Battleground Aims to Continue Breeders' Cup Legacy

A Breeders' Cup victory by Battleground in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T) Nov. 6 at Keeeland would continue a legacy and be welcomed by the race sponsor.

Campaigned by Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Susan Magnier, Battleground will try to become the fifth horse since 2011 to win this race for owners affiliated with Coolmore and trainer Aidan O'Brien. One of those four wins since 2011 came in the only other edition of the Breeders' Cup conducted at Keeneland when Hit It a Bomb , like Battleground a son of War Front , rallied from 14th for a narrow victory in the one-mile test.

Also, Battleground is the first foal out of Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) winner Found, who earned that victory in 2015 at Keeneland. Last year Shared Account became the fourth Breeders' Cup winner to produce a Breeders' Cup winner when Sharing won the Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T).

To secure his own win at Keeneland, Kentucky-bred Battleground will need to deliver a top effort off a layoff of more than three months back to his two-length victory in the Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes (G2) July 28 at Goodwood.

O'Brien notes that he has prepared for a couple of races since that start but things didn't work out as a cough knocked the colt out of a planned start in the National Stakes July 16 at Sandown and a soft course saw Battleground pulled from consideration for the Oct. 10 Darley Dewhurst Stakes (G1) at Newmarket. Because he at least prepared for those races, O'Brien thinks Battleground should be ready.

"We think and feel that his fitness levels are good and high, and he seems to be in good form," O'Brien said. "We hope that the track will suit him and hopefully he'll get nice ground as he's stepping up to a mile for the first time. We think the experience will do him good and we'll learn a lot about him for next year."

Ryan Moore, who was aboard all four of those previous Juvenile Turf winners for O'Brien, is scheduled to ride.

A pair of top-level winners who each earned Breeders' Cup Challenge bids with those scores will await Battleground as Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Gretzky the Great enters off a 3 1/4-length romp in the Summer Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine for trainer Mark Casse and Sealiway will start outside his native France for the first time after winning the Oct. 4 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere—Grand Criterium (G1) at ParisLongchamp for first-time Breeders' Cup trainer Frederic Rossi.

Video: Summer S. (G1T)

Gretzky the Great, a son of freshman sire Nyquist , was bred in Ontario by Anderson Farms. As of Oct. 31 Nyquist holds a narrow lead over Not This Time on the freshman sire list, a title that could be decided Breeders' Cup weekend.

Shadwell Stable's Mutasaabeq enters off a win on the Keeneland course for trainer Todd Pletcher in the Oct. 4 Bourbon Stakes (G2T)

Entries: Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf presented by Coolmore America (G1T)

Keeneland, Friday, November 06, 2020, Race 7

• Grade IT
• 1m
• Turf
• $1,000,000
• 2 yo Colts and Geldings
• 3:10 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Sealiway (FR)	Mickael Barzalona	122	Frederic Rossi	8/1
2	2New Mandate (IRE)	Lanfranco Dettori	122	Ralph Beckett	12/1
3	3Abarta (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	122	Brad H. Cox	12/1
4	4Public Sector (GB)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Chad C. Brown	8/1
5	5Cadillac (IRE)	Shane Foley	122	Mrs. John Harrington	6/1
6	6Mutasaabeq (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Todd A. Pletcher	5/1
7	7Fire At Will (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	122	Michael J. Maker	12/1
8	8Outadore (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Wesley A. Ward	8/1
9	9Battleground (KY)	Ryan L. Moore	122	Aidan P. O'Brien	6/1
10	10Ebeko (IRE)	Flavien Prat	122	Peter Miller	20/1
11	11Gretzky the Great (ON)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Mark E. Casse	8/1
12	12Go Athletico (FR)	Aurelien Lemaitre	122	P. Decouz	10/1
13	13Devilwala (IRE)	Rossa Ryan	122	Ralph Beckett	30/1
14	14The Lir Jet (IRE)	Oisin Murphy	122	Michael Bell	20/1
15	15Barrister Tom (KY)	Florent Geroux	122	Michael Ann Ewing	30/1
16	16Harlan Estate (ON)	Juan J. Hernandez	122	Peter Eurton	30/1