Study Guide: 2023 Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Nov 01, 2023 J. Keeler Johnson

Talented two-year-olds from around the country (and even the world) are set to face off in Friday's $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita.

The winner of the Juvenile often emerges as the early favorite for the following year's Kentucky Derby (G1). It's no wonder why the 1 1/16-mile race awards Road to the Kentucky Derby qualification points on a 30-15-9-6-3 basis to the top five finishers.

Let's meet the 11 horses entered in the 2023 Breeders' Cup Juvenile:

Note: Since trainer Bob Baffert is currently suspended by Churchill Downs Inc., horses trained by Baffert are ineligible to earn Road to the Kentucky Derby qualification points.

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The Wine Steward

Start(s): 4
Wins: 3
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Paradise Farms and David Staudacher
Breeder: Sequel Thoroughbreds, Lakland Farm, and Mark Toothaker
Trainer: Mike Maker
Jockey: Luis Saez

Top Speed Rating: (97) when winning the Funny Cide S. at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $370,260

Sire: Vino Rosso
Dam: Call to Service
Color: Bay

Talented New York-bred The Wine Steward won his first three starts sprinting, then stretched out over 1 1/16 miles to finish a game second in the Breeders' Futurity (G1). He was only beaten half a length by Breeders' Cup Juvenile rival Locked, but benefited from a ground-saving trip and may need improvement to turn the tables at Santa Anita.

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Prince of Monaco

Start(s): 3
Wins: 3
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Robert E. Masterson, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, and Tom Ryan.
Breeder: Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Flavien Prat

Top Speed Rating: (102) when dominating the Best Pal (G3) at Del Mar.
Total Earnings: $327,000

Sire: Speightstown
Dam: Rainier
Color: Dark bay/brown

The undefeated Prince of Monaco has yet to run farther than seven furlongs, but he crushed Breeders' Cup Juvenile rival Muth by 4 1/4 lengths in the six-furlong Best Pal (G3), earning a strong 102 Brisnet Speed rating. Prince of Monaco followed up with a comfortable score in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and can't be counted out of win consideration at Santa Anita, even while tackling a two-turn race for the first time.

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Wine Me Up

Start(s): 2
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman
Breeder: Kenneth L. Ramsey and Sarah K. Ramsey
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Ramon Vazquez

Top Speed Rating: (95) when finishing second in the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita.
Total Earnings: $109,200

Sire: Vino Rosso
Dam: Deanaallen'skitten
Color: Chestnut

A speedy son of Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Vino Rosso, Wine Me Up wired his debut sprinting six furlongs at Del Mar before carving out the pace on his way to second place in the 1 1/16-mile American Pharoah (G1). He's bred to improve with maturity and shine running long, so Wine Me Up has upside for continued improvement in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

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Timberlake

Start(s): 4
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: WinStar Farm and Siena Farm
Breeder: St. Elias Stables
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Florent Geroux

Top Speed Rating: (102) when winning the Champagne (G1) at Aqueduct.
Total Earnings: $375,600

Sire: Into Mischief
Dam: Pin Up
Color: Bay

Timberlake has shown flashes of serious talent across four starts and was much the best in the Champagne (G1) at Aqueduct last time out, splashing home over a sloppy track to win by 4 1/4 lengths with a 102 Brisnet Speed rating. Some bettors might attribute his blowout victory to the track condition, but Timberlake has shown enough promise on fast tracks to suggest he's a viable win threat in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

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Ecoro Neo (scratch)

Start(s): 2
Wins: 0
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Masatoshi Haramura
Breeder: Kathleen Schweizer and Daniel Burke
Trainer: Hideyuki Mori
Jockey: Yuga Kawada

Top Speed Rating: N/A
Total Earnings: $14,880

Sire: Bernardini
Dam: Smoke Signals
Color: Dark bay/brown

Japanese raider Ecoro Neo might be a 0-for-2 maiden, but one of his defeats came on turf. When he switched to dirt for a maiden race sprinting 1,200 meters (about six furlongs), he closed a lot of ground to finish second by half a length. A decelerating pace helped his chances, but Ecoro Neo is bred to shine stretching out over 1 1/16 miles, so there are reasons to like this longshot challenger.

