Pletcher, Baffert have top contenders in Breeders' Cup juvenile dirt races

Oct 28, 2025 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

Ted Noffey wins the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland. (Photo by Coady Media)

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) will have a strong favorite, while the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) will have less of one when the marquee races in their respective divisions are run Friday at Del Mar.

Ted Noffey, victorious in the Hopeful (G1) and Breeders' Futurity (G1), will look to cement championship honors in the $2 million Juvenile over 1 1/16 miles. The Todd Pletcher trainee was installed as the 4-5 favorite and will face seven others.

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The West Coast's leading hope is the Bob Baffert-trained Brant. After a dazzling debut over the Del Mar strip in late July, the son of Gun Runner was a bit more workmanlike when leading throughout in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) after a troubled start. He still won by a length, though, and will be trying two turns for the first time on Friday.

Blackout Time, a clear second to Ted Noffey in the Breeders' Futurity, will get some play. Another potential player is the supplemental entry Intrepido, who made it 2-for-2 around two turns with a late, winning bid in the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita last time.

Although the Juvenile awards 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points of 30-15-9-6-3 to the respective top five finishers, the Juvenile winner has come back to win the Derby only twice in the 41-year history of the race. Those two were Street Sense (2006-07) and Nyquist (2015-16).

The Juvenile Fillies, also worth $2 million and run at 1 1/16 miles, looks like another showdown between Baffert and Pletcher. Baffert saddles the early 5-2 favorite Explora, who dominated the Oak Leaf (G2) at Santa Anita, one month after getting upset by stablemate Bottle of Rouge in the Del Mar Debutante (G1).

The east's top prospects include the Pletcher-trained Tommy Jo, a comfortable winner of the Spinaway (G1) before being placed first in the Alcibiades (G1) via disqualification. While soundly bumped by Percy's Bar in the stretch of the Alcibiades, Tommy Jo appeared to be struggling to get by Percy's Bar at the time of the interference.

Another who might take some action is the undefeated New York-bred Iron Orchard, who rallied from behind a blazing pace in the one-turn mile Frizette (G1) to win by a nose.

The Juvenile Fillies offers 2026 Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifying points of 30-15-9-6-3 to the respective top five finishers. Only Open Mind (1988-89) and Silverbulletday (1998-99) have pulled off the Juvenile Fillies/Oaks double.