It’s Bluebloods Vs. Blue Collars in the Breeders’ Bowl Juvenile

The Breeders’ Bowl Juvenile has attracted a full field of twenty of the best two year olds in the game. Most of the runners have blue blooded pedigrees with a couple of more blue collars in the field. But the bluest of blue scratchbreds really dominate the field. The mile and a sixteenth race will mark the first route start for several of the runners in the field. Let’s take a look at them.

#1 Dirty White Pills 25/1

Making his route debut is this gelded son of Henny Hughes. He won a listed in just his second start and then was beaten a head in his graded debut. In July he broke through to get a win in the Grade Two Midsoil Stakes at six furlongs while running an 84 speed. The late runner closed from almost five lengths back to get up by a half a length. His only off the board finish came in his most recent start, the Grade One Hopeless Stakes at seven furlongs. Although he ran a career best speed of 87 he was farther back early on and his late run saw him get up for fourth, beaten three lengths. That race was run on a sloppy track so it could be one to toss. His dam is a Bernardini x Distorted Humor mare who has also produced a grade one winning filly by Limehouse. She has done her best running going short which may not bode well for Dirty White Pills.

#2 Stage Coach Nola 11/1

Stage Coach Nola enters off a banger of a win in a listed going this distanc where he sat a close fourth early on before moving up on the turn and opening up down the lane to win by two and a half lengths while running an eye-popping 95 speed. That race came just a month ago and one has to wonder if he might bounce off such a big run. Prior to that he had run in three straight one mile grade threes with his best finish being a second in July’s Trixy Delight Stakes. He ran an 89 speed that day, a number he matched two starts back so he’s definitely a very fast horse but also a horse who has not had a lot of rest in his career. He’s a son of Stage Raider out of a Dynaformer x Broad Brush mare and is her first stakes winner.

#3 Hard Rode 13/1

A winner of three of his four starts, Hard Rode looks like the real deal. Two starts back he took a listed going seven and a half furlongs where he sat fifth of eight early on before unleashing a devastating move to mow down his opponents and win by three and a quarter lengths. He ran a 90 speed in that spot a number he equaled in his next start. That race was the Grade Two KeggerDay Juvenile Mile which, as the name suggests was run at a mile. Again he sat well back early on but this time his win margin was just a head. It may not have been as impressive of a win but it shows he knows where the wire is. That race came at the end of August so he’s well rested for this spot. Hard Rode is a scratchbred son of Into Mischief x A.P. Indy x Nureyev.

#4 Storm of Egypt 14/1

Storm of Egypt has never been off the board in his five career starts. His last two races have come in routes and have easily been his most impressive. In July he took the Grade Three Trixy Delight’s Special by sitting in third early on before moving up on the turn and opening up winning by two and a half lengths while running a 93 speed. He equaled that number in his next start, the Grade One North Fork Stakes, the local prep for this spot. Run over this distance, Storm of Egypt was a bit farther back in the early stages and he again made a move around the turn but was run down by the closers, losing ground late while beaten two lengths in third. He’s a scratchbred son of American Pharoah x Storm Cat x Mr. Prospector.

#5 Bring You To Break 15/1

Bring You To Break has finished first or second in all five of his starts. He’s won his last three starts which saw him move through the ranks from maiden to allowance to a big jump into grade one competition. That grade one was the Hopeless Stakes run over seven furlongs. He sat fourth early on and got up to win by a head while running a 92 speed. His prior run came at seven and a half furlongs where he lead wire to wire and won by three lengths while running a 90 speed. This marks his route debut and his pedigree seems to work against him in that respect. He’s a son of Charlatan out of a Giant’s Causeway x Cape Cross mare. While she did her best running routing she was only an allowance winner and didn’t even earn $100,000. In the shed she has done much better. Bring You To Break is her fifth foal and first graded winner but the others are either stakes winners or stakes placed. That said both of her stakes winners were sprinters.