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Locked

Start(s): 3
Wins: 2
Place: 0
Show: 1

Owner: Walmac Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners
Breeder: Rosa Colasanti
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Top Speed Rating: (105) when breaking his maiden at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $428,400

Sire: Gun Runner
Dam: Luna Rosa
Color: Chestnut

No horse in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile field has posted a higher Brisnet Speed rating than Locked, who threw down a 105 when finishing fast to smash a one-mile maiden special weight at Saratoga. He subsequently overcame a wide trip to win the Breeders' Futurity (G1) by half a length over ground-saving rival The Wine Steward. It's easy to understand why Locked is the 7-2 morning line favorite to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile—he looks like a star in the making.

#9 Locked steps up in class off his impressive win and takes the G1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland under @jose93_ortiz for trainer Todd Pletcher! 🔒

🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/zqqpqKq1eu

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) October 7, 2023

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Cuban Thunder

Start(s): 6
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 1

Owner: Amo Racing USA
Breeder: Mighty Universe
Trainer: Adrian Murray
Jockey: Tiago Pereira

Top Speed Rating: N/A
Total Earnings: $44,021

Sire: Profitable
Dam: Grace Rafaela
Color: Dark bay/brown

European raider Cuban Thunder is a wild card in the Juvenile, considering he's never raced on dirt. But four straight defeats against stakes competition on turf and synthetic suggest Cuban Thunder will need improvement to challenge against formidable rivals at Santa Anita.

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General Partner

Start(s): 3
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Klaravich Stables
Breeder: Kenneth L. Ramsey and Sarah K. Ramsey and Speightstown Syndicate
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Manny Franco

Top Speed Rating: (101) when breaking his maiden at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $164,050

Sire: Speightstown
Dam: Fleeting Humor
Color: Chestnut

General Partner impressed when wiring a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga by four lengths, earning a flashy 101 Brisnet Speed rating. He followed up with a game try in the one-mile Champagne (G1), in which he set a strong pace over a sloppy track before weakening to finish second. Trainer Chad Brown saddled 2017 Champagne runner-up Good Magic to upset the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, so there's a chance General Partner will move forward in a big way while stretching out around two turns at Santa Anita.

Fierceness

Start(s): 2
Wins: 1
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: Repole Stable
Breeder: Don Alberto Corporation
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez

Top Speed Rating: (101) when dominating his debut at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $62,750

Sire: City of Light
Dam: Nonna Bella
Color: Bay

Fierceness was spectacular in his debut sprinting six furlongs at Saratoga, leading all the way over a muddy track to crush next-out winners Air of Defiance and Billal by 11 1/4 lengths with a 101 Brisnet Speed rating. But Fierceness subsequently ran way below form in the Champagne, fading to finish seventh by 20 1/4 lengths. It's hard to predict how he'll perform in the Juvenile, but if Fierceness replicates his terrific debut performance, victory isn't out of the question.

#6 Fierceness dominates on debut in R6 at Saratoga under @iradortiz for trainer Todd Pletcher and @RepoleStable! 💪

🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/UyZvmpPcMc

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) August 25, 2023

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Muth

Start(s): 3
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Zedan Racing Stables
Breeder: Don Alberto Corporation
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Juan Hernandez

Top Speed Rating: (100) when winning the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita.
Total Earnings: $256,600

Sire: Good Magic
Dam: Hoppa
Color: Bay

Muth was no match for Prince of Monaco when finishing second by 4 1/4 lengths in the Best Pal, but the speedy colt showed a new dimension rating off the early lead in the 1 1/16-mile American Pharoah, and the result was a 3 3/4-length victory with a 100 Brisnet Speed rating. Muth is progressing in the right direction, but the Juvenile is his toughest test to date, and he may need another step forward to take home top honors.

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Noted

Start(s): 4
Wins: 2
Place: 2
Show: 0

Owner: Repole Stable
Breeder: Brereton C. Jones
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Top Speed Rating: (87) when winning the Sapling S. at Monmouth Park.
Total Earnings: $259,625

Sire: Cairo Prince
Dam: Sea View Millie
Color: Gray/roan

Versatility is a strong suit for Noted, who won the Sapling S. on dirt before finishing second by a nose in the Bourbon (G2) at Keeneland. But his career-best 87 Brisnet Speed rating looks a little light against the Juvenile field, suggesting Noted needs improvement to challenge against this caliber of competition. He and Ecoro Neo are the only two entrants who have yet to compete in a Grade 1 race.