Khaadem (IRE) and Frankie Dettori (here winning the Woodward at Keeneland) will go for the BC Turf Sprint on Saturday. (Jenny Doyle/Past The Wire)
Other contenders arrive and are out and about at Del Mar
Breeders’ Cup Around the Track Notes
Another quiet morning with the European horses who will complete quarantine later today ahead of their first day training tomorrow morning. Connections seem happy with the condition of their horses and no concerns are reported.
Khaadem (IRE) (Turf Sprint) did the same routine as Sunday, a trot in the chute of the main track followed by a trot and light canter around the turf track.
Charlie Appleby and Aidan O’Brien, amongst many more of the international trainers and jockeys arriving in California today and will be trackside overseeing their horses Tuesday morning.
LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP TURF
EL CORDOBES (IRE)
Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Jockey: Billy Loughnane
Set: Del Mar Quarantine
Monday Activity: Quarantine
Planned activity: Will train at Del Mar for the first time on Tuesday morning
Quote: El Cordobes (Ire), named after famed matador Manuel Benítez Pérez, will mess with both the bull and the horns when he takes on a world-class field in the Saturday’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf. Naturally a bit overlooked as the stablemate to dual Turf winner Rebel’s Romance (IRE), the Charlie Appleby trainee earned his way into the race with a workmanlike victory in August’s G1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga, his first of two stateside runs.
Last out, after failing to find cover and relax as needed, he finished third in Rebel’s Romance’s G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on Sept. 27. Said effort was part of a long campaign that saw him go from a 91 rating in a January Meydan handicap to 116 and a contender in America’s top grass race.
“I just think he’s a horse who ticks the boxes and has had those two runs in American in the Sword Dancer and Joe Hirsch there,” Appleby said of the $2.3 million sale purchase. “I feel in the Sword Dancer, yes of course it wasn’t a super-impressive victory, but it was a win where he cut his teeth and did well in his first run in the states.
“In the Joe Hirsch, I thought he wasn’t necessarily unlucky, but I know he should have and could have finished second,” Appleby continued. “In my mind, I could never see him beating Rebel’s Romance and I told that to William when we are talking about whether he was going to make the trip over to ride. Beating Nations Pride is one thing but beating Rebel’s Romance—I could never see that. Again, I wanted to run him just to see if he could run a sensible race behind Rebel’s Romance. Doing that would put him in the mix of a race like the Breeders’ Cup Turf.”
While it is rare to use a Breeders’ Cup championship race as a building block, that is exactly what Appleby and Godolphin hope to do in what is the well-bred gelding’s 12th lifetime start.
“More experience, especially in races like these, is important for him—one-hundred percent,” Appleby concluded. “He’s a gelded son of Frankel and, as you know, we try to pick horses who can try to campaign internationally for us. He’s there already and could be on the cusp of being that kind of active, competitive top-level horse that we could send to places like America and hopefully a couple times during the year we could try to pinch one or two Grade 1s, as we say.”
TAWNY PORT
Trainer: Miguel Clement
Jockey: Manny Franco
Monday Activity: Galloped 1 ¼ miles under exercise rider Rafaela Sanchez.
Planned Activity: Routine gallop scheduled.
The Quote: “He loves the fall and has been training forwardly. He’s very consistent and honest. In his three last races, he was actually finishing fastest, quarter pole to the wire. Plenty of interest, but just a question of will he get there in time. But I do expect him to make a solid account for himself. As long as there is a good trip, I expect him to run plenty well enough late and out-run his odds.” – Miguel Clement
FANDUEL BREEDERS’ CUP MILE
RHETORICAL
Trainer: Will Walden
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Monday Activity: Galloped 1 1/4m with exercise rider Jeramie Fennell
Planned Activity: Same as Monday.
The Quote: “He is a pretty easy doer. This is why we are in the game. We want to compete at the highest level with the best horses. That is what the team is centered around doing. We are privileged to be here, and we are excited, also.” – Will Walden
MAKER’S MARK BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY & MARE TURF
BELLEZZA
Trainer: Miguel Clement
Jockey: Jaime Rodriguez
Monday Activity: Galloped 1 ¼m under exercise rider Lee Vickers
Planned Activity: Routine gallop scheduled.
