The 2026 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) is down to six runners. Earth Song was scratched Thursday, one day after trainer Chad Brown pulled Gaudreau, the 8-1 fifth choice, with a fever, and a week after Net Par was withdrawn following pre-entries. The $2 million race goes as Race 9 at Keeneland on Friday, October 30, with post time at 4:55 p.m. ET.
Bob Baffert's unbeaten Hughes is the 1-1 morning-line favorite from post 5, and every horse left in the field has a price you can bet right now. Here's who's out, who's in, and what two scratches mean for your Juvenile tickets.
| Out | When | Why | Field Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net Par | After pre-entries | Withdrawn before the draw | 9 to 8 |
| Gaudreau | Wednesday, Oct. 28 | Fever | 8 to 7 |
| Earth Song | Thursday, Oct. 29 | Scratched | 7 to 6 |
In: no also-eligibles were entered for the Juvenile, so no horse draws in. Six starters remain.
| PP | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | ML Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damavand | Todd Pletcher | Luis Saez | 20-1 |
| 2 | Gaudreau | Chad Brown | Manny Franco | SCR |
| 3 | Salahudin | Bob Baffert | Tyler Gaffalione | 6-1 |
| 4 | Earth Song | Jorge Delgado | Junior Alvarado | SCR |
| 5 | Hughes | Bob Baffert | Flavien Prat | 1-1 |
| 6 | American History | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez | 9-2 |
| 7 | Coach Pope | Kenny McPeek | Jose Ortiz | 4-1 |
| 8 | He Is No Lie | Doug O'Neill | Joel Rosario | 15-1 |
Morning-line odds set at the October 26 draw. Compare prices for every race on the Breeders' Cup odds page.
Jorge Delgado's Earth Song, a 20-1 shot from post 4, was scratched Thursday, and no specific reason was given for the withdrawal. The Justify colt had won his debut, then finished fourth in the Champagne (G1) in his first stakes try, and the Juvenile would have been his first race around two turns.
Gaudreau was the fifth choice at 8-1 from post 2. Brown said the colt had a 102.5 temperature Wednesday morning and called it "bad timing, very disappointed." The son of Nyquist was coming off a second-place finish behind U.S.S. Valor in the Champagne (G1) at Belmont. His scratch leaves Brown, who won this race with Good Magic in 2017, without a Juvenile starter.
Antonio Garcia's Net Par came out of the race after pre-entries closed, cutting the Juvenile from nine to eight before the draw. Gaudreau and Earth Song took it to six.
Baffert (Hughes, Salahudin) and Pletcher (Damavand, American History) each run two, so those two barns account for four of the six starters. Baffert has won the Juvenile six times and Pletcher five. Go deeper on every runner on the Breeders' Cup contenders page.
The Juvenile is also an early stop on the Road to the 2027 Kentucky Derby. The top five eligible finishers can earn Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 30-15-9-6-3 scale, so the winner jumps straight to the top of the 2027 Kentucky Derby leaderboard. See the early contenders on our 2027 Kentucky Derby odds page, and follow the race for Louisville on the Kentucky Derby 2027 hub.
Six runners means fewer combinations, so exotic tickets cost less to build. The Juvenile offers the exacta, trifecta, superfecta, Super High Five and daily double, plus a special daily double that links Friday's Juvenile to Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic.
| Horse | ML Odds | $2 Win Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Hughes | 1-1 | $4.00 |
| Coach Pope | 4-1 | $10.00 |
| American History | 9-2 | $11.00 |
| Salahudin | 6-1 | $14.00 |
| He Is No Lie | 15-1 | $32.00 |
| Damavand | 20-1 | $42.00 |
Example payouts at morning-line odds only. Actual payouts depend on the final pool odds at post time.
| Ticket | Combinations | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| $1 exacta box, 3 horses | 6 | $6 |
| $1 trifecta, 1 horse on top with 3 underneath | 6 | $6 |
| $1 trifecta box, 4 horses | 24 | $24 |
| $0.10 superfecta box, all 6 runners | 360 | $36 |
With an unbeaten 1-1 favorite, the value in the exotics comes from what runs second and third. Get the full wagering menu in our Breeders' Cup betting guide, and see the full Breeders' Cup Juvenile 2026 odds, post positions and picks breakdown.
Check the full Breeders' Cup 2026 schedule for every post time across both days.
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is Race 9 at Keeneland on Friday, October 30, 2026, with post time at 4:55 p.m. ET.
Earth Song was scratched on October 29, and Gaudreau was scratched on October 28 after developing a fever. Net Par was withdrawn earlier, after pre-entries. Six horses remain.
Hughes, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, is the 1-1 morning-line favorite from post 5. He is unbeaten in four starts.
Bob Baffert has won the race six times and Todd Pletcher five. Both have two runners this year. See every past winner on the Breeders' Cup winners page.
For the full World Championships, visit the Breeders' Cup 2026 hub, catch up on the pre-entry changes across all 14 races, and follow the Breeders' Cup Challenge.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
