International Flair Extends to Jockeys at Breeders' Cup

The 2024 Breeders' Cup Championships, unfolding Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar, has been labeled the most internationally flavored in the history of the event, which began in 1984. The boast is backed up by the array of Thoroughbreds that have descended upon the seaside course, hailing from England, Ireland, France, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, and the good ol' USA. Then again, wait until you get a load of the United Nations worth of jockeys who will be riding those international stars. "You're going to hear a lot of languages in the jocks' room," said Umberto Rispoli, one of four who fly the Italian flag, along with Frankie Dettori, Cristian Demuro, and Antonio Fresu. Oisin Murphy, freshly crowned champion of the British season, is one of seven from Ireland. There are three from France, including Christophe Lemaire, who can also carry on conversations in Japanese and English with aplomb. Kazushi Kimura, a winner of an Eclipse Award and three Canadian Sovereign Awards, is joined by seven Japanese countrymen, including the all-time great Yutaka Take. The British have the Marquand-Doyle family (Tom, Holly, and James), plus the ex-pat Rachel King, who made her name in Australia. William Buick and Sean Levey hang with the Brits, as well, though one is from Norway and the other from Eswatini, formerly Swaziland. Throw a dart at a map of the Western Hemisphere and chances are you'll hit the home nation of a Breeders' Cup jock who has earned their way to the big dance. There is Barbados, Brazil, Guatemala, and Peru, along with the Dominican Republic, home of the latest Hall of Famer, Joel Rosario. Luis Saez leads three from Panama, Javier Castellano is joined by three fellow Venezuelans, and California top dog Juan Hernandez is among three from Mexico. Stateside Breeders' Cup riders come from Kentucky, Louisiana, Washington, Florida, and California. There are six from Puerto Rico, including Johnny Velazquez and the Ortiz brothers, and one from New Mexico, where Mike Smith entered this world 59 years ago. Smith will be trying to pad his Breeders' Cup-record 27 wins aboard Scylla in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) for Bill Mott and Juddmonte Farm. Smith is also the oldest rider in the 41st Breeders' Cup, but not by much. Yutaka Take is 55, Velazquez is 52, and the irrepressible Dettori turns 54 in December. The morning of Oct. 31, he rode the British mare Emily Upjohn (GB) once around the Del Mar turf course for trainer John Gosden, as she stretched her long legs in preparation for a run against the boys in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) Saturday at 1 1/2 miles. "Yesterday it was all new to her, but today she figured it out very quickly where she is," Dettori said. "Obviously, running in America, you always want a horse to change leads, and today she did exactly what I wanted her to do. The grass is beautiful. All the lights are on." Dettori rode Emily Upjohn to her two most important scores in England—the 2022 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1) and the 2023 Coronation Cup (G1)—before the jockey jumped to a full season of glorious competition in North America. Meanwhile, Emily Upjohn, now 5, has gone without a win in 2024, although her two most recent races have shown a return to form. Gosden and Dettori teamed to win the 2018 Breeders' Cup Turf at Churchill Downs with Enable (GB). "Running a mile and a half in the turf here provides a nice long run down the backside before the first of those three turns comes up," Gosden said as he followed Emily and Frankie back to the stables. "She can just find a spot and settle in." As Gosden walked, sporting an "Emily Upjohn" cap, another one bearing the named "Enable" dangled from his belt. "Anything for luck," the trainer said. Hollie Doyle will need all the luck she can muster aboard the brilliant English speedster Bradsell (GB) in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), who has drawn post 12 of 12 going five furlongs Saturday. Bradsell is Doyle's only mount over the two days of the Cup, but the 4-year-old colt has gone nowhere without his jockey since their victory in the Coventry Stakes (G2) in June of 2022. That season, Doyle finished joint-second in the British flat racing standings, and was named Sportswoman of the Year by the Sunday Times in 2020. She also got married in March of 2022 to fellow rider Tom Marquand. "He incredible, really," said Doyle, referring to Bradsell, then she rattled off his list of accomplishments like a proud mother hen. "He was so dominant. He just put his mark on those races." Bradsell had a perfect 2024 run snapped in his last start, when he was second in the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp (G1). Doyle was not discouraged. "It was desperate ground that day, a lot softer than he wanted," Doyle said. "Considering that, he ran a huge race. This weekend, the draw is against him. But there's other good ones out there as well, so we'll just need to figure out a trip." Among those is Big Evs (IRE), winner of the 2023 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) at Santa Anita Park. He starts from post 11, just inside Bradsell, and will be ridden by Marquand. Hollie's brother, James Doyle, has mounts in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) and Juvenile Turf (G1T) Friday. With national champions such as Murphy, Buick, Lemaire, Kimura, Patrick Husbands, and Irad Ortiz Jr., on the scene, a veteran like John Velazquez is sometimes overlooked. But with half a dozen mounts, Velazquez, at $37 million, could end up leap-frogging Smith's $38.4 million as the all-time Breeders' Cup money winner. His hopes for the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) rest with Fierceness, winner of the Travers Stakes (G1) in their last collaboration. Late Thursday morning, Velazquez could be found standing alone near the Del Mar walking ring, watching a group of Breeders' Cup schoolers. No one was watching him. "The Classic will be a very tough race, but that's what the Breeders' Cup is all about," Velazquez said. He was asked about his colt, who was so tenacious in his Travers win over the superstar filly, Thorpedo Anna. Fierceness will try to become the first horse to follow a win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) with victory the next year in the Classic. "I hope he's okay," Velazquez replied. "I just got here, and I haven't seen him since I rode him in the Travers. He's been training at Saratoga since then." And training lights out, according to his people. "That's good to hear," Velazquez said. "And he looks great in pictures I've seen. Now there's one more picture we need to take."