BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Eight Florida-breds have pre-entered five Breeders’ Cup World Championship races set for Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31 at Keeneland Race Course. This year a record 255 thoroughbreds representing six continents and 10 countries have been pre-entered for thoroughbred racing’s premier two-day festival of racing.
Pre-entry marks the first of a two-step process for owners intending to start a horse in one of the 14 Championship races. The final entry stage will occur Monday, October 26, with post positions drawn live beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel TV, BreedersCup.com, the official Breeders’ Cup mobile app, and the organization’s YouTube, Facebook, and X social channels.
Should all eight Florida-breds start, it would equal the number of Florida-breds that raced in last year’s Breeders’ Cup races and add to the 403 Florida-breds that have competed in previous 43 Breeders’ Cups. Thirty Florida-breds have produced 31 Breeders’ Cup victories including Leon King Stable Corp. and TCC Stables’ Bentornato, winner of last year’s Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (Grade 1).
Three Florida-breds will try to duplicate Bentornato’s triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint including multiple graded stakes-winner Roll On Big Joe, graded stakes-winner Mad House and graded stakes-placed Little Thunder.
Representing Florida breeders in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) are multiple graded stakes-winner R Disaster and graded stakes-winner Nooni.
This would be the second consecutive start in the Sprint for Mad House, who finished out of the money last year; and Nooni looks to make her second appearance in a Breeders’ Cup race having finished sixth in the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar in 2024. With their second Breeders’ Cup starts, Mad House and Nooni would to join a list of 60 Florida-breds that have made at least two appearances in Breeders’ Cup races. Nine Florida-breds have three Breeders’ Cup starts while Precisionist and Pure Sensation each started in four Breeders’ Cup races. Florida-bred Firenze Fire has five Breeders’ Cup starts to his credit.
Live Oak Plantation homebred Victory Achieved is pre-entered for the $1 million Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1). If he makes the starting gate, he would add to the record 14 Florida-bred Breeders’ Cup starters owned by Live Oak Plantation, the nom de course of Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Hall of Fame member Charlotte Weber. Her Live Oak Stud has been represented by 15 Florida-bred Breeders’ Cup starters, matched only by the late Arthur Appleton on the list of leading breeders with Florida-bred Breeders’ Cup starts.
Two juvenile Florida-breds have pre-entered for races on Friday including graded stakes-winner Liam’s Law in the $1 million Brown Advisory Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) and My Kid’s Said No in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1).
Ocala Stud bred Liam’s Law and with partner and FTBOA Hall of Fame member J. Michael O’Farrell Jr., bred R Disaster. They bred Nooni in partnership with Joseph M. O’Farrell III, David O’Farrell, et al. Ocala Stud, alone or in partnerships, currently ranks third on the list of most Breeders’ Cup starts for a breeder with a Florida-bred at 13, behind only Appleton and Live Oak Stud.
For 2026 Breeders’ Cup Florida-bred Contenders and Historical Statistics, click here.
Portions of this article were taken directly from a Breeders’ Cup press release.
Return to the October 21 issue of Wire to Wire
