11 Irish Trained Horses Contend in Saturday's Breeders' Cup

Eleven Irish-trained horses will compete in the four Grade One turf races at the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland in Kentucky on Saturday. The event marks the second day of the American racing calendar's premier meeting. Irish connections are particularly prominent on the grass, with runners spread across the Turf Sprint, Filly & Mare, Mile, and the main Turf event.

Willie Mullins returns with Ethical Diamond, the 28/1 shock winner of last year's $5 million Breeders' Cup Turf in Del Mar. The horse will again be ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle in the mile-and-a-half contest, which is scheduled for 9:36 p.m. Irish time. Mullins noted that Ethical Diamond is more mature and easier to ride this year. He drew a position that may require a different tactical approach, such as jumping and going early, but Mullins left that decision to the jockey.

Earlier in the day, Donnacha O'Brien's Comanche Brave will face local sprinter Bacio in the Turf Sprint at 5:48 p.m. In the 7:04 p.m. Filly & Mare, Willie McCreery's Jancis and Ger Lyons' Red Letter will join Ballydoyle's Precise. Aidan O'Brien will run True Love and Puerto Rico in the 8:20 p.m. Mile.

The Turf field also includes Jessica Harrington's Irish Champion Stakes winner Hotazhell and three classic winners. Ryan Moore will ride Irish Derby winner Benvenuto Cellini, while Joseph O'Brien's Irish Oaks winner Johanna Walsh will also start. Four British-trained horses and runners from France and Japan complete the field. Mullins described the race as more competitive than last year, noting that his horse has been trained specifically for the occasion while many rivals have had busy autumns.

On the dirt, Japanese horse Forever Young aims to become the second back-to-back winner of the $7 million Classic, scheduled for 10:16 p.m. Sovereignty, the previous year's Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner, will lead the American efforts. Englishman is considered a favorite in the Sprint despite an outside draw.

The same day features the Grade One BetVictor Champion Chase at Down Royal, which highlights changes in jump racing codes. Haiti Couleurs, trained by Rebecca Curtis in Wales, will be ridden by Paul Townend. The horse has a history of running well fresh and could control the three-mile race from the front. Ground conditions were described as good, which trainer Gordon Elliott said was more suitable for flat racing than ideal for National Hunt.

Billy Lee will ride Jancis in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare before traveling back to the Curragh for the final day of the Irish flat season. He is set to be officially crowned champion jockey and will ride Mullins-trained Thread Of Gold in the concluding Finale Stakes.