BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Led by Glassman Racing LLC’s Arthur’s Ride in the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (Grade 1), five Florida-breds are among the 212 Thoroughbreds from around the world entered for the 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The 41st running of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, with purses and awards totaling more than $34 million, will be held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

Should all five Florida-breds start this year, they would bring the total number of Florida-bred Breeders’ Cup starters to 395, more than any other state, country or province outside Kentucky or Ireland.

Florida breeders have been represented by 30 Breeders’ Cup winners, also tops among all states, countries and provinces outside Kentucky and Ireland. Florida-breds have racked up $46,283,538 in Breeders’ Cup earnings.

Arthur’s Ride is joined in the Breeders’ Cup pre-entries by fellow Florida-breds Nooni in the $2 million NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Bentornato and Federal Judge in the $2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) and Cagliostro in the $1 million Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

Nooni, a daughter of Ocala Stud’s leading Florida freshman sire Win Win Win and bred by Ocala Stud, Joseph M. O’Farrell III and David O’Farrell et. al., will be the lone Florida-bred running on Future Stars Friday, Nov. 1. The Juvenile Fillies will be run as Race 7 and post time is 6:25 p.m. EDT. The race will be shown live on USA Network, Peacock and FanDuel TV.

Trained by Bob Baffert for Zedan Racing Stables Inc., Nooni is with 10 other 2-year-old fillies entered to run a mile-and-a-sixteenth in the Juvenile Fillies.

Nooni is out of Unanimity, by Union Rags and has earned $168,400 from two wins in four starts with one second. She was a $1.8 million sale-topper at this year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale where Zedan bought her out of the Ocala Stud consignment.

Five Florida-breds have won the Juvenile Fillies including Twilight Ridge (1985), Brave Raj (1986), Meadow Star (1990), Awesome Feather (2010) and Caledonia Road (2017).

Arthur’s Ride tries to become the fourth Florida-bred winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic following Unbridled (1990), Skip Away (1997) and Mucho Macho Man (2013).

Bred in Florida by Helen and Joseph Barbazon and Tapit Syndicate and trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Arthur’s Ride is among 16 3-year-olds and older pre-entered for the mile-and-a-quarter Classic.

There is a maximum of 14 starters allowed in each of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races.

Arthur’s Ride is by Tapit out of Points of Grace, by Point Given and has earned $804,955 from four wins and two seconds in eight starts. The 4-year-old colt earned his way into the Breeders’ Cup with a “Win and You’re In” victory in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga in August.

Post time for the Classic, to be run as Race 8, is 5:41 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Nov. 2 and will be shown live on NBC and Peacock

Bentornato and Federal Judge are among 15 entered in the Sprint for 3-year-olds and older at six furlongs. The Sprint will be run will be run as Race 10 with 7:05 p.m. EDT post time on Saturday and will be shown live on USA Network, Peacock and FanDuel TV.

Bentornato is by Bridlewood Farm stallion Valiant Minister out of Her Special Way, by Put It Back and was bred by Tanma Corp. The 3-year-old colt was last seen winning the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx for owner Leon King Stable Corp. and trainer Jose D’Angelo. He has five wins with a second and two thirds in eight career starts with lifetime earnings of $791,830.

Federal Judge earned his way to the Sprint with a “Win and You’re In” score in the Grade 2 Stoll Ogden Phoenix at Keeneland on Oct. 4 for trainer Brad Cox and owners WinStar Farm LLC and Siena Farm LLC.

Bred in Florida by Richard Heysek’s Caperlane Farm, Federal Judge has four wins with a second in six starts with earnings of $402,960. He is by Army Mule out of Congarette, by Congaree.

Bertrando and Federal Judge look to join Precisionist (1985), Smile (1986), Cherokee Run (1994) and Big Drama (2010) as Florida-bred winners of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Wathnan Racing’s Cagliostro would be the first Florida-bred winner of the Dirt Mile, which this year has attracted 19 pre-entries.

Bred in Florida by Lance Colwell and Janice Clark, Cagliostro counts among his victories this year a one-length score in the $300,000 Hanshin at Churchill Downs in June for trainer Cherie DeVaux. He has won three with four seconds and two thirds from 13 career starts while banking $496,668. The 4-year-old colt is by Upstart out of A Rosefor Isabelle, by Hard Spun.

The Dirt Mile is slated as Race 12 on Saturday’s program with an 8:25 EDT post time. It will be shown live on USA Network, Peacock and FanDuel TV.

Return to the October 23 issue of Wire to Wire