After Friday, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert gave his barn a grade of A-minus following the performances of his juvenile horses.
Hughes, the dynamic 2-year-old son of Into Mischief, came in as advertised he ran his record to 5-for-5—and almost assuredly locked up Baffert's record eighth Eclipse Award for 2-year-old males—when he won the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1).
Baffert was also impressed with Salahudin's third-place finish in the Juvenile.
"I wanted to run 1-2 so badly in there," Baffert said Saturday morning. "(Salahudin) had a tough trip. You learn about these horses when you run 'em."
Baffert also had a little disappointment—and some admiration—in the effort put forth by Miss Monica in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). She broke horribly, got way behind, but rallied late and finished second behind Emphatic. Miss Monica lost by 1 ½ lengths.
"I wanted an A-plus; I really thought we could win both races," Baffert said. "We got one. These races, they are just so hard to win. Everything has to go well. I am proud of the fact that they all showed up. That means they were well prepared, and I am proud of my team. They had them ready."
Hughes, named after U.S. Olympic hero Jack Hughes, powered his way to a 2 ¼-length win in the Juvenile, the record seventh time Baffert has won the race. Ridden by Flavien Prat, Hughes has now won his five races by a combined 26 ¾ lengths. Hughes, and the rest of the Baffert horses will head to Churchill Downs in Louisville on Monday and. Eventually, they will make their way to California for the winter.
"Going in, I knew Hughes was good, but I didn't know how good he was," Baffert said. "He did everything so effortlessly yesterday. He showed what a really good horse shows: he goes fast and then he goes faster. I love those kinds of horses. Pharoah (2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah) had that trait. Justify had that trait."
Now, Baffert was not about to begin comparing Hughes to those two, but he knows there is plenty of potential as he moves forward with him.
Salahudin, the son of Uncle Mo owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., lost the place by a head to American History.
"I think I am going to take the blinkers off him," said Baffert, who equipped Salahudin with them in his first three starts, all wins. "(Jockey Tyler Gaffalione) got him into the race and then he was blocked. He is really a big horse, the kind of horse that cannot stop and go. Hughes, he moves like a cheetah, he is quick on his feet.
"He had a rough trip," Baffert said. "He still ran well; going long next year, he is going to be really good."
Miss Monica, the 2-1 favorite in the Juvenile Fillies, and Prat, made a courageous run down the Keeneland stretch after the horrible start and almost got there. The daughter of Early Voting had won her first two starts by a combined 12 lengths for owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.
"But she did not win," Baffert said. "I do think she was impressive, and we found out how good she really is. Prat still thought he was going to get (Emphatic), who is a really nice filly. I needed the second wire."
With the bulk of his Breeders' Cup over—Baffert only has one horse (Explora in the Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) Saturday—he can relax. A little.
"I was never nervous," Baffert said. "I felt really good about them. What made it more satisfying is that I was able to share it with my son, Bode, who flew in from TCU (Texas Christian University, where he goes to school) and my wife, Jill. Whenever I get a little down, she reminds me that I am one of the best. She is my biggest fan. She keeps me strong."
American History—With his 2-year-old season complete after a second-place finish Friday in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, American History is headed toward the next chapter: the Triple Crown series.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher Saturday morning that the Constitution colt will leave Keeneland Race Course Sunday for Palm Beach Downs in Florida.
American History had an eventful trip in the early stages of the FanDuel Juvenile then mustered a solid rally in the stretch under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez to end up 2 1/4 lengths behind unbeaten Hughes. Pletcher said that American History was fine Saturday.
"I was happy with him this morning," Pletcher said.
Despite some anxious moments, American History was unscathed following his third career start for WinStar Farm, First Go Racing and CHC.
"Johnny said it got a little rough around the first turn," Pletcher said. "Kind of clipped heels a few times, and kind of had to steady and lose a little bit of position. But I thought he recovered from that. Ran very well."
American History was bred by Alpha Delta Stables and was purchased as a yearling at Keeneland for $825,000. He broke his maiden at Saratoga and won the Breeders' Futurity (G1) on Oct. 3 at Keeneland Race Course. Pletcher said the colt will get a little bit of a breather after he arrives in Florida.
"We'll try to freshen him a little bit while keeping in mind there's prep races that come up fairly soon," Pletcher said. "I'll get with the WinStar team and come up with a with a game plan of sorts. Before the race we were kind of talking about the Florida route, hopefully to the Kentucky Derby. That's something we'll discuss."
While unbeaten Hughes likely will end the year as the 2-year-old champion and the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby, American. History showed himself to be a top prospect.
"He's a very high-quality horse," Pletcher said. "We're looking forward to his 3-year-old campaign."
Pletcher said his other four horses who competed in the Breeders' Cup races Friday came out of their races in good order.
Emphatic Doing Well Following Juvenile Fillies Win
Gainesway Stable and Andrew Rosen's Emphatic exited her triumph in Friday's $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in good order, per conditioner Brendan Walsh. Continuing a family tradition, the daughter of 2015 Juvenile winner Nyquist and granddaughter of 2000-01 Classic winner Tiznow, became a Breeders' Cup champion and likely sews up championship honors.
"All is good with the filly this morning," Walsh said. "She's in great shape and ate up this morning. All is well. It was a great day. Fantastic. Great to get that one done and we look forward to today, again."
The Jon A. Marshall Pennsylvania-bred filly also remained perfect from four starts, increasing her career bankroll to $1,444,250 and becoming Walsh's first World Championships winner in what was his 14th try.
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