tough to catch if spinning into the lane on the lead.
Favourites don’t have the best record in this race, but Steve Asmussen’s Echo Zulu (11-10) oozes class and should take this field from gate to wire. She’s been dominant in all three of her career starts, winning the Grade 1 Spinaway and Frizette at Saratoga and Belmont respectively since her successful debut. She goes two turns for the first time, but her early pace will carry her to the front early and the tight turns at Del Mar can help her stay in front once the extra stamina of Juju’s Map kicks in late in the day.
Charlie Appleby has both his runners drawn on the inside and the hat-trick beckons for Modern Games (11-4). He’s won three of his five starts, landing a handicap at Doncaster impressively before running away with the Tattersalls at Newmarket, making virtually all. There is a distinct lack of pace, on paper, and drawn in post one, William Buick should be able to position him perfectly on the pace. If he’s in the vanguard as they turn for home, he should have too much class for his rivals.
It’s worth giving Brad Cox’s Turnerloose (16-1) another chance. She made a winning debut at Ellis Park before a dominant win in the Aristocrat Juvenile at Kentucky Downs, where she made a mockery of her rivals. Her latest defeat at Keeneland is best ignored, as she seemingly raced on the wrong part of a rain-softened track. Back on a firmer surface, she should be a different proposition, and she remains totally unexposed for last year’s winning connections.
With Jack Christopher shaping more like a sprinter this season, going two turns may be a bridge too far and Commandperformance (7-1) is fancied to reverse the placings of the Champagne. He arrives to the Breeders’ Cup as a maiden, but he bumped into one on debut and was far worse positioned than Jack Christopher when second in the Champange last time. He was gaining all the way to the line and this extra distance is almost certain to suit him. Improving with experience, he can break his maiden in the best possible way.