The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), worth $1 million again this year, is a one-mile turf test for 2-year-old colts and geldings. It was inaugurated in 2007 at Monmouth Park and this year will be contested for the 15th time. The event has been dominated by Europeans as 11 of the winners came from powerful European stables – five from Aidan O’Brien, three from Charlie Appleby, two from John Gosden and another from Francois Parisel.
Horses head off the track at sunrise during morning workouts at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California on October 29, 2023 as horses prepare for the 2023 Breeder’s Cup World Championships. Scott Serio/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders Cup
American trainers to have won are Todd Pletcher, Wesley Ward, Brian Lynch, Chad Brown, and Mike Maker.
Notable Winners and Memorable Moments in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint History
Champion jockey Ryan Moore has been aboard all five of Aidan O’Brien’s winners and leads all riders in a number of wins in the race while the high-powered partnership of John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith owned them all.
In 2009, the race went from ungraded to a grade 2 and by the 2011 Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs, it was upgraded to a grade 1 and has maintained the grade since.
Some of the more notable winners since its inception include Oscar Performance and Mendelssohn. Two years ago, Modern Games won but is probably best remembered as having run for purse money only after breaking through the gate before the race causing the stewards to remove him from the betting, causing tremendous outrage from the bettors whose tickets were null. The Godolphin homebred returned to America a year ago to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) and the Eclipse Award as the top turf horse of 2022.
Last year Victoria Road won for the Coolmore conglomerate.