By Stefanie Grimm
Europe drew first blood Friday, albeit with an upset choice, as Magnum Force (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) came from off the pace to win the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and kick off the Future Stars Friday action at Del Mar.
The Irish-bred son of Tally Ho Stud's Mehmas came through at second asking going five furlongs at Cork in Ireland before having two near misses to rivals he lined up against again Friday (second in the Julia Graves Roses Stakes and third in the G2 Flying Childers Stakes behind both Aesterious {Ire} {Mehmas [Ire]} and Big Mojo {Ire} {Mohaather [GB]}.
Lined up inside for trainer Ger Lyons with regular pilot (and Ireland's champion jockey for the sixth time this season) Colin Keane aboard, the 12-1 shot broke with the field but was swarmed on both sides in the opening jumps and quickly fell back to be one of the last three runners as American hopeful Governor Sam (Improbable) rocketed out to pace the field. Situated against the fence but stymied behind a wall of horses in front of him midway around the turn, Keane stayed committed to the inside route, letting his runner hug the fence as he navigated a turn at race speed for the first time. As room opened ahead of him but with Governor Sam still finding in his way, Keane tipped Magnum Force outside at the sixteenth pole to dive past the pacesetter in the final jumps to seal the win for Abdulla Al Khalifa. With the ride, Keane earned his second Breeders' Cup victory from five starters. It was also the first Breeders' Cup winner for Lyons from three attempts. Arizona Blaze (Ire) (Sergei Prokofiev) also stormed home from off the pace to grab second while Governor Sam won the photo for the trifecta.
“Listen, I knew the horse was the right horse for the job, but if he was good enough, we didn't know until today,” admitted Lyons. “When you have Colin Keane riding for you, probably the most underrated jockey in the world just because he's a little bit like his trainer and likes to stay at home and walk his dogs and stay at the farm and not go around the world. Believe me, he's had two rides and two wins in the Breeders' Cup and it's about time the world opened up to him. It's fantastic. It's huge credit to the horse, my team and Abdulla my owner. There's plenty of us guys at home who could do this if we get the horses. And the secret to training winners is getting the horses–it's as simple as that. If a clown like me can train a winner of a Breeders' Cup [race], anybody can.”
Lyons noted that Magnum Force would return home in preparation for a 2025 campaign, adding: “Hopefully we'll get him home safe and sound, we let him down and the sky's the limit next year because it was all about next year. We came here to teach him how to sprint. So, fast ground, five furlongs, I don't know where it leads him, but we've won a Breeders' Cup. So I presume we've just semi made a stallion. So we're going to go enjoy him.”
Race favorite, American-bred Japanese runner Ecoro Sieg (Twirling Candy) got checked out at the break and never found his stride, coming home eighth.
“Other horses were a little bit quicker than him at the very first yard,” said Christophe Lemaire, jockey of Ecoro Sieg. “They came inside very quickly and I had to check out. Never been in that position before. He didn't take a breath and couldn't quicken at the bend. We were in a good spot. Just a lack of experience.”
Pedigree Note:
Tally Ho's Mehmas, champion first and second-crop sire in Europe in 2020 and 2021 respectively, is represented by his first Breeders' Cup winner here. First dam Tropical Rock (GB), a daughter of Australian champion Fastnet Rock (Aus), sold to Melchoir Bloodstock for 38,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2020 carrying her second foal, a filly by Ribchester (Ire). From three to race, she's produced two winners as her first foal, Tropical Talent (GB) (Nathaniel (Ire) was victorious over jumps in England. Second dam Tropical Treat (GB) was a stakes winner in England and also picked up a placing in the G3 Cuisine de France Summer Stakes. Tropical Rock has not been reported bred since producing Magnum Force in 2022.
Friday, Del Mar
BREEDERS' CUP JUVENILE TURF SPRINT-GI, $920,000, Del Mar, 11-1, 2yo, 5fT, :56.36, fm.
1–MAGNUM FORCE (IRE), 122, c, 2, by Mehmas (Ire)
1st Dam: Tropical Rock (GB), by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
2nd Dam: Tropical Treat (GB),
by Bahamian Bounty (GB)
3rd Dam: Notjustaprettyface, by Red Ransom
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Sheikh Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa (IRE); T-Ger Lyons; J-Colin Keane. $520,000. Lifetime Record: GSP-Eng, 5-2-2-1, $579,672. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Arizona Blaze (GB), 122, c, 2, Sergei Prokofiev–Liberisque (GB), by Equiano (Fr). (36,000gns Wlg '22 TADEWE; £82,000 Ylg '23 GOFFUK). O-Amo Racing USA; B-Andrew Bengough & Partners (GB); T-Adrian Murray. $170,000.
3–Governor Sam, 122, c, 2, Improbable–I'm Betty G, by Into Mischief. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($50,000 Ylg '23 FTKOCT; $275,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR). O-Bregman Family Racing LLC and Swinbank Stables, LLC; B-Stoneriggs Farm (KY); T-George Weaver. $90,000.
Margins: HF, HF, NO. Odds: 12.50, 27.10, 8.20.
Also Ran: Big Mojo (Ire), Whistlejacket (Ire), Aesterius (Ire), Ides of March (Ire), Ecoro Sieg, Jet Sweep Joe, Gate to Wire, Pali Kitten, Shareholder. Scratched: Out On Bail, Smash It.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
Magnum Force wins the $1 Million #BreedersCup Juvenile Turf Sprint on #FutureStarsFriday at @delmarracing! Congrats to all of the connections! pic.twitter.com/FzkBkrA3PP
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 1, 2024
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