Tom Pedulla offers 10 takeaways from the 42nd edition of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which offered 14 races worth more than $34 million in purses and awards when it was held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at picturesque Del Mar.

SWEET REVENGE: The connections of Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Forever Young have been looking to turn the tables on their American rivals since the colt finished third in last year’s Kentucky Derby, only noses apart from Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone. Their determination only increased with another third-place result behind Sierra Leone and Fierceness in last year’s Classic. That’s why it meant everything to owner Susumu Fujita when Forever Young became the first Japan-based horse to win the Classic in its 42-year history, with Sierra Leone and Fierceness taking second and third, respectively. “Fierceness and Sierra Leone will be retired, so this is the last chance against these two guys together,” Fujita noted. “It is also my dream to beat these two horses, so it’s a dream come true.”

NOT MUCH DEBATE: The Breeders’ Cup Classic tends to go a long way toward determining Horse of the Year with 16 of the previous 41 winners going on to that honor. Do not look for that to happen this time. As impressive as Forever Young was in dispatching a particularly strong Classic field, the race represented his lone North American start this year. That surely works against him when compared with Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets, and DraftKings Travers Stakes winner Sovereignty. This voter will somewhat reluctantly endorse Sovereignty since his connections never attempted the Triple Crown by sidestepping the Preakness Stakes. An illness a few days before the Classic kept the 3-year-old from ever being tested against older horses, a tremendous measure of a sophomore.  

2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Sierra Leone ran second in repeat bid (Eclipse Sportswire)

NOT HIS DAY: With his deep closing nature, it is particularly important to Sierra Leone that the track he competes on does not favor a horse with a certain running style. Trainer Chad Brown believes what is known as track bias worked against his defending champion. “I do not want to take anything away from the winner, but it’s been speed all day,” Brown said after Sierra Leone finished second. “I’m so proud of my horse’s effort, so courageous to run against the bias and nearly get there. Listen, him and Forever Young are closely related and they’ve had a wonderful rivalry from the Derby on. [Saturday] was Forever Young’s day to find the winner’s circle and hats off to them. They’ve done a really good job of bringing this horse back and he really fought on.”

FIERCE TROUBLE: It is hard, if not impossible, to make the argument that Contrary Thinking belonged in the Classic. In his last two starts when he served as a pacesetter — or what is known as a “rabbit” — to help ensure that Sierra Leone would have a pace to run into, he wound up last of nine and beaten by 68 lengths in the Whitney Stakes and contributed to an incident that led to top contender Mindframe losing his rider in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes before weakening badly. Jockey John Velazquez believes the speedster that lacks stamina hindered his third-place finisher Fierceness, who prefers to be on or close to the pace, in the Classic. “I can’t go head and head with a rabbit and then the rabbit cost me because he stopped in front of me and that was that,” Velazquez noted. Jockey Florent Geroux eased Contrary Thinking in the lane in the Classic before the horse walked off, having finished 38 lengths from the front. He was the only horse in the deep field that had not won a Grade 1 or Group 1 race. 

Ted Noffey wins Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Eclipse Sportswire)

TOTAL PACKAGE: Spendthrift Farm’s Ted Noffey showed himself to be a colt that has it all in completing a 4-for-4 season with a one-length victory against Mr. A. P. in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. The certain 2-year-old champion and early 2026 Kentucky Derby favorite displayed a great mind to accompany his physical attributes while producing rousing victories at Saratoga, Keeneland and Del Mar for regular rider John Velazquez. “He’s got such a great temperament and disposition that it made it easy to make moves like going from Saratoga to Keeneland and then from Keeneland back to Saratoga to prepare to come here,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He settled in here like a 5-year-old who’s been running forever. He took everything in stride.” That bodes well for the rigorous road ahead to the Derby.

ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS: Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott rode a rollercoaster of emotions during Breeders’ Cup week. First, there was the brutal disappointment of having to scratch heavily favored Sovereignty from the Classic after the 3-year-old became ill. Then there was the elation of watching Juddmonte homebred Scylla deliver a rousing front-running victory in the $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, dusting Nitrogen by 5 ½ lengths. “It’s been a mixed bag of emotions,” Mott said. “We were really disappointed but it didn’t take long to accept what happened to Sovereignty. I think everybody that’s connected has been through it, and I’ve been through it. We knew when that happened that he wouldn’t be able to compete, not at the level that he would need to.”

REMEMBERING A LEGEND: The red tie Todd Pletcher wore during Future Stars Friday was filled with meaning. The tie had belonged to the late D. Wayne Lukas and was given to him by Lukas’ widow, Laurie. Pletcher was one of many people in the industry who worked for Lukas and benefitted from his tutelage. Lukas became so appreciated for passing on his wisdom that he was known as “Coach.” Pletcher told NBC after he won the Juvenile, “He loved this event and it brings back some fond memories of him. That’s what he was always dreaming about, juveniles and Derby horses.” Pletcher equaled Lukas with his fifth Juvenile win thanks to Ted Noffey. (Bob Baffert is the all-time leader with six wins in the Juvenile.)

Bill Shoemaker Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. (Eclipse Sportswire)

RIDING HIGH: Irad Ortiz Jr. again showed why he is viewed as a go-to jockey when big money is on the line by repeating as the winner of the Bill Shoemaker Award, which goes to the leading rider during the two-day Breeders’ Cup based on points accrued through the 14 races. He also prevailed for the sixth time in the last eight years. “It’s one of my favorite weekends of the whole year, so it feels good to have a trophy because you have a good week on the best races of the year,” Ortiz said. He won with Cy Fair in the Juvenile Turf Sprint on Future Stars Friday and scored consecutive victories on Saturday with Shisospicy in the Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and Bentornato in the Cygames Sprint.

WEAVER’S FIRST: Trainer George Weaver notched his first Breeders’ Cup victory when Cy Fair became only the second filly to capture the Juvenile Turf Sprint in eight editions of the race. With Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, she withstood Brussels’ furious charge by three-quarters of a length while completing five furlongs in :56.02. Weaver was ecstatic after his breakthrough. “I can’t describe it. It’s why we all get in the game,” he said. “It’s hard to win these big races like this and it’s my first Breeders’ Cup [win]. We’ve had a great year. I am thankful to my staff, thankful to all the clients who supported me. We’ve got some nice horses and she’s one of the top ones.”

BIG BUSINESS: Bettors responded to strong international representation at this year’s Breeders’ Cup and a robust lineup for the $7 million Longines Classic by wagering with both hands during the sun-splashed, two-day competition at Del Mar. Officials announced the third-highest total all-sources handle in the 42-year history of the event at $180,036,799, a slight increase over last year’s total of $179,218,631. The all-time mark of $189,060,373 was set at Keeneland in 2022. The Cup will return to Keeneland next year on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31.