BC Juvenile Turf Sprint Grade 1
$1.000.000 For Two Year Olds
Five Furlongs Turf
Del Mar October 31, 2025
What do you get when you put up a $1,000,000 purse for two-year-olds going five furlongs on the grass? You get an overflow field that is a nightmare to handicap! You also get a field loaded with talent and promise, fillies facing the boys, precocious horses who are rapidly developing and sometimes volatile in form and a preview writer making excuses for why he will likely steer you wrong. It’s a tough one. Five furlongs on the grass seems like it would be a race of pure speed, but last year’s winner Mind The Dimes, who gave trainer Asgar his second straight win in this race, came from way back to run down pacesetter Ineedu2party. He broke from post twelve which shows that having the length of the entire backstretch to find a position may make some dreaded posts less of a concern than they might be otherwise. Mind The Dimes also went eight or nine horses wide and was tenth at the penultimate call so even with a somewhat short stretch the closers have hope if they can catch a fast enough pace. The girls also have hope as thirty percent of the previous runnings of this race have been won by the fairer sex. With the preamble out of the way let’s look at this year’s field.
1. Smokin Fire (Red Fox Farms/P. Husbands) The first post gives us our first of four fillies in the race. Red Fox Farms is hoping this homebred will give them their first BC win. She won two of her first three starts then came solid efforts in the Untappable and G2 Miss Grillo. She is cutting back to the five furlong sprint distance where she scored a stakes win earlier this year at Monmouth. She likes to come from off the pace and the rail in this big field probably wasn’t the preferred draw but she showed speed in her debut so she could position herself well. She gets a weight break from the boys and she is a stakes winner already so she belongs.
2. Into Fitness (Luz International/J.Rosario) Another owner who seeks their first BC win but unlike the homebred inside of him this colt was a shrewd pick up at auction for only $7.000. Into Fitness has won half of his four lifetime starts and one of his two grass races. He is a stakes winner having won The Skidmore on the turf at the prestigious Saratoga meet. Although fifth in his last race he only lost by a length to some who will be his rivals today. Today’s shorter distance might allow him to turn the tables back to the Saratoga win.
3. High Fiveman (Diablo Diablo/D.E. Centeno) Speedy gelding just missed becoming a stakes winner by a nose in his last race the $300.000 Indian Summer. His only win came at a mile, but that last effort could be an indicator that he is potentially more dangerous sprinting at this point in his young career. Also noteworthy is that his lone win came right here at Del Mar, so we already know he likes this course.
4. Mayor of Win City (Mo Mentum Farm/R.M. Hernandez) At first glance you see he has not won yet on the grass, but he missed by less than a length in each of his last two starts which were the $1.000.000 KD Juvenile Sprint and the G3 Futurity. He has shown he is dangerous against elite fields, and he draws well again here. Probably wants to be mid pack and his post gives his trainer options. He was gaining rapidly on The Futurity winner last time who draws the post directly to his outside in this one but there is one less furlong to work with here.
5. Fear Lugo (Mb Stables/M/ Gutierrez) The trainer is looking for his thirtieth BC win so even if this horse couldn’t run you would have to consider him dangerous just based on his connections. The problem for the rest of the field though is that he absolutely can run. He has won 3 of his five starts and has hit the board every time. The gelding became a graded stakes winner in his last race, and the winning jockey returns to guide him again in this race. He stands an intimidating 16.1h and could be a man among boys (and girls) at this early stage of development.
6. Ideal Candidate (Aer Stables/S. Elliott) This colt took a big step forward winning the Speakeasy in his last start when his trainer moved him to the grass. He was bought at auction for $300.000 so expectations were obviously high from the beginning. The big jump in form in his last and his recent works make him dangerous.
7. Mitchell (Royalty Stables/B. Curtis) Impressive winner last out taking the Indian Summer at Keeneland going wire to wire. He showed his competitive nature by coming out on top by a nose in a race long battle with High Fiveman who draws inside of him here and boasts a win over the track while Mitchell makes his CA race debut. He is a blueblood son of the G1 winning mare Yow, is unbeaten on grass and has won 3 races out of 6 in his career thus far. Precocious and hard to not consider.
8. Miss Perfect Devil (La Canada Racehorses/A. Fresu) This is our second filly. She finished a close second to the girl on the rail in The Colleen Stakes at Monmouth this summer and ran a very game third in the G3 Matron in her last race where she set the pace and got caught late. She cuts back a furlong here which might make a difference, and she shows some really sharp works at SA recently that say she is holding her sharp form. Her two worst races were on wet tracks and there is no danger of that on Friday. Hard knocking filly has been given a tough assignment, but she has earned her spot.
