The World Thoroughbred Championship Divisional Point Standings are compiled from North American Graded Stakes races only. 

The World Thoroughbred Championship Divisional Point Standings determine which horses are automatically eligible for a Breeders Cup Championship race. A maximum of 14 starters are allowed in each Championship Day race. If more then 14 horses are entered then the race is "oversubscribed." This is where the Breeders Cup points system kicks in. During the year, horses that finish first, second, or third in Graded stakes races earn points. More points are earned in Grade 1 events than in Grade 2 events. For example, a winner of a Grade 1 race earns ten points, while a winner of a Grade 2 race earns six points. The number of points a horse has is critical when a race is oversubscribed. The first seven positions in an oversubscribed field are ranked based on the point system. These seven get to run based on their points. The last seven positions are determined by a combination of points earned and the opinions of an expert panel. This provides a "buffer zone" to allow late bloomers to get a chance to race against their peers, and in the case of the Breeders Cup Turf events, a chance for the superior European turf specialists to compete.

The World Thoroughbred Championships Poll is a better indicator of the top contenders than The World Thoroughbred Championship Divisional Point Standings because it is not dependent on a rigid point system, and because it considers horses competing in races held outside North America.

Who Are The Players ?

Everyone's consensus top selection going into the Breeders Cup Juvenile is First Samurai, the statuesque colt by Giant's Causeway, trained by Frank Brothers.  He has done nothing to discourage his protractors.  First Samurai has registered four convincing victories in four starts, including two wins over the lightning fast Henny Hughes.  In his final prep October 8, the Grade 1 Champagne at the Breeders Cup host track Belmont Park, run at one mile, First Samurai confidently collared a blazing Henny Hughes who was out on the loose after establishing a six furlong fraction of 1:08 and 3 over a sloppy surface.  By the time it was all over, First Samurai had built a winning margin of over two and one-half lengths and looked great doing it.  First Samurai also defeated Henny Hughes in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga in August.  On that day, First Samurai won by a margin of over four lengths and looked as if he did not break a sweat doing it.  First Samurai deserves top billing going in to the Juvenile.  

Having played the role of Alydar to First Samurai's Affirmed, Henny Hughes seems destined to fail in his third attempt to dethrone the King.  But, alas, all is not lost.  Henny Hughes has beaten all comers in his five starts with the exception of First Samurai.  He is by the brilliant Hennessy on the Sire side, and is out of Meadow Flyer on the Dam side, and that adds up to royal bloodlines to be sure.  He is trained by a top shelf professional, Kiaran McLaughlin.  He defeated the third place finisher Superfly by nearly ten lengths in the Champagne at Belmont Park, and shows no signs of giving up.  Henny Hughes has a chance to win the Juvenile.  He has a bit of a mountain to climb, but do not count him out.  

Storming onto the scene with a scintillating victory in the Grade 2 Futurity at Belmont Park in September is Private Vow.  Granted it was a limited field of six, void of any big name stars except for Private Vow himself, but it was the way that Private Vow went about his business that impressed.  Private Vow was timed in 1:24 flat over seven panels, and that while being ridden out to the wire.  Very impressive.  Very impressive, indeed.  He has four lifetime starts, winning the most recent three by a combined sixteen lengths and spare change.  Detractors may argue that Private Vow has never gone longer than seven furlongs, and that it is a valid point, but who's to say that on Breeders Cup Championship Day he won't relish the one and one-sixteenth mile distance over the Belmont main course.  Trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Jerry Bailey, he is poised for a top effort.

A relative newcomer to the fray is the Dale Romans trained Dawn of War, surprise winner of the Grade 1 Lane'e End Breeders Futurity at Keeneland October 8.  To be sure, the Futurity field lacked the depth of the Champagne, and that's putting it kindly.  But Dawn of War showed us a new gear in the Futurity he had not yet revealed, and the momentum of that performance can only help on October 29. 

