Kentucky Derby champ Mage breaks his maiden Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park (Coglianese)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.— Six Gulfstream Park winners, including 2022 Florida Derby (G1) hero White Abarrio and 2023 runner-up Mage, were among 18 horses pre-entered for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park.
A total of 205 pre-entries were announced Wednesday, second-most behind the 221 of 2018. This will be the 40th year of the Breeders’ Cup and the record-extending 11th time Santa Anita will serve as host.
White Abarrio owns six career wins, five of them at Gulfstream, highlighted by his 2021 debut and both the 2022 Holy Bull (G3) and Florida Derby as a 3-year-old. In his two most recent starts this year he ran third in the Met Mile (G1) and was a dominant winner of the Aug. 5 Whitney (G1) at Saratoga.
Mage graduated Jan. 28 at Gulfstream and ran second behind Forte, the champion 2-year-old male of 2022, in the April 1 Florida Derby before going on to victory in the Kentucky Derby (G1). He has gone on to run third in the Preakness (G1) and second in the Haskell (G1).
Arcangelo was a March 18 maiden winner at Gulfstream prior to notching victories in the Peter Pan (G3), Belmont (G1) and Travers for South Florida-based Jena Antonucci, who became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race.
Also with Gulfstream connections in the Classic are Bright Future, a two-time Gulfstream winner exiting a victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1); Suburban (G2) winner Charge It, runner-up in the 2022 Florida Derby and March 4 Gulfstream Park Mile (G2); Proxy, fifth in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) Jan. 28; first alternate Clapton, whose five Gulfstream wins include the April 1 Ghostzapper (G3) and 2022 Gil Campbell Memorial; and second alternate Skippylongstocking, a four-time graded-stakes winner including the 2022 Harlan’s Holiday (G3).
Trained by multiple Gulfstream meet champion Saffie Joseph Jr., Skippylongstocking is also pre-entered in the $1 million Dirt Mile (G1), where he has first preference. Bright Future, Charge It and Mage are also pre-entered in the Dirt Mile as is Dream Like, a maiden special weight winner March 11 at Gulfstream that ran third in the Wood Memorial (G2) and second in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1).
Joseph-trained Three Witches earned an all-fees-paid berth to the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) by virtue of her upset victory in the Oct. 7 Princess Rooney (G3) at Gulfstream. Ce Ce won the 2021 Princess Rooney to preview her victory in the Filly & Mare Sprint en route to champion female sprinter honors.
The $4 million Turf (G1) drew 17 pre-entries with three also-eligibles led by War Like Goddess, who won the first of her nine-career graded-stakes in the 2021 Orchid (G3) at Gulfstream. Three of her wins are in Grade 1 company; she was third in the 2022 Turf. Up to the Mark, who debuted on grass with back-to-back wins over the winter at Gulfstream; 2020 Kitten’s Joy (G3) runner-up and April 1 optional claiming allowance winner Get Smokin; and 2021 Gulfstream maiden winner Cellist are also pre-entered.
Multi-millionaire In Italian was pre-entered in both the $2 million Mile (G1) against males and $2 million Filly & Mare Turf (G1). The 5-year-old mare earned graded-stakes credentials in the 2022 Honey Fox (G3) at Gulfstream and has gone on to win four Grade 1 stakes. Other Mile pre-entrants include 2019 Kitten’s Joy winner Casa Creed; Grade 3 turf winner More Than Looks, who graduated March 31 at Gulfstream; and Up to the Mark.
Also on the Nov. 4 program are the $2 million Distaff (G1), $2 million Sprint (G1) and $1 million Turf Sprint (G1), which drew 21 pre-entries (nine alternates) including Big Invasion, who counts Gulfstream’s 2022 Texas Glitter and March 18 Silks Run among his stakes victories.
The Friday, Nov. 3 program features five Breeders’ Cup races for 2-year-olds. The $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint attracted 24 pre-entries including 11 also-eligibles; the race is limited to 12 runners. Trainer George Weaver could have as many as three, including Gulfstream stakes winners Crimson Advocate and No Nay Mets.
Crimson Advocate won the inaugural Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies May 13 to earn a berth at Royal Ascot, where she won the Queen Mary (G2) June 21 and has been unraced since. No Nay Mets won the Royal Palm Juvenile, also introduced this year, and was ninth in the Norfolk (G2) as Ascot but returned to capture back-to-back stakes, the latter at Colonial Downs. Weaver also has first alternate Amidst Waves, who ran fourth in debut May 4 at Gulfstream before winning stakes at Monmouth Park and Saratoga.
Bubbly Champagne, a Gulfstream maiden winner on the all-weather Tapeta Sept. 22 for Sunshine Meet leading trainer Jose D’Angelo, is the last of 11 alternates in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) and Juvenile Turf Sprint.
Final entries will be taken, and post positions drawn for all Breeders’ Cup races Monday, Oct. 30.