9. Tranect (Acber Farms/P. Lopez) The third of our four quality fillies. She took down the lucrative $1.000.000 Untappable at KD which makes her the highest earner of the four girls. She has not run a bad race in her four attempts on wet and dry tracks and both dirt and turf. However, she was outrun in the final furlong of the G3 Matron last out and will have to beat that rival today to take down the top prize. She had beaten Indubita in the Untappable but the wet grass that day does muddy the crystal ball a bit in terms of judging their form. Add the boys, a shorter distance and a full field of 14 and anything can happen. She is obviously very classy and can’t be ignored.
10. Wild Waters (Spb Racing/R Bejarano) Spb racing is hoping that Wild Waters can bring home the first BC win for the barn. His seven starts are the most of anyone in the field. His lone bad effort came at a distance so you can basically toss that out. He is a stakes winner going short on the lawn and missed adding a second stake trophy by a long neck in his last race where he was powering home. His come from behind style could be problematic in such a large field but he can take encouragement from last year’s winner coming from Zenyattaland from post twelve in this same race. Doesn’t have the glamour graded win that catches the eye but has a longshot chance.
11. Indubita (Mb Stables/I Ortiz Jr) Our last of four fillies and second of three entries from Mb Stables. The last race in the G3 Matron where she looked Tranect in the eye in the stretch and pulled away might indicate she is the best of the four fillies. Prior to that win she finished five lengths behind Tranect but that was on a wet track and there is no chance of rain at Del Mar for the BC. Ignoring that race she comes into this winning her other three races on grass with two of them being stakes scores. Sharp and developing a winning habit. Strong contender.
12. Down To Earth (Riggins Racing/J.R. Velasquez) Has won three straight stakes races since being gelded and since moving to the grass. Not sure which change accounts for his impressive run, but it doesn’t matter. He is the one to beat. The rest of the field might want to take some hope from his outside draw, but last year’s winner broke from this same post position and Down To Earth won the G3 Futurity from the very outside gate. Bought at auction in March for $99.000 he has almost $800.000 in earnings and has a good chance of adding the winner’s prize to that on Friday. My chalk eating pick.
13. Go Go Goblin (Mb Stables/L. Saez) The third entry from this barn. He was purchased for $225.000 in early September and entered in the G3 Zuma Beach at SA a month later. Finished third after setting the pace in that mile race and now cuts back to a sprinting which almost yielded him a stakes win in August when he was narrowly beaten by Wild Waters in the Soaring Free at WO. With three entries this trainer has options but speed from the outside seems most likely for this gelding. Has sharp workouts recently and you can’t ignore the barn.
14. Gaelic Commander (Barcelona Farms/Jam Rodriguez) Homebred gelding has impressed in three stakes efforts winning the Algonquin Stakes in his last start. Beaten twice by Down To Earth you know it was a relief to get away from that one and that first stakes win under the belt. That win had to be a confidence builder, but he can also take confidence from the fact that, although beaten, he was not far off of his rival in those two earlier stakes efforts. He also employed different tactics going to the front which he had also done in his prior maiden win. It will be interesting to see if he reverts to trying to rate or if he will be given his head to go early which has been successful for him. The outside draw may force his hands. Interesting.
AE. Megabyte (Maletto) Has won two of seven starts and shown consistency but not at the level of the others entered Finished eleventh in his lone stakes bid and has yet to race on the grass. He shows one public grass work. If he draws in he will be far out in the gate and up against it.
AE. Sf Value (Rock Creek) Has won two of his five starts and they were both on the grass. His only loss on the sod was a close fourth in the Algonquin which was a good stakes debut.
AE. Dime Special (Asgar) Won on debut at CT on the dirt and has been consistent in his five races Tried the grass for the first time in the $300.000 Indian Summer and finished fifth only losing by a length.
You would think with a huge field full of talented horses who have been knocking heads and racing each other closely that it is a perfect opportunity to take a shot and go for a price, but I am a sucker for a horse on a winning streak and Down To Earth has impressed. Unbeaten on grass and in stakes company he has also won from a challenging post and been versatile. He is my choice but literally no horse would totally shock me in this field. My second choice will be Fear Lugo the monster to the inside who dead-heated with Down To Earth in the Futurity. Third choice is Mitchell who is bred for this and shone in his stakes winning turf bow. Fourth would be one of the girls. I would put Indubita slightly ahead of Tranect. This is going to be a fun one to watch. Good luck to the entire field and especially to those trainers going for that first taste of BC glory!
Categories: BC 2025, Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES, THE BREEDERS CUP