LEXINGTON — It’s a rocky six-month road from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to the Kentucky Derby — just ask Bob Baffert — but any conversation about the early favorite for the 2027 Run for the Roses starts in the Hall of Fame trainer’s barn.
Hughes established himself at the top of the conversation Friday, Oct. 30, with a 2¼-length victory in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland.
A $675,000 purchase at Keeneland’s 2025 September Yearling Sale, Hughes improved to 5 for 5 with a trio of Grade 1 victories.
“Based on the way he ran today and the feeling that he gave me, he’s for sure — as of now — one of the top contenders, if not the best one,” jockey Flavien Prat said.
Prat guided Hughes to a time of 1:42.27 over the 1 1/16 miles, and the winner paid $3.64 on a $2 wager as the 4-5 favorite.
American History finished second, and the Baffert-trained Salahudin was third.
Baffert called Hughes “a superior 2-year-old.”
“He’s never been battle-tested,” Baffert said. “You don’t know how they’re going to respond. Today, at the quarter-pole, I thought, ‘Well, we’re going to find out what he’s made of.’ When that horse (fourth-place Coach Pope) came to him, he just caught another gear. You like to see that. …
“He’s so light on his feet. Everyone who gets off him says he’s like a cheetah. He skips over the ground and he comes back and he never takes a deep breath.”
Prat worked out a stalking trip to the outside of long shot Damavand, who posted a time of 23.36 seconds for the quarter-mile.
Hughes nosed in front on the backstretch and then was met on the turn by Coach Pope, the crowd favorite named for University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope.
Hughes easily put away Coach Pope and then held off the late-charging American History and Salahudin.
“My trip was OK,” Coach Pope jockey Jose Ortiz said. “Sat next to the winner every step of the way. He flattened out inside five-eighths. Not much to it.”
Hughes earned $1.04 million for the ownership conglomerate that includes Front Row Club, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Albaugh Family Stables, Robert Masterson, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan.
“This is the pinnacle of 2-year-old racing right here,” Tom Ryan of Front Row Club said. “This is it. This is championship racing, and he has not let us down. He’s 5 for 5, and we could not be more proud.”
Now comes the hard part for Hughes and Baffert.
The trainer has won the Kentucky Derby six times but never with a horse who also won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, In fact, only two of his previous six Juvenile winners even made the Kentucky Derby — Game Winner (fifth in 2019) and Citizen Bull (15th in 2025).
Baffert was asked how special Hughes is when compared to his other Juvenile winners.
“The one who wins now is special,” Baffert said. “We felt pretty good about it the way he’s been working up. … Today was his day to shine.”
Jason Frakes: (502) 582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com. Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
More Breeders’ Cup: Picks for all of Saturday’s races, including the Classic
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Bob Baffert’s Hughes wins Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, starting 2027 Kentucky Derby talks
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
