Bright Thought Eyes Breeders’ Cup

Bright Thought winning the San Luis Rey Stakes in March. (Photo by Benoit & Associates)

Breeders’ Cup fever is in the air at Clocker’s Corner. If you don’t believe it, ask Jorge Gutierrez, the Mexican trainer who already is suffering from a spike of temperature and has as a Breeders’ Cup target for his talented 4-year-old colt Bright Thought.

Bright Thought made ​​waves earlier this year when he put together three wins in a row and dazzled when winning the San Luis Rey Stakes, lowering Hawkster’s record for 1 ½ miles on the turf at Santa Anita. He is preparing to make his comeback potentially in the Breeders’ Cup Mile or Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 2.

Absent since winning the San Luis Rey on March 16 due to injury, Gutierrez pupil resumed training in mid-September and is schedule for a pivotal workout on the Santa Anita turf this Saturday which will move him closer to a Breeders’ Cup date. 

“I think he will be fit to run the Mile,” Gutierrez said on Tuesday as he shared with friends and consulted on the expected opposition. “My horse has speed to run a mile, but he is also a horse that can speculate, so we do not rule out the possibility of also cross-entering him for the Turf.”

Bright Thought who provided Gutierrez with his first graded stakes success, won a maiden claiming race on Nov. 16 at Laurel Park in Maryland. After two unplaced finishes on dirt, he won his next three races on the grass at one mile, 1 ¼ miles and 1 ½ miles, including a gate-to-wire score in a starter handicap on Feb. 3 and an allowance/optional claiming race on Feb. 21, before setting a new track and stakes record for 1 ½ miles when he stopped the clock in 2:22.72, eclipsing Hawkster’s mark of 2:22.80 established on Oct. 14, 1989.

Bred in Kentucky, Bright Thought is a son of Hat Trick, a champion miler in Japan and grandson of the magnificent Sunday Silence, winner of the 1989 Breeders' Cup Classic. He has won four of seven starts and earned $164,500. 

Gutierrez faces a major challenge, to decide correctly the best for his horse, to accurately choose one of the races, the Mile or Turf.

Bright Thought translates to “pensamiento brillante” in Spanish. The colt’s name is what he expects from his trainer. He cannot speak or give points of views that correspond to his trainer: to interpret his condition, his form, which of the races is more convenient, to think brilliantly, with objectivity, listening to opinions but without becoming influenced by them, to add intuition to his ideas, to apply his experience. That is the challenge of Gutierrez; Bright Thought will do the rest.