Handle Slightly Down on Five Breeders' Cup Friday Races

Handle on the five Breeders' Cup Friday races for juveniles Oct. 30 at Keeneland was down 3.5% this year compared with $41,239,773 in 2025 when the event was contested at Del Mar. Friday's on-track attendance was 35,829. That attendance total was up 19% compared with last year's Breeders' Cup Friday card at Del Mar. On-track handle this year reached $5,944,634. The Breeders' Cup continues Oct. 31 with nine more Breeders' Cup races on a 12-race card. This year's Breeders' Cup Future Stars Friday card at Keeneland marked the ninth consecutive year the Breeders' Cup has carded all of its juvenile races on the same day since the event expanded to its two-day format in 2007. All-sources handle for the 10-race program on the first day of the 43rd Breeders' Cup World Championships Oct. 30 at Keeneland reached $53,244,221, down 14% from 2025, when all-sources handle reached more than $62 million (also on a 10-race card). Sire Race Tightens Into Mischief has been trailing Not This Time on the North American general leading sires list for months, by a seemingly insurmountable margin thanks in large part to the latter's son Magnitude's Dubai World Cup (G1) win. As outlined earlier this month by BloodHorse, there is still a narrow path to an eighth consecutive leading sire title for Spendthrift Farm's sire, but several pieces need to fall into place over Breeders' Cup weekend to achieve that. On Oct. 30, one of those pieces did. Into Mischief's 2-year-old colt Hughes triumphed in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Friday at Keeneland and, in doing so, earned a lucrative $1.04 million payday to push his sire's earnings beyond $26.1 million for the year. Not This Time's only Breeders' Cup starter on the day, Damavand, finished 11 lengths behind Hughes to earn the $60,000 fifth-place check. Hughes' win was a strong first step for Into Mischief's attempt to retain his crown, but Saturday could significantly shake up the standings. Into Mischief has just two entrants, but one of them is Sovereignty in the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). If he and American Stage, a 30-1 longshot in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), both win, they could earn $4.68 million. Not This Time's Breeders' Cup Saturday representation took a hit with the Oct. 29 scratch of Magnitude from the card's richest race. He has four other expected starters, but three are in the same event, the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T). If those three—Cy Fair, In Our Time, and Time to Dazzle—run 1-2-3 and his other expected runner Rhetorical wins the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), he will earn at best an additional $1.82 million. Not to be lost in the shuffle, Into Mischief is, for now at least, alone at the top of the Breeders' Cup sire standings with 10 wins at the World Championships. Dubawi (IRE) is just behind him with nine, and could tie him Saturday if Notable Speech (GB), his lone entrant, repeats in the Breeders' Cup Mile and Into Mischief's entrants fail to win. Scoring big Not only did Hughes win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Saturday, but the success extended to his namesake. New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes scored two goals in his team's 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Hughes' brother, Luke, who is a defenseman for the Devils, also scored a goal. Quotable "It feels amazing. For me, it's huge. It's the pinnacle for us, traveling the horses around the world to win a Breeders' Cup is right at the top of it."—Trainer George Boughey, on Libertango (IRE) winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) "I'll be honest, I don't think you saw the best of her today."—Jockey Ryan Moore, on Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) victress Sun Goddess (IRE)