The $2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Dash was contested over six furlongs at Del Mar on Saturday, Nov. 1, and the 2025 version featured a robust full subject plus one qualifying fielder. The dash can be race 6 of Saturday’s Del Mar 12-race Breeders’ Cup program. Who will show to be the quickest of the quickest? Meet the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Dash contenders.
1. Copion (Morning line odds 7-2): The Fleet mare can be competing towards a stallion for the primary time, and as one of many sturdy favorites on this race, she will not be a cut price in any respect. Additionally, in his nine-race profession, he has by no means raced as quick as six furlongs. Her greatest promoting level is her excessive Beyer velocity numbers, the perfect within the subject, and she or he has completed first or second in all 4 of her 2025 races up to now in Grade 1 and Grade 2 stakes races. The one two horses to beat her this 12 months, Seismic Magnificence and Candy Azteca, are favorites for Saturday’s Longines Distaff and PNC Financial institution Filly and Mare Dash, respectively, and it is clear she’s been holding her personal with the elite. He can be ridden by Mike Smith, the winningest jockey in Breeders’ Cup historical past. I actually prefer it, however there are some components of skepticism.
Jockey: Mike Smith; coach: richard mandela
2. Expulsion (15-1): The extremely versatile runner has received over six furlongs, six and a half furlongs, one mile and 1 1/8 miles this 12 months. Though he has had success in sprints, seven of his 10 begins in 2025 have been route races. He has received two dash stakes this 12 months, with Beyer velocity numbers of 100 and 97, however each have been towards inferior opponents. He has modified stables for the reason that earlier race and can be working with coach Chad Summers for the primary time, with Tyler Gaffalione remaining because the mount.
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione. coach: chad summers
3. Lovesick Blues (10-1): Everybody was shocked when he received this summer time’s G1 Bing Crosby Stakes held at this distance at Del Mar at odds of 18 to 1, securing a “win-win” spot within the race. The remaining 5 races of the season have been turf sprints, however Crosby’s victory marked the standout second in his profession up to now. His Grade 1 racetrack and distance wins make him stand out among the many many horses on this race, however the query on everybody’s thoughts is whether or not he can repeat that win or if it was a fluke. There are a variety of questions, however one factor is for certain: Even on his greatest day, the competitors at Dash can be more durable than the corporate he beat.
Jockey: Giovanni Franco. coach: Librado Barocio
4. Patriotism (30-1): It is laborious to beat a horse who comes into this race with two consecutive dash stakes wins, together with a win within the Grade 3 Vozburgh Stakes offered by Military Mule, however he’ll nonetheless have to run a lot sooner than his latest Beyer velocity figures of 88 and 90 to be aggressive on this race. His fellow coach exuded confidence following Vosburgh and advised the horse could be even higher over six furlongs, however regardless of Vosburgh being one of many strongest conventional warm-up races for the Breeders’ Cup Dash, this 12 months’s race was an unusually substandard subject.
Jockey: Javier Castellano; coach: mike campbell
5. Large Metropolis Lights (20-1): A dynamite win in his solely look up to now in 2025 was towards a California-born firm, and that occurred 9 months in the past. He’s presently getting into this race with none latest preparation. Within the Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita in mid-2024, he competed towards Dr. Venkman and others, and was capable of run inside a size of the main horse, however it’s troublesome to believe when a horse that has been away from racing for such a very long time makes a comeback on a top-level stage like this.
Jockey: Kazushi Kimura; coach: richard mandela
6. Dr. Venkman (15-1): He has been hovering on the high of the nationwide dash division all season, successful the G2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at Del Mar, ending runner-up within the G2 Santa Anita Dash Championship Stakes offered by Estrella Jalisco behind Creativeness, and ending second to Nysos within the G3 Triple Bend Stakes earlier than that. Late final 12 months, Kone flirted with stretching him out on routes, however when he focuses on sprints like he has this 12 months, it has confirmed troublesome to defend towards Ekta. The one factor he appears to be lacking up to now is one standout triple-digit Beyer efficiency that makes you marvel if he can do it.
Jockey: Umberto Rispoli. coach: Mark Glatt
7. Creativeness (6-1): He received the Grade 2 Santa Anita Dash Championship, beating the likes of Dr. Venkman and former Breeders’ Cup Dash winner Straight No Chaser. The Breeders’ Cup Dash has been held at Del Mar the previous thrice, and the Santa Anita Dash Championship has been the important thing race of the 12 months, with 2017 winner Roy H making a comeback and successful the dash, 2021 winner Dr. Sibel returning to second place within the dash, and 2024 winner Straight No Chaser successful final 12 months’s dash. Coach Bob Baffert is the coach with 5 wins, probably the most within the historical past of this race.