#6 Good Street Cred 16/1

Looking for his first stakes victory is Good Street Cred. The scratchbred son of Life Is Good x Street Cry x A.P. Indy has two wins and two seconds in his four career starts. Two of those races have come in routes. Two starts back he took an allowance going a mile against three over-matched opponents. He sat in second early on before assuming command around the turn and opening up down the lane while running an 84 speed. In his next start he was much farther back early on in the mile and a sixteenth Grade One End of the Line Futurity. Forced to close late he got up for second and was beaten a length and a quarter while running a much improved 91 speed.

#7 Kusogaki 17/1

Kusogaki is yet another colt exiting the seven furlong Grade One Hopeless Stakes. In that spot he sat third early on and that is where he finished but he lost significant ground down the lane. He did run an 87 speed in that sloppy track race. Prior to that he was a winner of the Grade Two High Roller’s Juvenile by a head and was third by less than a length in the Grade Two Midsoil Stakes. Both of those races were run at six furlongs and again he’s another making his route debut. His pedigree does suggest he should like the added distance as he’s a scratchbred son of Gun Runner x A.P. Indy x Mr. Prospector.

#8 Get With The Times 18/1

Get With The Times won his most recent start, the Grade Two East Coast Juvenile Classic. He closed from tenth in that spot to get up by a half a length while running a 90 speed. That race was run at a mile and was his only route try. Interestingly it was run the second week of August so he’s had a long time off to mature and improve. He’s another scratchbred whose pedigree is wowza, this time Into Mischief x Danzig x Seattle Slew.

#9 Demon Devourer 9/1

The favorite and the only horse in single digit odds is this Into Mischief colt. He is the first foal from the Hall of Fame mare Storm Swallower (Tapit x Storm Cat). She ran fourth in the filly counterpart to this race in 2022. Four of her six grade one wins came at a mile or less but as an older mare she did win twice at this distance. Demon Devourer has won four of his five starts. His only loss came in the Grade One Hopeless at seven furlongs which he dropped by just a head while running a 92 speed. His next start came in the Grade One Sparkling Wine Stakes at a mile and he lead wire to wire to win by four lengths with a 96 speed. He was never challenged in that spot and that likely won’t be the case here. He’ll have to show he can get the extra sixteenth of a mile and do it with a lot of challengers from the start.

#10 Golden Gunslinger 11/1

Golden Gunslinger is a perfect four for four. He’s a scratchbred son of Gun Runner x Storm Cat x Mr. Prospector and while that backend might lead more towards sprints Golden Gunslinger has twice in routes. Two starts back he took a mile allowance going wire to wire and winning by almost three lengths while running a 96 speed. He then took his undefeated streak into the Grade One North Fork Stakes at this distance and he showed that he could rate off the pace and still win this time with a 95 speed.

#11 Esquilino 15/1

Esquilino exits a win in the Grade One Dell Computer Futurity over this track at the end of August. That race was run at seven furlongs and that’s the farthest he’s run. He had two prior starts and both were wins including a listed back in June. He’s a midpack type of runner and he’ll have to show he has enough speed to not get shuffled too far back in this spot. He does have a solid speed in his record as he won the Dell Computer with a 92 and a solid pedigree. Yet another scratchbred he’s by Ghostzapper x Danzig x Seattle Slew.

#12 Shady Defense 21/1

The longest shot on the board is this son of twice champion sprinter Elite Power out of a stakes winning Street Cry x Awesome Again mare. He’s the first graded winner for his dam but she has produced two listed winners both of whom did their best running in routes. Shady Defense exits a win in the Grade Three Cryogenics Juvenile which he won by closing from tenth to get up by a head. Indeed in that spot he was not just tenth early on but he was tenth at the stretch call. That race was run at a mile as was his previous start in the Grade Three Trixy Delight’s Special. In that spot he ran a very flat fourth so there is a question as to which Shady Defense will show up here.

#13 Crimson Catholic 17/1

Crimson Catholic has the most starts of any horse in the field with eleven. He’s won twice and run third three times. His best race was easily his most recent start in the Grade Three Charcoal Breeder’s Cup at this distance. He ran a career best 89 speed while finishing third but he was beaten four lengths while not really making up much ground down the lane. He’s a son of Catholic Boy out of a Ghostzapper x Storm Cat mare and is her first stakes winner.