A more interesting prospect from the Futurity at Keeneland is the late running Stream Cat, trained by Patrick Biancone.  Having been asked to yield training responsibilities for Henny Hughes to Kiaran McLaughlin, who is affiliated with Sheikh Rajid, the son of Sheikh Mohammed, Biancone would like nothing better than to take the Juvenile crown with Stream Cat.  Stream Cat lost all chance in the Futurity by breaking last in the field of twelve, and then racing six wide into the stretch.  He still managed to finish third, some six lengths behind the winner Dawn of War, a testimonial to his closing ability.  With hot pace expected from the likes of Henny Hughes and Private Vow among others, Stream Cat may hold all the aces in deep stretch, where it counts. 

Nick Zito trains the steadily improving Superfly , son of Fusaichi Pegasus, and third place finisher to First Samurai and Henny Hughes in the Champagne October 8.  Prior to the Champagne, Superfly captured the Whirling Ash at Delaware Park in front running fashion to defeat Kid Lemonade.  With the patient Zito at the helm, the lightly raced Superfly could surprise on Breeders Cup Day, and inclusion in exotic bets will offer value.   

Sorcerer's Stone, a son of Gulch and handled by Patrick Byrne, raised more than a few eyebrows in the Arlington-Washington Futurity at Arlington Park September 18.  Sorcerer's Stone broke alertly and romped to an eight and one-half length victory, ridden out to the wire, and timed at 1:35 flat for the one mile distance.  That is the good news.  The bad news is that the Arlington-Washington Futurity field holds no water when compared to the likes of the Hopeful at Saratoga or the Champagne at Belmont Park.  The other claim to fame for Sorcerer's Stone is a victory over Private Vow in a Churchill Downs Maiden Special Weight event run at four and one-half furlongs in July.  

Shifting our attention to the West Coast, Doug O'Neil of California fame has chosen to train Stevie Wonderboy up to the Breeders Cup Juvenile without a follow-up race to his Grade 2 Del Mar Futurity victory September 7.  Stevie Wonderboy is by Stephen Got Even, whose sire is A. P. Indy.  On the Dam side, Stephen Got Even is out of Heat Lightning, who is by Summer Squall, so the bloodlines are there.  Expect Stevie Wonderboy to give a good accounting of himself on Breeders Cup Day.

The outstanding Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien has won at the Breeders Cup before, and he has chosen not to pre-enter his top Juvenile prospects George Washington or Horatio Nelson at this time.  George Washington captured the Group 1 National Stakes at The Curragh in September.  Horatio Nelson won the Futurity Stakes, also at Curragh.  Each of these colts would merit respect in the Breeders Cup Juvenile.

The Irish bred Ivan Denisovich, also trained by Aidan O'Brien, has been pre-entered.  Ivan Denisovich has won twice in five lifetime starts, including the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket.

The British bred Leo, trained by John Gosden, has been pre-entered, and he has finished second to Horatio Nelson in the Group 3 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket in July.  Leo secured a Group 2 victory in the Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket in September.

If you're looking for a longshot in the Breeders Cup Juvenile, look no further than Jealous Profit, trained by Doug O'Neil who also trains Stevie Wonderboy.  Jealous Profit is lightly raced with only three lifetime starts, and finished a very willing third in his final prep, the Grade 2 Norfolk at Santa Anita October 2.  He finished third in the Del Mar Futurity, won by Stevie Wonderboy, in September after being shut off at the start and rallying late.  If the big boys falter, Jealous Profit may be there to pick up the pieces.  


What is the quality of the field for the 2005 Breeders Cup Juvenile?

The Juvenile Division is particularly rich in talent in 2005.  The outstanding colts First Samurai and Henny Hughes may be the stars, but there are many talented understudies in this year's crop of two year-olds.  To get an idea how the 2005 Juvenile Division compares to previous years, we revisit champions of the past.  Notable previous winners include  Johannesburg, Anees, Favorite Trick,  Arazi and Boston Harbor.  Notable beaten favorites are Roman Ruler, A. P. Valentine and Officer. 

There have been some huge prices in the history of the Breeders Cup Juvenile, and 2005 could add to that tradition.  The 2005 Breeders Cup Juvenile promises to be an exciting and competitive, and possibly unpredictable event.