While a couple of horses have won the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) in back-to-back years, Rebel's Romance will try to put a new twist on that feat.
After prevailing in the 2022 Turf, Godolphin's 6-year-old gelding enters the Nov. 2 edition of the $5 million stakes at Del Mar in a position to become the first horse to win the Turf twice but not in consecutive years.
Among the 13 horses entered Oct. 28 in the 1 1/2-mile Turf, the son of Dubawi appears to be back in top form as he returns to the World Championships after a year's absence with four wins in five 2024 starts and three of those victories coming in group 1 stakes.
In his last start, the son of the Street Cry mare Minidress won the Preis von Europa (G1) in Germany, the same stakes he captured before his 2022 triumph in the Turf.
"Rebel's Romance is an international star, as we know. He's been rock solid all year, even in his defeat at Ascot he went down with a lot of credit," trainer Charlie Appleby said last week while at Newmarket in England. "We purposely gave him a little bit of a break. We toyed with the idea of going to America, but we decided to stay a little bit closer to home and go to Germany for a race he'd won before and he springboarded from that into a Breeders' Cup win."
While Rebel's Romance, a homebred earner of $9.1 million, is Appleby's lone Turf entrant, the field is loaded with international flavor, something not surprising considering eight of the last nine winners of America's richest turf race have come from overseas connections.
The lone exception was Bricks and Mortar in 2019, who was later voted America's Horse of the Year.
Trainer Aidan O'Brien, who has 18 Breeders' Cup wins (tied for second behind D. Wayne Lukas), will send out Luxembourg and the group-placed, stakes-winning filly Wingspan, both owned by Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith.
Luxembourg won the Coronation Cup (G1) in May at Epsom Downs but was sixth in his last two starts, the Irish Champion Stakes (G1) and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1).
"We think, obviously, we're pitching (Luxembourg) in deep in a lot of other races, and there was a lot of things that didn't suit him in them, but we always felt the Breeders' Cup would really suit him," O'Brien said. "He would love going a mile and a half on a flat surface."
Two of the more fancied European entrants are the second and third choices on the morning line, Jayarebe at 4-1 and Emily Upjohn at 5-1.
Of the 10 horses he's brought to the Breeders' Cup, trainer Brian Meehan has only entered two in the Breeders' Cup Turf, and each took a running of the event. Dangerous Midge took the 2010 running, and Red Rocks won in 2006 in his first of three attempts in the race for Meehan. This year he brings Jayarebe.
While he finished seventh in his sole group 1 start, that came as a 2-year-old over seven furlongs. At 3, he has won or placed in all of his five starts, including two group wins. He is coming off a win in the Prix Dollar (G2) over his elders Oct. 5 at ParisLongchamp.
Trainer John Gosden entered Emily Upjohn in the Turf rather than the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T), indicating he preferred the 1 1/2-mile distance of the Turf with Del Mar's track configuration.
He also named Frankie Dettori to ride. Prior to coming to the United States for the 2024 season, Dettori piloted the mare throughout her 3- and 4-year-old campaigns in Europe, which included her two group 1 triumphs in the 2022 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1) and 2023 Coronation Cup (G1). Winless in six starts this year, all group 1s, Emily Upjohn has still performed well, finishing in the money in three of the events.
Japan will have two representatives as it bids for its first Turf victory.
Sunday Racing's Shahryar was second in the $6 million Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) in late March, but in his lone start since then the 6-year-old son of Deep Impact trained by Hideaki Fujiwara was fifth in the Sapporo Kinen (G2).
Rousham Park, a son of Harbinger also owned by Sunday Racing, was second by a neck three starts ago in the Osaka Hai (G1) for trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka.
Far Bridge Looks LiKe AmerIca's Best Hope
The American entrants are led by LSU Stables' three-time grade 1 winner Far Bridge.
A 4-year-old English Channel colt out of the Kitten's Joy mare Fitpitcher trained by Christophe Clement, the $2.4 million private purchase won back-to-back grade 1 stakes in his last two starts, prevailing in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) and the Sword Dancer Stakes (G1T).
"I've examined the race and from what I've read it looks like a match race of us vs. Rebel's Romance," said Randy Sarf, son of stable owner Larry Sarf. "I really don't see a big threat in the race except him. Far Bridge is definitely the best horse based in the United States. We are very confident."
Whisper Hill Farm's Grand Sonata won the Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs in his last start but was fifth in the Sword Dancer before that. A homebred son of Medaglia d'Oro , he is trained by Todd Pletcher.
The leading West Coast hopeful and the horse for the course is Gold Phoenix, a grade 1-winning son of Belardo.
Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, and Marsha Naify and trained by Phil D'Amato, in August he notched a third straight win in the Del Mar Handicap (G2T), a 1 3/8-mile turf stakes at Del Mar. Overall, he has four wins and a third in six starts over the Del Mar turf course.
He was fifth in his most recent start, the Sept. 28 California Crown John Henry Turf Championship Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park.
Del Mar, Saturday, November 2, 2024, Race 7Entries: Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Rousham Park (JPN) Christophe Lemaire 126 Hiroyasu Tanaka 20/1 2 2Emily Upjohn (GB) Lanfranco Dettori 123 John H. M. Gosden 5/1 3 3Shahryar (JPN) Cristian Demuro 126 Hideaki Fujiwara 10/1 4 4Luxembourg (IRE) Ryan L. Moore 126 Aidan P. O'Brien 12/1 5 5Jayarebe (FR) Sean M. Levey 122 Brian Meehan 4/1 6 6Far Bridge (KY) Joel Rosario 126 Christophe Clement 6/1 7 7Grand Sonata (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 126 Todd A. Pletcher 20/1 8 8Cabo Spirit (KY) Abel Cedillo 126 George Papaprodromou 30/1 9 9El Encinal (ARG) Armando Ayuso 126 Francisco Garcia 30/1 10 10Wingspan (IRE) Wayne Lordan 119 Aidan P. O'Brien 15/1 11 11Rebel's Romance (IRE) William Buick 126 Charles Appleby 5/2 12 12Gold Phoenix (IRE) Kyle Frey 126 Philip D'Amato 15/1 13 13There Goes Harvard (KY) John R. Velazquez 126 Michael W. McCarthy 30/1
