Upstriker, Joy's Rocket Head Nyquist, Songbird Fields

Future Stars Friday at the Breeders' Cup World Championships kicks off Nov. 6 with the $125,000 Nyquist Stakes for 2-year-olds and the $125,000 Songbird Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. Both 6 1/2-furlong races are named for 2-year-old champions who won the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), respectively, in 2015 at Keeneland.

In the Nyquist, the Ron Moquett-trained Upstriker cuts back in distance after checking in fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 3 at Keeneland. The son of first-crop sire Upstart  pressed a swift early pace in the Futurity before giving way to eventual winner and top TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) contender Essential Quality. Before the Futurity, the dark bay aced his debut by five lengths sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs Aug. 30 at Ellis Park.

Joe Talamo retains the mount on Upstriker, who bounced back from his loss in the Futurity with a bullet half-mile breeze in :47 3/5 (1/63) Oct. 18 at Churchill Downs.

Dare To Dream Stable's Quick Tempo enters the Nyquist off a sharp 6 1/2-length allowance score at Parx Racing in which the Tapizar  colt earned a 93 Equibase speed figure. Wearing blinkers for the first time, the victory was the first for the Christopher Davis trainee on the dirt surface. Quick Tempo broke his maiden Aug. 20 on the synthetic surface at Arlington International Racecourse, followed by a sixth-place finish in the Sept. 19 Ontario Racing Stakes over the Woodbine lawn.

Two well-bred juveniles from the barns of Chad Brown and Steve Asmussen make their stakes debut in the Nyquist. Highly Motivated, a $240,000 weanling purchase at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, was a second-out winner for the powerful Klavarich Stables-Brown duo Sept. 27 at Belmont Park. The son of leading sire Into Mischief  will be piloted by Javier Castellano. Saffa's Day rolled home a 5 1/4-length wire-to-wire winner at first asking Oct. 11 at Keeneland for Asmussen. The Carpe Diem  chestnut was purchased for $125,000 by L and N Racing at this year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training after clocking a :10 eighth of a mile.

Roderick, Twilight Blue, Sir Wellington, Assertive Style, and Awesome Gerry round out the field.

Entries: Nyquist S.

Keeneland, Friday, November 06, 2020, Race 1

• STK
• 6 1/2f
• Dirt
• $125,000
• 2 yo
• 11:30 AM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Highly Motivated (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	Chad C. Brown	7/2
2	2Roderick (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Wesley A. Ward	10/1
3	3Twilight Blue (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	118	Joe Sharp	10/1
4	4Upstriker (KY)	Joseph Talamo	118	Ron Moquett	6/1
5	5Sir Wellington (LA)	Jose Lezcano	118	McLean Robertson	20/1
6	6Quick Tempo (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Christopher Davis	5/2
7	7Assertive Style (KY)	Florent Geroux	115	D. Kelly Ackerman	15/1
8	8Awesome Gerry (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	6/1
9	9Saffa's Day (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Steven M. Asmussen	7/2

Joy's Rocket Has Edge in Songbird

Team Hanley and Parkland Thoroughbreds' Joy's Rocket has an edge over the Songbird field experience-wise, as the daughter of Anthony's Cross has already made four career starts, her last three in stakes company. After scoring a game debut effort June 28 in the slop at Churchill, the bay led every step of the way in capturing the Aug. 1 My Dear Stakes at Woodbine. The Asmussen trainee then tried turf in the Aug. 19 Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, holding on for second behind Tobys Heart. Stretched out to a mile in Belmont's Frizette Stakes (G1) Oct.10, she contested quick early fractions before fading to fourth.

Ricardo Santana Jr., who was aboard Joy's Rocket in her debut win and runner-up effort in the Bolton Landing, has the call.

Undefeated The Grass Is Blue romped home the easiest of winners in a maiden $25,000 claiming contest July 31 at Monmouth Park. Previously trained by John Stephens, the Broken Vow  filly was transferred to the barn of Chad Brown, where she proceeded to rally to a 3 1/2-length victory in an Oct. 4 allowance-level event at Keeneland.

Trainer Mark Casse ships in impressive Woodbine debut winner California Lily. The California Chrome  filly recorded a notable 97 Equibase speed figure after drawing away to a 5 1/2-length score Oct. 8 for owner Gary Barber.

Lady Edith, Off We Go, Roc's Princess, Thinking, Mona Stella, Novel Squall, Taylor's Tourist, Music City Star, Farsighted, Kela's Turn, and Guana Cay complete the field. Princesstapiture is an also-eligible.

Entries: Songbird S.

Keeneland, Friday, November 06, 2020, Race 2

• STK
• 6 1/2f
• Dirt
• $125,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 12:05 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Lady Edith (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	118	Thomas Drury, Jr.	12/1
2	2Off We Go (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Thomas M. Amoss	10/1
3	3Roc's Princess (FL)	Jon Kenton Court	118	William G. Gowan	30/1
4	4Thinking (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	H. Graham Motion	15/1
5	5Mona Stella (FL)	Florent Geroux	118	Patrick L. Biancone	12/1
6	6Joy's Rocket (FL)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	120	Steven M. Asmussen	9/2
7	7Novel Squall (KY)	Gabriel Saez	118	John Alexander Ortiz	12/1
8	8Taylor's Tourist (KY)	Mitchell Murrill	118	Scott Gelner	15/1
9	9The Grass Is Blue (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Chad C. Brown	4/1
10	10Music City Star (KY)	Adam Beschizza	118	Christopher Davis	15/1
11	11Farsighted (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	George R. Arnold, II	5/1
12	12Kela's Turn (IA)	Robby Albarado	120	Henry Guillory, Jr.	10/1
13	13Guana Cay (KY)	Gerardo Corrales	118	Wesley A. Ward	10/1
14	14California Lily (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Mark E. Casse	9/2
15	15Princesstapiture (KY)	John McKee	118	Ronald Kahles	12/1