Experience pays off, and that was the case Oct. 31 as Emphatic utilized her experience on the Keeneland main track to pull off a victory in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
There have now been 43 runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. For more than four decades, the race has showcased some dazzling 2-year-olds and crowned the division champion 34 times. But then, in the spring, when the Kentucky Derby rolls around on the first Saturday in May and precocious 2-year-olds turn into maturing 3-year-olds, the Juvenile winner is usually an afterthought.
Only two winners of the race (Street Sense in 2006 and Nyquist in 2015) have been able to win the Juvenile and then the Kentucky Derby.
Some racehorses peak at an early age, flashing brilliance right from the start. Others require more time to reach their best form, maturing slowly over the course of several years.
The Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf is a key race in determining the Eclipse Award for champion older turf male each year and it’s often one of the best betting races on the Championship Saturday card. The Grade 1 Turf has been won by some of the best international turf horses of the modern era since its inaugural running as part of the first Breeders’ Cup at Hollywood Park in 1984.
The Grade 1, $2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint will be contested at six furlongs on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Keeneland, and the 2026 edition has attracted a high-powered, 13-horse field. The Sprint will go as Race 8 on Saturday’s 12-race Breeders’ Cup program at Keeneland. Who will prove to be the fastest of the fast?
