Son of No Nay Never Gains Automatic Berth into $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint
Breeders’ Cup Release
DEAUVILLE, France ─ Peter Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and & Derrick Smith’s Whistlejacket (IRE) secured his first Group 1 victory under Ryan Moore Sunday in the Sumbe Prix Morny (G1) at Deauville. With his victory in the 6-furlong straight course contest for 2-year-olds, Whistlejacket earned an automatic starting position into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In.
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 82 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, scheduled to be held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California.
Always prominent after breaking well from an inside draw, the Aidan O’Brien-trained son of No Nay Never led throughout under Ryan Moore to deny the fast-finishing Coventry Stakes (G2) winnerRashabar (IRE),who finished second for Manton Thoroughbred XI’s and trainer Brian Meehan. Whistlejacket ultimately finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Rashabar, with locally trainedDaylight (FR) the same distance back in third.
Arabie (GB) was fourth, while his Karl Burke stablemate Shareholder lost his unbeaten record and was last of the nine finishers after proving difficult to settle by his jockey James Doyle.
Whistlejacket was returning to the track just eight days after finishing second in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (G1) at The Curragh, and O’Brien was full of praise for the winner. O’Brien said:” He’s a very fast horse. At The Curragh, it didn’t set up perfectly for him but because he’s so fast and precocious, we thought he could do both races. It’s hard for horses to do both, especially when they’re only a week apart, but speed is his big thing really.”
It was a fifth career win in the French contest for O’Brien, the last being Blackbeard (IRE) in 2022. Blackbeard went on to win the Middle Park Stakes (G1) at Newmarket before an injury ruled him out of a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup. O’Brien suggested that Whistlejacket could follow a similar route with a trip to Del Mar very much in the plans.
O’Brien said: “Ryan gave him a brilliant ride as always. He’s a Middle Park-type horse and probably a Breeders’ Cup-type horse.”
Brian Meehan was pleased to see Rashabar prove his Royal Ascot success was no fluke and is looking forward to an Autumn campaign with the son of Holy Roman Emperor (IRE).
Meehan said: “We weren’t helped by the draw, just as we weren’t at Ascot. Rashabar is a proper horse. I’ve won the Prix Morny twice before with Bad As I Wanna Be (IRE) in 2000 and Arcano (IRE) in 2009, but I would say this fellow is better. I always like the idea of the Breeders’ Cup, so that would be a possibility, but we’ll see. We’ll get him home and regroup next week.”
Whistlejacket, sent off the 27-10 favorite, finished the race in 1.11.02 over a course listed as good to soft. It was the 200th Group/Grade 1 victory for jockey Ryan Moore.
As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders’ Cup will pay the entry fees for Whistlejacket in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1). Breeders’ Cup will also provide a travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders’ Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 21 to receive the rewards.
