Nobals, winner of the 2023 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), returns to the all-weather surface at Woodbine seeking to repeat as winner of the Kennedy Road Stakes (G2) on Nov. 15.
Last year's edition is one of two wins from four career starts at the track by the son of Noble Mission. The other triumph came in the 2022 Woodstock Stakes, a race in which Nobals won in a still track record time for 6 1/2 furlongs (1:07.63).
Last time out, the 6-year-old gelding just missed by a neck in the Nearctic Stakes (G2T).
"It was another big effort from him," trainer Larry Rivelli said. "He's just an incredible horse, who shows up every time and gives it every single thing he's got."
Owned by Patricia's Hope, Nobals will be making his 30th career start Saturday. He enters the race 12-6-1 with more than $1.8 million in purse winnings.
"He is obviously a great horse," said Rivelli. "He won the (Arlington-Washington) Futurity in his second start and then won a couple of stakes over the Polytrack at Turfway in 2022. I think we knew we had something special when he won the Twin Spires Turf Sprint, for $500,000, at 38-1 two years ago. He went to the lead and never looked back—that was when we realized this horse could pretty much do anything.
"He has never been the type the sweat the small stuff. He's been to so many racetracks and he handles everything like a pro."
Nobals is the 9-5 morning-line favorite.
The second choice in the field of six is locally bred Lucky Score. Mark Casse's trainee has raced exclusively at Woodbine this year, going 2-2-1 from seven starts. His two off-the-board runs came in his only attempts at graded stakes this year, both fifth-place finishes.
The 7-year-old gelding hasn't had the best of luck in graded company for more than two years, finishing no better than fifth in his last five attempts, including a seventh in the 2023 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1). Prior to that, he had hit the board in seven consecutive graded races, which included a win in the 2023 Highlander Stakes (G2T). He also ran the 6-furlong Kennedy Road once before, crossing the wire third in 2022.
However, Lucky Score is coming in after displaying his best form of the year, winning an allowance optional claiming race by 2 1/4 lengths.
Rounding out the field for the Kennedy Road are Awesome Bourbon, Reload's Rascal, Society's Thunder, and Western Whirl.
Woodbine, Saturday, November 15, 2025, Race 10Entries: bet365 Kennedy Road S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Nobals (KY) Rafael Manuel Hernandez 121 Larry Rivelli 9/5 2 2Western Whirl (ON) Fraser Aebly 121 Stuart C. Simon 6/1 3 3Reload's Rascal (ON) Ryan Munger 120 Peter Berringer 15/1 4 4Lucky Score (ON) Eswan Flores 121 Mark E. Casse 2/1 5 5Awesome Bourbon (KY) Pietro Moran 121 Abraham R. Katryan 5/2 6 6Society's Thunder (ON) Jose Luis Campos 120 Dominic J. Polsinelli 10/1