The Quote: “She really transformed this winter and blossomed, which sometimes takes place for these European fillies, when being based at Payson Park. She’s not the same filly, in our opinion, as when she first came to us. She’s the most gorgeous filly we have in the barn. She’s strong, she’s powerful, and her works have been from good to great. She stays, which makes her even more lethal. And she has an affinity for firm turf, which is exciting, because we expect her to get plenty of firm turf in California.” – Miguel Clement
CYGAMES BREEDERS’ CUP SPRINT
The evergreen Khaadem out on the track at Del Mar and taking it all in with Tori Knight. pic.twitter.com/YPT9JtUD05
— Emma Berry (@CollingsBerry) October 27, 2025
KOPION
BIG CITY LIGHTS
Trainer: Richard Mandella
Jockeys: Kopion (Mike Smith) and Big City Lights (Kazushi Kimura)
Monday Activity: Kopion walked, Big City Lights galloped after arriving at Del Mar from their Santa Anita base.
The Quote: “I thought selfishly of running both Kopion and Tamara in the Filly & Mare Sprint for me to give me the best chance of winning. The more I thought about it, the two fillies are at the top of their game. I think they’re as good as anyone and I think they both deserve their own chances.” – Richard Mandella on the decision to run Kopion in the Sprint versus the Filly & Mare Sprint.
“He’s doing great. He’s a Cal-bred who wins his share. He’s had a long layoff, but he runs very good fresh. He worked good enough that I thought he deserved a shot.” – Richard Mandella on Big City Lights
PNC BANK BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY & MARE SPRINT
HAULIN ICE
Trainer: Saffie Joseph, Jr.
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Set: 8:45 a.m.
Monday Activity: Jogged on the main track after shipping in on Sunday
Planned Activity: Gallop on the main track
The Quote: “She came in good and she’s just jogging this morning. It’s her first day on the track.” – Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.
Hello, Tamara! pic.twitter.com/clODalGN3E
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) October 27, 2025
TAMARA
Trainer: Richard Mandella
Jockey: Mike Smith
Monday Activity: Galloped after arriving at Del Mar from her Santa Anita base.
The Quote: “She is doing great. She came back great. We had a frustrating year with her last year, but nothing big happened to her Thank God. She’s back in really good shape. Her Del Mar Debutante and the race the other day (the Chillingworth (G3)) tell me she can run. She likes this track. It’s all in the family.” – Trainer Richard Mandella
Note: Tamara is the daughter of three-time Breeders’ Cup winner Beholder.
BREEDERS’ CUP DIRT MILE
#BC24 Champion Citizen Bull enters the paddock for a schooling session. pic.twitter.com/ADbpFaLW8V
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) October 27, 2025
#BC23 Champion White Abarrio ready to train this morning. pic.twitter.com/1088ScMvx9
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) October 27, 2025
WHITE ABARRIO
Trainer: Saffie Joseph, Jr.
Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Set: After renovation break
Monday Activity: Jogged back to the wire and galloped 1 3/8m
Planned Activity: Same routine
The Quote: “He’s happy, shipped well, held his weight after the ship, and that’s what you want. So far, so good.” – Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.
Multiple Grade 1 winner White Abarrio has seen his fair share of racetracks and reached the epitome of success when taking the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2023 at Santa Anita Park. At 6-years-old, there’s little he has not seen or done on a racetrack. Yet even with all his experience, there’s no harm in some moral support as he prepares for an attempt at his second Breeders’ Cup victory in the Dirt Mile.
In September, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. decided to offer White Abarrio a new companion in the form of a chocolatey-brown goat, appropriately named Brownie, in an effort to keep the job engaging and interesting as he approaches the end of his fifth season on the racetrack.
