BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Led by millionaires Dorth Vader and Bentornato, nine Florida-breds are among the 207 Thoroughbreds pre-entered in this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships to be run at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Oct. 31-Nov. 1. 

Pre-entry is the first of a two-step process for all owners intending to start a contender in one of the 14 Breeders’ Cup World Championships races worth a total of $34 million in purses and awards. The entry stage takes place Monday, Oct. 27, when post positions will be drawn live on FanDuel TV beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. The draw will also be streamed on BreedersCup.com, the official Breeders’ Cup mobile app, and YouTube, Facebook, and X social channels. 

A maximum of 14 starters is allowed in each of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races, except for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, which are limited to 12 starters. Breeders’ Cup Limited has adopted a field selection system to select runners in the event fields are oversubscribed. This system ranks horses in order of preference based on (i) Breeders’ Cup Challenge race winners, (ii) a point system, and (iii) the judgment of an independent international panel of racing experts. 

John Ropes’ homebred Dorth Vader is among 14 fillies and mares pre-entered for the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (Grade 1), to be run as the seventh race on Saturday, Nov. 1. The multiple graded stakes winner earned a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In invitation to the Distaff with a four-and-three-quarters’ length victory in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Saratoga Race Course on June 6, run over a sloppy nine furlongs, the same distance at the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Dorth Vader is trained by George Weaver and sports a career record of five wins, three seconds and a third with earnings of $1,018,218. She is by Girvin out of Hardcore Candy, by Yonaguska and will be making her first appearance in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

She will be looking to become the sixth Florida-bred winner of the Distaff after Hollywood Wildcat in 1993, One Dreamer (1994), Jewel Princess (1996) Beautiful Pleasure (1999) and Ginger Punch (2007).

Bentornato makes his second appearance in the $2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) after finishing second to Straight No Chaser in the six-furlong test for 3-year-olds and older last year at Del Mar. The 4-year-old son of Bridlewood Farm stallion Valiant Minister enters the Sprint with one start this year, an impressive five-and-a-quarter-length victory in the $267,000 Louisville Thoroughbred Society Stakes (Listed) going six furlongs at Churchill Downs on Sept. 13.

Bentronato is trained by Jose D’Angelo for Leon King Stable Corp, who has offered up a 25% share in the 4-year-old ridgling to be auctioned off at the Keeneland Championship Sale to be held in the Del Mar paddock on Oct. 29. 

The Florida-bred champion 3-year-old male of 2024, Bentornato is out of Her Special Way, by Put It Back and has a career record of six wins, two seconds and two thirds with earnings of $1,282,180. Bred by Tanma Corp., Bentornato looks to become the 60th Florida-bred with at least two starts in Breeders’ Cup races.

James Thares’ Mad House looks to extend a four-race win streak in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint after most recently winning the Grade 3 Gallant Bob at Parx Racing on Sept. 20. The 3-year-old gelding is trained by David Van Winkle and sports a career record of four wins with a second and a third with earnings of $281,815. He is out of Stifled Heiress, by Munnings and was bred by Jean White, Wavertree Farm and SGV Thoroughbreds.

Previous Florida-bred winners of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint include Eillo in 1984, Precisionist (1985), Smile (1986), Cherokee Run (1994) and Big Drama (2010).

The Breeders’ Cup Sprint has attracted 17 pre-entries and will be run as the sixth race on Nov. 1.

Florida breeders are represented by two contenders among the 18 3-year-olds and older pre-entered in the $2 million Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1). The Turf Sprint is set for five furlongs on the grass and is carded as the fifth race on Nov. 1.

Live Oak Plantation homebred Bring Theband Home has won two of five starts this year including a dazzling four-and-a-quarter-length victory in the $150,000 Harvey Pack (Listed) at Saratoga on July 4. He was just .10 of a second off the track record when covering five-and-a-half furlongs in :59.90 which equated to a 109 Beyer Speed Figure, the best such number achieved by any horse on grass (all distances) in North America this year.

