Packs a Wahlop Enters BC Juvenile Turf on Grassy Roll

After working Packs a Wahlop  one morning at Santa Anita Park, Racing Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith smiled at trainer Jeff Mullins and admitted that he keeps thinking the imposing gray colt is a 3-year-old as opposed to his actual age of 2.

The reality most assuredly is good news for jockey, trainer, and owners—the father-son team of Jed and Tim Cohen—as the juvenile son of Creative Cause   prepares for a start in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) Nov. 4 at Keeneland.

"He's imposing; you won't miss him on the track," said Mullins, who has twice placed in Breeders' Cup races but will be looking for his first World Championships victory in the one-mile test where a full field of 14 is expected. "He doesn't look like a 2-year-old, that's for sure."

With that impressive frame, Packs a Wahlop has cruised to a perfect record on the grass—three straight wins that include a pair of Southern California grade 3 stakes victories at the mile distance. 

After finishing fourth in a June start on a sloppy main track at Gulfstream Park, Packs a Wahlop found the turf to his liking in a clear maiden special weight victory sprinting Aug. 5 at Del Mar. He then successfully stretched out to two turns, posting wins in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf (G3T) and the Zuma Beach Stakes (G3T) by a combined seven lengths.

"I was always thinking turf with this horse. He's always moved like a turf horse," Mullins said, noting that the start out of his Gulfstream barn made sense after the Cohens in April went to $270,000 to land the colt consigned by Envision Equine to the Ocala Breeders' Sales' Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. The start also made him eligible for Del Mar's "Ship and Win" program.

"At Del Mar he broke his maiden at five-eighths and followed that with two stakes wins," Mullins said.

While no California-based horse has ever won the Juvenile Turf, Packs a Wahlop will have a big winner in his corner as Smith attempts to add to his record $37,794,605 in Breeders' Cup purse earnings.

"Mike worked him before his maiden race and really liked the horse then. When he broke his maiden, Mike said, 'This horse never took a deep breath in doing that,'" Mullins said. "And Mike's just liked him more and more ever since then."

While Packs a Wahlop looks to make some history for California in the race, Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby will seek more success. Together they won the Juvenile Turf for the third time last year when Modern Games —who memorably raced for purse-only that day—drew clear in the stretch for a 1 1/2-length score. That win followed Juvenile Turf victories by Line of Duty  in 2018 and Outstrip  in 2013.

This year Appleby will saddle Godolphin's two-time group 3 winner Silver Knott , who enters off a narrow victory in the Emirates Autumn Stakes (G3) Oct. 8 at Newmarket. William Buick, who was aboard Modern Games and Line of Duty, is the regular rider of Silver Knott.

Four-time Juvenile Turf-winning trainer Aidan O'Brien will send out a pair of runners off group 3 wins: Cairo , who posted a clear victory in the Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown; and Victoria Road , who captured a third straight win in the Prix de Conde at Chantilly. Both colts are campaigned by owners associated with John Magnier's Coolmore operation.

Susan Moulton homebred Andthewinneris , a cleverly named son of Oscar Performance  , punched his ticket with a Breeders' Cup Challenge victory in the local prep when he rallied from ninth to take the Oct. 9 Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland. Four-time Breeders' Cup winner Wayne Catalano trains Andthewinneris.

Taking a moment to reflect on OSCAR PERFORMANCE and his start to stud..

We ALL know how difficult it is to have a promising stallion..
Thank you to our shareholders and breeders all four years..

ANDTHEWINNERIS-Susan Moulton/Wayne Catalano
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— Headley Bell (@headleybell) November 2, 2022

The other Breeders' Cup Challenge race winner in the field is Spendthrift Farm's Major Dude , who in his first start on turf delivered a one-length victory in the Pilgrim Stakes (G2T) Oct. 2 at the Belmont at the Big A meeting on yielding turf at Aqueduct. The son of Bolt d'Oro   is trained by Racing Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who won this race in 2010 with Pluck. 

Major Dude has flashed talent from the start.

"He's a colt that we've really liked from the very beginning," Pletcher said after the Pilgrim. "He was one of the first to come in (this year). He was training well on the dirt and we gave him a couple opportunities, and we just kind of got the feeling that we weren't getting everything that we thought we had. 

"So, I saw a couple of Bolt d'Oros were running well on the turf and said, 'Let's work him on the turf.' Then it was like, 'OK, that's what we were hoping to see.'"

Entries: Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T)

Keeneland, Friday, November 04, 2022, Race 10

• Grade IT
• 1m
• Turf
• $1,000,000
• 2 yo Colts and Geldings
• 5:40 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Victoria Road (IRE)	Ryan L. Moore	122	Aidan P. O'Brien	8/1
2	2Packs a Wahlop (KY)	Mike E. Smith	122	Jeff Mullins	6/1
3	3Curly Larry and Mo (NY)	Francisco Arrieta	122	Caio Caramori	30/1
4	4Silver Knott (GB)	William T. Buick	122	Charles Appleby	3/1
5	5Battle of Normandy (KY)	Jose Lezcano	122	Claude R. McGaughey III	20/1
6	6Andthewinneris (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Wayne M. Catalano	5/1
7	7Really Good (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Michael J. Maker	30/1
8	8I'm Very Busy (PA)	Flavien Prat	122	Chad C. Brown	9/2
9	9Nagirroc (KY)	Manuel Franco	122	H. Graham Motion	20/1
10	10Webslinger (KY)	Dylan Davis	122	Mark E. Casse	20/1
11	11Reckoning Force (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Brendan P. Walsh	20/1
12	12Mo Stash (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	122	Victoria H. Oliver	20/1
13	13Major Dude (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Todd A. Pletcher	10/1
14	14Gaslight Dancer (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	122	Michael J. Maker	30/1