The Platinum Queen Pursues Breeders’ Cup Crown in Juvenile Turf Sprint

The Platinum Queen defeats older horses in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye (JTW Equine Images)

By Amber Joyce

Middleham Park Racing’s Group 1-winning filly The Platinum Queen (IRE) has garnered morning line favoritism of 7-2 in the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, which kicks off this year’s Breeders’ Cup action.

The only horse in the field of 12 to boast a Group 1 victory, The Platinum Queen enters the Juvenile Turf Sprint off of a neck score in the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp in France. The daughter of Cotai Glory (who was ninth in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint) made history in the l’Abbaye, becoming the first juvenile since 1978 to win the Arc-day sprint.

That race wasn’t The Platinum Queen’s only brave effort against her elders, however. In August, it looked like she would pull off the win in the Group 1 Nunthorpe until five-year-old talent Highfield Princess (see her in the Turf Sprint) barreled past her to claim first prize. 

Against rivals of her own age, The Platinum Queen came up a head short in the Group 2 Flying Childers in September at York. Three weeks later she became a Group 1 winner. 

The Platinum Queen will be trainer Richard Fahey’s fifth runner in the Breeders’ Cup. He also sends out Group 3 winner Midnight Mile in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Both horses look to give Fahey his first win at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. 

Under Hollie Doyle, The Platinum Queen will break widest of them all from post position 12.

Other European invaders in the Juvenile Turf Sprint include Group 3 winner Lady Hollywood (GB) for young trainer Alice Haynes. Lady Hollywood, owned by AMO Racing USA, will be Haynes’ first Breeders’ Cup starter. Last out, Lady Hollywood captured the G3 Prix d’Arenberg at Longchamp.

Under Umberto Rispoli, the Havana Grey filly drew the rail. She is 15-1.

Clipper Logistics’ Dramatised (IRE) will break from post position four under Ryan Moore. Dramatised was a 1 ¾ length winner of the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot this June. She followed up that score with a fifth-place effort in the G2 Lowther at York. A win in the Juvenile Turf Sprint with Dramatised would be trainer Karl Burke’s first Breeders’ Cup win. 

The daughter of Showcasing (GB) is 15-1 on the morning line. 

Next of the Euro runners is Mischief Magic (IRE) for trainer Charlie Appleby, and jockey William Buick, racing in the silks of Godolphin. The aforementioned trio are no stranger to winning Breeders’ Cup races, notably teaming up last year to capture the Juvenile Turf with Modern Games (IRE), the Mile with Space Blues (IRE), and the Turf with Yibir (GB). 

Mischief Magic was most recently fourth in the Group 1 Middle Park at Newmarket, finishing four lengths behind now-retired Blackbeard (IRE). She entered the Middle Park off of a two-length success in the Group 3 Sirenia over Kempton Park’s all-weather surface.

At odds of 8-1, the Exceed and Excel (AUS) filly will leave the gate from post position five.

Group 2 winner Persian Force (IRE) rounds out the European quartet and looks to become conditioner Richard Hannon’s first Breeders’ Cup victor. Like Mischief Magic, Persian Force tried his hand in the Group 1 Middle Park, ultimately landing third. Prior to that effort, he was second in the G1 Prix Morny, missing the win by half a length behind Blackbeard. He was G1-placed a third time just two weeks earlier, settling for second in the G1 Keeneland Phoenix. 

Persian Force was a 1 ½ length winner of the G2 July Stakes at Newmarket, emulating his sire, Mehmas (IRE). Persian Force will break from post position six at morning line odds of 15-1. Donning the silks of AMO Racing USA, Frankie Dettori will be in the saddle. 

Trainer Wesley Ward will be on the hunt for his fourth consecutive win in the Juvenile Turf Sprint when he saddles 4-1 second choice Love Reigns (IRE). Ward won this race last year with Twilight Gleaming, with champion Golden Pal in 2020, and in 2019, scored with Four Wheel Drive.

Most recently, Irish-bred Love Reigns earned her first stakes win, edging clear in the $150K Bolton Landing at Saratoga on Aug. 21. Two months before the Bolton Landing, Love Reigns traveled across the pond to compete in the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot. Ultimately she finished fourth, three lengths behind Dramatised, who she will meet again on Friday.

Love Reigns is one of two horses in the Juvenile Turf Sprint that have won over the Keeneland turf course, giving her a bit of an advantage on race day. 

With Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons, Love Reigns will break from post position two. The daughter of U S Navy Flag will represent owner Stonestreet Stables, LLC. 

Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman’s versatile Speed Boat Beach aims to remain undefeated for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has never had a starter in the Juvenile Turf Sprint. 

Debuting on the Del Mar main track in September, the son of Baffert’s Breeders’ Cup Classic-winning Bayern blitzed to victory, setting a new track record. He opted to test out a new surface next out and was successful, going clear over the Del Mar turf in the $100K Speakeasy, earning his Breeders’ Cup berth.

At 6-1, Speed Boat Beach will break from post position 11. Flavien Prat has the mount. 

Turf extraordinaire Chad Brown will aim for his first Juvenile Turf Sprint triumph when he sends out Dubb, Michael, Madaket Stables LLC, Bailey, Morris and Rucker, William J’s Oxymore. 

Oxymore, a gelded son of Astern (AUS) cuts back to sprinting following a narrow defeat in the $510K Nownownow on Sep. 17 at Monmouth Park. In August, he was much the best in the 5 ½ furlong $150K Skidmore at Saratoga, crossing the wire 1 ¾ lengths in front. 

Jose Ortiz, Oxymore’s regular jockey, will take the reins from post position seven. Oxymore is 8-1 on the morning line. 

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen hopes to grab his first Juvenile Turf Sprint win with Mike McCarty’s stakes-winning 12-1 shot Private Creed.

The Jimmy Creed colt is the second half of the duo with success on the Keeneland turf, having flown to a three-quarter length victory in the $250K Indian Summer, earning his Breeders’ Cup berth. 

On Sep. 8, Private Creed won his first stakes race, capturing the $500K Juvenile Sprint over the unique Kentucky Downs course. That effort followed a third-place finish behind fellow Juvenile Turf Sprint contender Oxymore in the Skidmore. 

Joel Rosario has been aboard Private Creed for his stakes wins and retains the mount from post position three. 

Doug O’Neill-trained Sharp Aza Tack is another one looking to provide his trainer with a first Juvenile Turf Sprint score. Sharp Aza Tack comes into the race off of a runner-up finish in the Juvenile Sprint at Kentucky Downs, in which he was run down by Private Creed. 

In July, he became Sharp Azteca’s second stakes winner, dashing to a 7 ¼ length victory in the $102K Tyro at Monmouth Park. Wearing the silks of R3 Racing LLC, Tyler Gaffalione has the mount for the first time from post position nine. Sharp Aza Tack is 15-1 on the morning line. 

The sensational, undefeated Tyler’s Tribe takes on the big boys for trainer and co-owner Tim Martin, who has never had a runner in the Breeders’ Cup, let alone a horse of this caliber. 

An Iowa-bred, Tyler’s Tribe has won his five career starts (all at his home track, Prairie Meadows) by a whopping total of 58 lengths. After dominating by 16 lengths on debut, he has won four consecutive stakes, most recently the $100K Iowa Cradle.

Tyler’s Tribe is a fan favorite and for good reason, being named after co-owner Tom Lepic’s nine-year-old grandson Tyler Juhl, who won his battle with Leukemia the day of Tyler’s Tribe’s Iowa Cradle romp. Tyler has been at the track for every one of his namesake’s races and will be at Keeneland for the Breeders’ Cup, along with the huge tribe of family and friends who have been with him every step of the way.

History is on the line for Tyler’s Tribe, who is the second Iowa-bred horse to ever run in a Breeders’ Cup race; Topper T was eighth in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Historically, no Iowa-bred horse has ever won a Grade 1 race. Tyler’s Tribe hopes to change that.

Kylee Jordan, who rode her first race early last year and lost her apprentice bug in September, will be aboard Tyler’s Tribe from post position 10. The Sharp Azteca gelding is 15-1.

Rounding out the field for the Juvenile Turf Sprint is KatieRich Stables LLC homebred American Apple, recent 47-1 upsetter of the Grade 3 Matron at the Belmont at the Big A Fall Meet. American Apple is trainer Daniel Leitch’s first Breeders’ Cup starter. 

American Apple, a daughter of Triple Crown hero American Pharoah, will break from post position eight at morning line odds of 20-1. 

Darwin Banach’s Bushido (undefeated winner of the $150K Ontario Racing Stakes at Woodbine), Wesley Ward’s multiple stakes-placed No Nay Hudson (IRE), and Fausto Gutierrez’s Mounsieur Coco (winner of the $65K Proud Man at Gulfstream Park) are the three also-eligibles. 

See the field for the Juvenile Turf Sprint below:

The 15th running of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint goes off at 3:00 PM ET as race six on the Future Stars Friday card.

Entries for the entire card can be found here.

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