Jockey: Juan Hernandez. coach: bob baffert
8. Nakatomi (15-1): Nakatomi’s die-hard “Die Onerous” followers had one thing to cheer for final day out when the 6-year-old gelding returned to the massive winner’s circle in Keeneland’s Grade 2 stall, Keenon-Ogden Phoenix Stakes, traditionally one of many high Breeders’ Cup dash prep races. Different profession highlights for Nakatomi embrace an in depth second place on this 12 months’s $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen and third place within the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Dash at Santa Anita. In a subject of 14 horses boasting world-class velocity, jockey Nakatomi will compete for time close to the again of the sector within the early phases of the race, and from there he’ll depend upon whether or not the main group loses momentum or not, and hope for the great fortune of with the ability to cross the crowded subject with out conceding any factors. Yippee ki yay!
Jockey: Jose Ortiz; coach: wesley ward
9. America Stage (30-1): This 12 months, he entered the race from Japan, and his file consists of participation in three races, together with two races in Dubai earlier this season, adopted by a near-miss 2nd place end in a 16-horse race in the one Japanese preparation race. In April, he competed towards Nakatomi within the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen and completed sixth, three and 1 / 4 lengths and three and a half lengths behind Nakatomi. He has front-end velocity, however can have a variety of guys up entrance within the dash.
Jockey: Ryusei Sakai; coach: Yoshito Yahagi
10. Welcome again (5-2): Final 12 months’s Breeders’ Cup Dash runner-up horse Delmar is again this 12 months, aiming for the subsequent step. Connections has solely had one preparatory race this season, and Ventornato received the Louisville Thoroughbred Society Stakes at Churchill Downs in September. This horse has solely entered 10 races in his three seasons up to now, however relating to sprinting, he has an virtually unbeatable file of 6 wins and a couple of seconds in 8 races. On this race final 12 months, he misplaced by half a size to a straight no chaser, so in an effort to win he might want to begin by turning the tide towards the defending champion. Based mostly on his spectacular prep wins and a weak marketing campaign for straight no chasers in 2025, it actually looks as if he can do it. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has received the dash three of the previous 5 years, however was not using the horse in final 12 months’s loss.
Jockey: Irado Ortiz Jr.; coach: Jose D’Angelo
11. Mullikin (15-1): Mullikin had an important season in 2024 and ran properly on this race final 12 months, however completed third, three lengths behind Straight No Chaser and Ventornato. Nonetheless, this 12 months hasn’t been all that sort to Mullikin, as he’s winless in his final 4 video games beginning 2025. Though he seems to be working the perfect race of his profession at Saratoga, he entered this race after ending seventh within the G1 Forego Stakes on August twenty third and has not raced since. Two races in the past, he had the perfect velocity of his profession when he completed second to Booken Dunno over this six-furlong distance and might want to rebound to his greatest kind to have simply an opportunity on the skin.
Jockey: Flavien Prat; coach: Rodolphe Brissett
12. Straight No Chaser (8-1): The earlier Breeders’ Cup Dash winner and Eclipse Award champion rides No. 2, and has already received this race thrice in a row. The straight no chaser received off to an important begin this 12 months with a win within the $2 million Riyadh Dust Dash and was beginning to look invincible at that time, however his air of invincibility was shattered by an eighth-place end within the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen. Final 12 months, he got here into this race with a shocking wire-to-wire win on the Santa Anita Dash Championship, and this time he used the identical race as a warm-up, however did not get the identical consequence, ending third behind two of the identical contenders. Which model of the Straight No Chaser will we see on Saturday, the unstoppable monster that emerged final 12 months, or the frustration we now have witnessed in his final two begins? I am leaning towards the previous, however I would not be shocked if it was the latter.
Jockey: John Velazquez. coach: Dan Blacker
13. Madhouse (30-1): The Dash Steam Curler from Canterbury Park has received three straight races in Minnesota, and final day out he made a splash on the Street to Parks Racing, successful the Grade 2 Gallant Bob Stakes on the undercard of the Pennsylvania Derby. He is an important Cinderella story, nevertheless it seems to be just like the water can be even deeper within the Breeders’ Cup Dash. Use your unbelievable velocity to make an enormous distinction in successful, so anticipate to race for the lead and run as quick as potential on the entrance in Del Mar. If nobody else “sends” it, we cannot know.
Jockey: Luis Saez. coach: david van winkle
14. Chat (30-1): The far exterior of the beginning gate is probably not the perfect place to search for longshots in a Breeders’ Cup dash, except you will have a horse that may fly by massive sections of the sector at madhouse-like speeds. However the horse lacks early velocity and, apart from successful a G3 on the Large A Belmont earlier this 12 months, seems to lack the required {qualifications} for a profession. Final time, he misplaced to Nakatomi, who completed third within the Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland. It is laborious to imagine that coach Wesley Ward, recognized for coaching unbelievable speedsters, has by no means received a dash.
Jockey: Emisael Jaramillo. coach: wesley ward
AE-15. Valiant Drive (30-1): The Irish Invaders are additionally on the eligibility record and can want at the very least one defector to compete. He got here into this race having received a implausible race final day out over 5 furlongs, however that race was on an all-weather observe and his opponents have been far worse off. He has by no means received on filth earlier than and has by no means even raced at this observe. This observe is a troublesome place to intention for victory in your debut race.
Jockey: David Egan; coach: Adrian Murray
decide: Welcome again
Dwell lengthy shot: mad home
great: 10-12-7-13