#14 Caribbean Runner 14/1

Caribbean Runner just finished second by a head in the Grade Two KeggersDay Juvenile Mile. That was his only route start and it saw him sit eleventh in the early stages before unleashing a strong closing run while running a 90 speed. Prior to that he was an easy winner of a seven furlong allowance where he ran an 89 speed. He’s a scratchbred son of Justify x Danzig x Seattle Slew so no pedigree questions here.

#15 Fire Roasted Turbo 11/1

Fire Roasted Turbo has made only three starts with just one win under his belt. He has been ambitiously placed though, after breaking his maiden he jumped straight into the Grade Two Hoserhead Juvenile where he closed from next to last to finish third by just a head. That race was run at seven furlongs, his next start saw him go this distance in the Grade One North Fork Stakes. In that spot he again was next to last and while he closed strongly down the lane he could only get up for second beaten a length and a half while running a 93 speed. He’ll have a lot of horses in front of him early on here and he’ll need some luck coming from such a wide post to navigate the full field. He’s a son of Tapit out of a Curlin x Into Mischief mare and is her first foal. Interestingly his third dam was a grade one winner who produced Explosive Ghost who won the Breeders’ Bowl Juvenile Filly back in 2022.

#16 Outtogetyourboy 16/1

This son of Tapit based on a Distorted Humor x Giant’s Causeway hemare has not yet been off the board in five career starts. His last two starts have come in routes. In July he was third in the Grade Three Trixy Delight’s Special where he sat second early on but lost ground down the stretch. He did run a solid 89 speed, a number he bested in his next start the Grade One End of the Line Futurity. That spot, run at this distance saw him drop back to eighth early on before making a strong stretch run to get up to win by a length and a quarter while running a 92 speed. He’ll likely run a similar race here as there is plenty of speed and stalkers with more early speed than him.

#17 Platinum Swipe 17/1

Looking for his first stakes win in this spot is Platinum Swipe. He has one win in four starts but has hit the board in his other three races. He’s finished third in his two most recent starts which were also his only starts in routes. Both races came at a mile, the first in the Grade Three Darling-Squash Futurity and the latter in the Grade One Sparkling Wine Stakes. While two on the board finishes in graded stakes is certainly laudable he lost ground down the stretch in each race. He’s a son of Street Sense out of a Nyquist x War Front mare and is her first foal.

#18 Camera Trick 19/1

Camera Trick is a son of Good Magic out of a Medaglia D’oro x Distorted Humor mare and is her second and best foal. He won on debut in June and then ran second, beaten just a neck in the Grade Two Closest Friend Stakes at six and a half furlongs. He made his route debut in his next start, the Grade One End of the Line Futurity. In his two sprint starts he lead from the start but in the End of the Line he was second early on before fading to finish third by four lengths. He ran an 87 speed there which is a bit off the tops in this spot.

#19 Out of Network LV 17/1

Out of Network LV has won four of five starts while running second in his other. Four of those starts came in sprints and in those races he battled for the lead early on. His most recent start was his route and stakes debut. The Grade Three Buckeye Juvenile at a mile and a sixteenth saw him sit about a length off the early pacesetters before assuming command around the turn and going on to win by two and a half lengths. He ran a very strong 94 speed there which puts him up among the best here. He’s a son of Kentucky Derby winner Mage out of a Medaglia D’oro x Smart Strike mare. She has also produced a grade two winner.

#20 Night Flight 16/1

The only son of super horse Flightline in the race is Night Flight. He’s done well in routes as one might expect. Two starts back he won the Grade Three Darling-Squash Futurity by coming from ninth early on to go on to win by two and a half lengths. He tried to employ similar tactics in his next start the Grade One Sparkling Wine Stakes but he wasn’t quite as close in the early stages and his late close wasn’t enough to get up for the win. Instead he was second by four lengths. Both of those races came at a mile and saw him run a 92 and 91 speeds respectively. His dam is a Dance In the Dark x Broad Brush mare who has also produced a grade two winner from four foals.

Good luck to all!