The 5-year-old gelding is trained by Mark Casse and has a lifetime record of six wins, three seconds and a third in 14 starts while banking $508,556. He is by Into Mischief out of Tizatude, by Street Cry (Ire).

Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s homebred Reef Runner brings a homefield advantage into the Turf Sprint, having crossed the finish line first in the Grade 3 Green Flash going five furlongs on the turf at Del Mar on Aug. 30. Although he was disqualified and placed second, the 4-year-oldd son of The Big Beast rebounded to win the Grade 2 Eddie D going six-and-a-half furlongs on the downhill course at Santa Anita in his last race on Sept. 27.

Trained by David Fawkes, Reef Runner is out of Paradise Bay, by Blame and has won six with five second and five thirds while accumulating $502,405 in earnings.

Bring Theband Home and Reef Runner try to follow in the footsteps of Florida-bred Golden Pal, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in 2020 and 2021.

Four Florida-bred juveniles have pre-entered for the races on Future Stars Friday including Lennilu and Skipping Stars in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1), a five-furlong grass affair carded as the sixth race on Oct. 31.

Lennilu has won four of five career races including a length-and-three-quarters victory in the $75,000 Hollywood Beach Stakes going five furlongs on the turf at Gulfstream Park on Sept. 27. The gray or roan daughter of Pleasant Acres Stallions’ Leinster is trained by Patrick Biancone for Amy Dunne, Caitlin Dunne, Brenda Miley, Jean Wilkinson, Hoffman Family Racing, Tranquility Lake Farms LLC, Maury Harrington and Christopher K. Harrington.

Lennilu is out of Lulu’s Pom Pom, by Congrats and was bred by Helen and Joseph Barbarzon. She enters with $206,489 in lifetime earnings.

Also among the 22 pre-entered 2-year-olds in the Juvenile Turf Sprint is Joker Racing LLC and New Horizon Bloodstock’s Skipping Stars. Trained by Jose D’Angelo, Skipping Stars won for the first time in his second career start on Sept. 21, taking a maiden special weight for Florida-breds by a neck going a mile-and-70-yards on synthetic.

Skipping Stars is by Mitole out of Bello Porte, by The Factor and has earned $40,800 in his two starts.

Lennilu and Skipping Stars are attempting to become the first Florida-bred winner of the Juvenile Turf Sprint.

NBS Stables’ Ground Support and Live Oak Plantation’s homebred Ultimate Love both take perfect records into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1), which has 16 2-year-old fillies pre-entered in the one-mile contest.

Trainer Kelsey Danner saw Ground Support break her maiden at odds of 100-1 at Kentucky Downs going a mile on the grass on Aug. 30 then won the Grade 2 Miss Grillo at odds of 12-1 going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf during the Belmont and Big A meet on Oct. 4.

Ground Support is by Army Mule out of Arch Support, by Arch and has earned $164,000 in her two starts. She was bred in Florida by Champion Equine LLC.

Ultimate Love is three-for-three for trainer Michael Trombetta. She scored a four-length victory in the $125,000 Selima Stakes going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the grass at Laurel on Sept. 27. By Curlin out of Tsunami of Love, by Bernardini, Ultimate Love has earnings of $146,400.

Ground Support and Ultimate Love each will try to become the first Florida-bred winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Should all nine start, that would bring the all-time number of Florida-bred starters in Breeders’ Cup races to 404 – more than any other state or province outside Kentucky and more than any country except Ireland. Florida-breds have won 30 Breeders’ Cup races. Nine Florida-bred Breeders’ Cup starters would be the most in a single year since 2020 when 11 Florida-breds went postward.  The most Florida-breds to appear in any one year was 25 in the 2011 Breeders’ Cup. The most winners in one year was 1985 when Florida-breds won four of the seven Breeders’ Cup races.

Click to view the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Florida-bred Contenders

Return to the October 23 issue of Wire to Wire