The fields for the 14 races that comprise the Breeders’ Cup World Championships really begin to come into focus in summer and fall and this regular feature will offer a snapshot profile of one of the previous weekend’s standout stars.

Slow and steady wins the race, as the old saying goes, does not typically apply to Thoroughbred racing, where speed rules the day. But Slow Down Andy’s rise from fringe Kentucky Derby candidate in 2022 to bona-fide Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic contender in 2023 has been a steady, gradual ascent.

That’s not to say Slow Down Andy doesn’t have speed. In fact, he used it opportunistically while leading from start to finish in his 2 ¼-length victory in the $302,000, Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes Sept. 30 that earned an expenses-paid berth in the Longines Classic Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park. Let’s take a closer look at his chances in the $6 million race.

California-bred Slow Down Andy burst onto the scene as a prospect for the 2022 Triple Crown trail in winning two of his first three starts, including a victory in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity in December 2021. He finished a distant sixth in a Grade 2 race on the Derby trail in his 2022 debut and then won the $500,000 Sunland Park Derby, but an illness forced him to miss the Triple Crown races.

The chestnut colt by Nyquist – the 2016 Kentucky Derby winner raced by Slow Down Andy’s owner-breeder, J. Paul Reddam, trained by Doug O’Neill, and ridden by Mario Gutierrez – returned in July 2022 for the Los Alamitos Derby and has been a fixture of consistency since. He’s posted two wins, three seconds, and three third-place finishes in nine races since missing the 2022 classics. His only unplaced finish in that stretch was a sixth at 24.60-1 odds in the one-mile Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap in June 2023.

Slow Down Andy also has shown some versatility, winning the Grade 2 Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby on the grass in addition to the Awesome Again Stakes on a wet-fast surface that was his first start on an “off” track.

A year ago in the Breeders’ Cup, Slow Down Andy rallied from off the pace to finish third in the Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile, but he set the pace in winning both the Del Mar Derby and Awesome Again Stakes. He equaled a career-best 113 Equibase Speed Figure in the 2023 Awesome Again and the tactical speed he utilized in that race figures to be a key weapon Nov. 4 in the Longines Classic at Santa Anita.

While Slow Down Andy has been very good and consistent over the last 15 months or so, he most likely will be a mid-level longshot in the 1 ¼-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic. He faded to finish third in his lone previous start at 1 ¼ miles in the FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic Stakes and has less name recognition than many of his probable opponents, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a real chance to make an impact in the Classic.

• Six of the last 11 Breeders’ Cup Classic winners were in first at the first point of call and none in that stretch was more than 3 ½ lengths back after the opening quarter-mile. Early speed has become increasingly important in this race.
• Thirteen of the last 20 Classic winners won their final prep, 14 if you count Vino Rosso, who crossed the finish line first in the Jockey Club Gold Cup but was disqualified before going on to win the 2019 Classic.
• Good recent form is key and Slow Down Andy has that with Equibase Speed Figures of 113-109-113 in his last three races.
• Likewise, proven class is essential as the last 18 Breeders’ Cup Classic winners had won a Grade 1 race entering the World Championships.
• Slow Down Andy also seems to relish the main track at Santa Anita, where he has two wins and a third in three races and matched his career-best Equibase Speed Figure on that surface in the Awesome Again.

Slow Down Andy has built up to career-best form approaching this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic and looks well-suited to compete for a top-three finish at 1 ¼ miles on a main track he has a history of success racing on. Expect Slow Down Andy to outrun his odds and be right in the thick of things in early stretch.