Pavel

Pavel, a late-blooming Creative Cause colt bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones and WinStar Farm, broke his maiden by 4 ½ lengths as a 3-year-old on July 1 at Santa Anita.

Racing for owner J. Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O’Neill, he was ambitiously placed in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course for his next start. Competing against the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners, Pavel made a bid for the lead in early stretch but tired to finish fourth in a race won by Good Samaritan.

In his next start, the Grade 3 Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx Racing, Pavel took command at the quarter pole of the 1 1/16-mile race and won going away by six lengths under Mario Gutierrez. Pavel ran third in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup in October before finishing 10th in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic. He closed out his 3-year-old campaign with a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes.

In his 4-year-old bow, Pavel ran fourth in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes, beaten by 4 1/2 lengths. He subsequently shipped to Dubai and finished fourth again in the $10 million Dubai World Cup.

Returning to the U.S., Pavel finished a distant fourth in the Santa Anita Gold Cup before shipping to Churchill Downs for a start in the Stephen Foster Handicap. He rallied from stalking position and drew clear in the stretch to win the Foster by 3 ¾ lengths, scoring a career-defining win for the same connections that won the 2012 and 2016 Kentucky Derby under the twin spires. Pavel earned an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic with his win in the Stephen Foster as the race is part of the “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series.