Game Winner Prepared for Success in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

A field of 14 2-year-old’s are set to take their first steps toward the 2019 Kentucky Derby in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sentient Jet Juvenile. When the Breeders’ Cup is contested in the state of Kentucky there is no doubt he Juvenile race becomes extra special. The race will serve as the feature event of the day on Friday’s “Stars of Tomorrow” card at the Breeders’ Cup. This is the first year that all five Juvenile races have been run on the same day. With a post time of 6:05 PM ET, the event is scheduled for race 9.

Leading the charge is multiple Grade 1 winner Game Winner, how is trained by Bob Baffert. Game Winner has been installed the 8/5 morning line favorite, after dominating his rivals last time out in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita. The son of Candy Ride drew well in post 9, with jockey Joel Rosario aboard once again.

Drawn a few spots to his inside in post 6 is Complexity, who comes into this contest off of an impressive win in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park. Last year, Chad Brown won this race with Good Magic, who also used the Champagne Stakes as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup. The son of Maclean’s Music is a perfect 2 for 2 to start his young career, with Jose Ortiz aboard for the 3rd straight time.

The other headlining horse in the race is Code of Honor, who was second to Complexity last time out in the Champagne Stakes. Before that, he broke his maiden at Saratoga in a maiden special weight, where he won in wire to wire fashion. He is trained by the legendary Shug McGaughey, while being ridden today by another legend in John Velazquez.

Here is the full field from the rail out: Dueling, Mr. Money, Derby Date, Tight Ten, Well Defined, Complexity, Mind Control, Standard Deviation, Game Winner, Knicks Go, Code of Honor, Gunmetal Gray, Topper T, and Signalman.

Top Choice

#9 Game Winner – Trainer Bob Baffert has a good one on his hands after back-to-back Grade 1 victories. Game Winner passed his first two-turn test with ease, romping at Santa Anita in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes. If he shows up with that type of effort, then he will be tough to beat today. Before his American Pharoah romp he also won the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity, which shows that the horse can run well at multiple tracks. Baffert looks to be loaded with juveniles once again, which is bad news for everyone else pointing towards the 2019 Kentucky Derby.

Horses to Use in Multi Race Wagers

#6 Complexity – Chad Brown will look to make it two wins in a row in this race with Complexity. After winning easily on debut at Saratoga, the horse then made his next start in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park, where he once again won easily. His early speed has been a dangerous weapon in both races, which could be scary today with all the other speed horses entered in this spot. However, based on the talent he has shown in 2 starts, this horse is a must use.

#11 Code of Honor – Trainer Shug McGaughey may have another good one on his hands. In his debut race, Code of Honor set the pace in a maiden special weight at Saratoga, while holding off all challengers to win the race by over a length. Recently, he was second in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes to Complexity, while showing he can sit off the lead as well in that contest. A different pace scenario could do him a world of good today, which is exactly what he should get if the race runs the way it looks on paper.

Exotic Plays

#12 Gunmetal Gray – It’s a shame that trainer Jerry Hollendorfer was not allowed to run Instagrand in this race. Instead, his leading charge will be Gunmetal Gray, who was second to Game Winner last time out in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita. He ran on well in that race, while he should likely get a much better pace set up in this spot. That could make him dangerous, making him a smart underneath play.

#7 Mind Control – People will likely forget about Mind Control, who won the Grade 2 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga in his last start. It seems the morning line maker has forgotten about him as well, with his morning line price of 20-1 being a bit too high. There is no doubt it is not ideal for the horse to make a start here off this long of a layoff. However, he fired a bullet workout at Monmouth on October 26, which signals that he is ready to roll.

Get full race previews and wagering strategies for all 14 Breeders’ Cup races in our exclusive Inside Track to the Breeders’ Cup Wagering Guide HERE.

Party Crashers

#5 Well Defined – Anytime jockey Mike Smith picks up a mount you have to pay attention. Well Defined has never raced outside of Gulfstream Park, however, when running around two-turns for the first time he showed a lot of talent. That race came in the $400,000 FTBOA Florida Sire In Reality Stakes, where he cruised to an easy 7 1/2 length score. Now, he has caught the attention of Smith, while catching mine as well.

#8 Standard Deviation – Chad Brown’s other entry will get all the attention, which is understandable, with Complexity winning a Grade 1 race in his last start. However, do not sleep on Standard Deviation, who seems to be progressing nicely coming into this event. His running style could be perfect for this race, with a very hot pace expected up front. Distance will be a friend to this horse, whether it be here, or in the future on the 2019 Kentucky Derby trail.

Throw Outs

#10 Go Knicks – How can I be throwing out a horse that won a Grade 1 event by over 5-lengths last time out? That is exactly what Go Knicks did, while going off at odds of 70-1 in the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. I’m banking on the fact he can’t repeat that sort of effort today.

#1 Dueling – A winner last time out in a maiden special weight at Santa Anita, Dueling is a horse that has not had a bad effort in any of his three starts. He was second in the two races he lost, where he was beaten by nice horses, such as Rowayton and Game Winner. Unfortunately for him, there are some pretty nice horses in this race as well.

#4 Tight Ten – There is no question he will be part of the early pace. In all of his starts he has shown that early speed is one of his major assets. Last time out, he stretched out in distance for the first time, where he faded to second in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs.

#2 Mr. Money – In three starts this son of Goldencents has never been out of the money. However, all of those starts have come against maiden special weight company. He finally broke through last time out with a 3 3/4 length win at Churchill Downs going two-turns for the first time.

#14 Signalman – He was solid in his last start, which was his first around two turns, when finishing second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. However, the winner of that race is also amongst the “throw outs,” with the racing coming back a bit slow.

#13 Topper T – This will be his first start around two-turns, while he also switches to the barn of Bill Mott. He has had some success at smaller tracks so far, with this being a major jump up in class.

#3 Derby Date – Obviously, this horse will be the longest shot on the board, with him still being a maiden. A win from him would be the biggest upset in Breeders’ Cup history. However, his trainer D Wayne Lukas has been known to pull off some incredible feats during his Hall of Fame career.

Want to know how we are betting this race? Download our 38-page Inside Track to the Breeders’ Cup Wagering Guide to get all our betting strategies and advice for all 14 Breeders’ Cup races.