DEL MAR, Calif. – Citizen Bull won the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by 1 1/2 lengths and Gaming was second at Del Mar on Friday, giving Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a 1-2 finish and his record sixth career victory in the race for 2-year-olds.
Ridden by Martin Garcia, Citizen Bull ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.07. He paid $33.80 at 15-1 odds.
Citizen Bull earned 30 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, where Baffert will return next year for the first time since 2021. His three-year ban by Churchill Downs ended in July.
Gaming was the 6-1 third choice. Baffert’s other entry, Getaway Car named for the Taylor Swift song, finished fourth at 25-1 odds.
“It’s exciting when your horses show up,” Baffert said. “I was hoping they’d run 1-2-3.”
It was Baffert’s 19th career Cup win and he broke a tie with D. Wayne Lukas for most Juvenile victories. Jockey Martin Garcia earned his fifth career Cup win.
“He always comes through. He’s a big-time rider,” Baffert said of Garcia. “He told me, ‘I’m going to win it.’”
East Avenue, the 8-5 favorite, stumbled out of the starting gate and nearly went down to his knees. He finished ninth in the 10-horse field. Chancer McPatrick, the 5-2 second choice, lost for the first time in four career starts and was sixth.
Racing resumes Saturday with nine Cup races, highlighted by the $7 million Classic.
In other races:
— Magnum Force rallied to overtake leader Governor Sam and win the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint by a quarter-length. The 12-1 shot ran five furlongs in 56.36 seconds and paid $27 to win. Irish trainer Ger Lyons and jockey Colin Keane earned their first Cup victories. Governor Sam, co-owned by Houston Astros free agent Alex Bregman, finished third.
— Immersive won the $2 million Juvenile Fillies by 4 1/2 lengths, giving trainer Brad Cox at least one Cup win in each of the last seven years. Ridden by Manny Cox, Immersive ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.36 to remain undefeated. Sent off as the 2-1 favorite, she paid $6 to win.
— Lake Victoria overcame a challenging trip to win the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf by 1 1/4 lengths. The 2-year-old filly ran 1 mile in 1:34.28 and paid $3.40 as the 3-5 favorite. Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien earned his 19th career Cup victory and jockey Ryan Moore his 15th.
___
AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The consensus box of Del Mar horse racing picks, including the Breeders’ Cup, comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Eddie Wilson, Kevin Modesti and Mark Rat
DEL MAR, Calif. — The Breeders’ Cup feast continues Saturday, with nine Grade 1 races with full, competitive fields of horses from around the world and
Photo: Sophie Shore / Eclipse Sportswire Six months in advance of Kentucky Derby 2025, the pari-mutuel field of all other colts and ge
DEL MAR — Bob Baffert’s return to eligibility for the Kentucky Derby couldn’t have started any better when he won the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juve