“We just wanted to work on the mental aspect,” Joseph Jr. explained. “He’s 6 and everything with a horse is mental. The happier you get them, the more they’ll give you their all. It’s a change you’re looking for to try and refresh them, and it’s really worked. He accepted him and they’ve been fine. He plays with him and bites him playfully. They’re friends and I definitely think it’s helped him. If he wins, it’s all Brownie.”
NETJETS BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES
IRON ORCHARD
Trainer: Danny Gargan
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Set: None
Monday Activity: Tack walked after shipping from New York on Sunday
Planned Activity: Will jog around 5:30 a.m.
The Quote: “She’s coming into the race good. She likes to win, so hopefully she can pull off one more. It’s nice after having the big horse [Dornoch] last year to come back this year to have a 2-year-old that can bring us back to these big races. It’s a lot of fun.” – Danny Gargan
Bath time with Tommy Jo! pic.twitter.com/sVeTbrifuD
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) October 27, 2025
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF
ARGOS
Trainer: Riley Mott
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Monday Activity: Galloped 1 1/4m at 6:45 a.m. with exercise rider Antonio Garcia
Planned Activity: Same as Monday
The Quote: “He has always been a pretty good looking, well training horse. We thought a lot of him when he came in. He is by Nyquist, who is probably one of the hottest sires in America right now. After his maiden win, I mapped out a two-race plan to hopefully propel us to the Breeders’ Cup. I wanted to get to the (G1) Summer Stakes (at Woodbine), which has been a bucket list race of mine since when I was working for my dad (Hall of Famer Bill Mott). If we were lucky enough to run well there (he won), the Breeders’ Cup was going to be the net plan.” – Riley Mott
BOTTAS
Trainer: Miguel Clement
Jockey: Manny Franco
Monday Activity: Galloped 1 1/14m under exercise rider Lee Vickers
Planned Activity: Routine gallop scheduled
The Quote: “He’s got a very good turn of foot. He’s got tactical speed. He’s always shown ability from Day One. They’re always very high on him. It’s impressive enough, the way he won his maiden, beating a TDN Rising Star. Then he had to show some grit and determination to win the Pilgrim, because it was not a straightforward race. He’s undefeated. He’s 2-for-2. He’s live, and he’s improving. It’s fun.” – Miguel Clement
GORDON PASS
Trainer: Will Walden
Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Monday Activity: Galloped 1 1/4m with exercise rider Jeramie Fennell
Planned Activity: Same as Monday
The Quote: (This will be the first horse Walden has saddled saddles in the Breeders’ Cup)
“I thought his race in the Bourbon (G2) (at 52-1 odds) was very good. He was still a little green and immature and gave himself too much to do. He was third. The horses that were first, second and fourth were 1-2-3 at the quarter pole, and he was last. He came home faster than anybody. He has taken a step forward in all of his (three) races. If he does so again out of the Bourbon, we think he will be right there. He is going to be a huge price, maybe the longest on the board. We have put in the body of work, now it’s just up to how it goes.” – Will Walden
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF SPRINT
"If they're good enough to run in these races, everyone wants to be here."
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) October 27, 2025
Donnacha O'Brien will be looking for his first #BreedersCup win this year at #BC25! pic.twitter.com/aNuPcclSKI
INTRICATE SPIRIT
Trainer: Miguel Clement
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Monday Activity: Galloped 1 1/4m under exercise rider Rafaela Sanchez
Planned Activity: Routine gallop scheduled
The Quote: “He showed a lot of speed on debut when he won, beating a TDN Rising Star. When he won the Futurity, he showed a tremendous amount of speed again. They went the half in 43 and change. For 2-year-olds on that turf course that’s rolling. I don’t think 5 furlongs would be an issue whatsoever. I know they’re going to go very fast early. We all know that. But he’s got a tremendous and enormous amount of speed, as well. Joel could be forward, or he could be sitting right off them, like he did. Whatever he wants. Just let him run. He’s got speed.” – Miguel Clement.
MILITARY CODE (GB)
Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Jockey: William Buick
Set: Del Mar Quarantine
Monday Activity: Quarantine
Planned activity: Will have his first view of Del Mar on Tuesday morning
