He broke his maiden by 4 ¼ lengths when going five-and-a-half furlongs at Del Mar on Sept.
I flew out and visited with him and said, ‘We’ve got to do what’s right for the horse.’”Ĭorniche shows every sign of being a serious Derby contender. When asked about assigning the probable 2-year-old champion to another trainer, Fluor responded, “It would be difficult, yeah. “Bob and I will sit down and talk and so we’ll see what happens. We wanted to get to this race and see how we did,” Fluor said. This race is so important for Corniche’s career and what it could mean as far as 2-year-old focus. Owner Peter Fluor indicated that issue will soon be addressed by the connections. Because he faces a two-year ban from Churchill Downs due to Medina Spirit’s positive drug test following the 2021 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, his horses are not allowed to earn points to qualify for the next two editions of the run for the roses. I love him on a speed horse like that,” he said.īaffert, 68, may not be able to enjoy his time with Corniche much longer. “I knew he was going to have to use him harder than we like to. Pappacap ran on well to secure a clear second, 1 ½ lengths ahead of Giant Game.īaffert praised Smith for the way he handled Corniche from a post that could have doomed a lesser horse and a lesser jockey. Smith said of his latest flawless performance in the season-ending championships: “There is something about the Breeders’ Cup that, for whatever odd reason, it just takes me to another level.”Ĭorniche completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.50. He said of 3-for-3 Corniche, a son of Quality Road purchased by Speedway Stable as a $1.5 million yearling: “He’s just dynamite.” Three of those have come in the Juvenile. The seemingly ageless Smith secured his 27th Cup win to extend his own mark. Wayne Lukas for the most Juvenile victories while 56-year-old jockey Mike Smith emerged as the second-oldest rider to win a Breeders’ Cup race after Bill Shoemaker. Although he carved out solid fractions of 23.03 seconds for a quarter-mile and 46.15 seconds for a half-mile, he still had plenty left at the end to defeat Pappacap by 1 ¾ lengths and allow Baffert to surpass fellow Hall of Famer D. 6 at Del Mar.Ĭorniche, sent off at odds of 7-5, smoothly accelerated from the far outside post in a field of 11 to assume the early advantage. Favored Corniche’s sensational front-running effort provided embattled trainer Bob Baffert with a record fifth triumph in the $2 million TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on Nov.