The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The current purse is US$2,000,000 making it the most valuable race for two-year-olds in North America. It is normally run at a distance of miles.

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is typically the first time that the best colts from the various racing circuits across North America (in New York, Kentucky and California in particular) meet up with each other. The winner often earns the Eclipse Award for Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse, and becomes one of the early favorites for the next year's Kentucky Derby.

In 2006, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) wrote in Part 2 of their special series titled Spiraling To The Breeders' Cup that "Arazi turned in what many still consider to be the single-most spectacular performance in Breeders' Cup history."

Timber Country was the first Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner to win an American Triple Crown race when he went on to win the 1995 Preakness Stakes. The 2006 winner, Street Sense, became the first to capture the Kentucky Derby. In 2016, Nyquist won the Kentucky Derby as well.

Automatic berths Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup developed the Breeders' Cup Challenge, a series of "Win and You're In" races that allot automatic qualifying bids to winners of defined races. Each of the fourteen divisions has multiple qualifying races, which change somewhat from year to year. Note that one horse may win multiple challenge races, while other challenge winners will not be entered in the Breeders' Cup for a variety of reasons such as injury or travel considerations.

In the Juvenile division, the number of runners is limited to 14. The 2025 "Win and You're In" races were: the American Pharoah Stakes, a Grade 1 race run in October at Santa Anita Park in California the Champagne Stakes, a Grade 1 race run in October at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York the Breeders' Futurity, a Grade 1 race at Keeneland in Kentucky

Records

Most wins by a jockey: 3 – Laffit Pincay Jr. (1985, 1986, 1988) 3 – Jerry Bailey (1996, 1998, 2000) 3 – Mike E. Smith (1995, 2002, 2021) 3 – John R. Velazquez (2010, 2023, 2025)

Most wins by a trainer: 6 - Bob Baffert (2002, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2021, 2024)

Most wins by an owner: 3 – Repole Stable (2010 with partners, 2022, 2023) 2 – Eugene V. Klein (1987, 1988) 2 – Overbrook Farm (with partners in 1994, 1996) 2 – Michael Tabor & Susan Magnier (2001, with partners in 2012) 2 – Gary & Mary West (2013, 2018) 2 – Godolphin (2009, 2020)

Winners Year Winner Jockey Trainer Owner Time Distance Purse Grade2025Ted NoffeyJohn R. VelazquezTodd A. PletcherSpendthrift Farm1:42.25 miles$2,000,000I2024Citizen Bull Martin GarciaBob BaffertSF Racing, Starlight Racing et al.1:43.07 miles$2,000,000I2023Fierceness John R. VelazquezTodd A. PletcherRepole Stable1:41.90 miles$2,000,000I2022ForteIrad Ortiz Jr.Todd A. PletcherRepole Stable & St. Elias Stables1:43.06 miles$2,000,000I2021CornicheMike E. SmithBob BaffertSpeedway Stables LLC1:42.50 miles$2,000,000I2020 Essential Quality Luis Saez Brad H. Cox Godolphin Stables1:42.09 miles$2,000,000 I2019 Storm the Court Flavien Prat Peter Eurton Exline-Border Racing LLC et al.1:44.93 miles$2,000,000 I2018 Game Winner Joel Rosario Bob Baffert Gary and Mary West1:43.67 miles$2,000,000 I2017 Good Magic José L. Ortiz Chad C. Brown e Five Racing & Stonestreet Stables1:43.34 miles$2,000,000 I2016 Classic Empire Julien Leparoux Mark E. Casse John C. Oxley1:42.60 miles$2,000,000 I2015 Nyquist Mario Gutierrez Doug O'Neill Reddam Racing1:43.79 miles$2,000,000 I2014 Texas Red Kent Desormeaux Keith Desormeaux Erich Brehm, Wayne Detmar et al.1:41.91 miles$2,000,000 I2013 New Year's Day Martin Garcia Bob Baffert Gary and Mary West1:43.52 miles$2,000,000 I2012 Shanghai Bobby Rosie Napravnik Todd A. Pletcher Starlight Racing, John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith1:44.58 miles$2,000,000 I2011 Hansen Ramon Domínguez Michael Maker Kendall Hansen, MD & Sky Chai Racing1:44.44 miles$2,000,000 I2010 Uncle Mo John R. Velazquez Todd A. Pletcher Repole Stable1:42.60 miles$2,000,000 I2009 Vale of York (IRE) Ahmed Ajtebi Saeed bin Suroor Godolphin1:43.48 miles$2,000,000 I2008 Midshipman Garrett Gomez Bob Baffert Darley Stable1:40.94 miles$2,000,000 I2007 War Pass Cornelio Velásquez Nick Zito Robert V. LaPenta1:42.76 miles$2,000,000 I2006 Street Sense Calvin Borel Carl Nafzger James B. Tafel1:42.59 miles$2,000,000 I2005 Stevie Wonderboy Garrett Gomez Doug O'Neill Merv Griffin Ranch Company1:41.64 miles$1,500,000 I2004 Wilko Frankie Dettori Jeremy Noseda J. Paul Reddam1:42.09 miles$1,500,000 I2003 Action This Day David R. Flores Richard Mandella B. Wayne Hughes1:43.62 miles$1,500,000 I2002 Vindication Mike E. Smith Bob Baffert Padua Stables1:49.61 miles$1,000,000 I2001 Johannesburg Michael Kinane Aidan O'Brien Michael Tabor & Susan Magnier1:42.27 miles$1,000,000 I2000 Macho Uno Jerry Bailey Joseph Orseno Stronach Stables1:42.05 miles$1,000,000 I1999 Anees Gary Stevens Alex Hassinger Jr. The Thoroughbred Corp.1:42.29 miles$1,000,000 I1998 Answer Lively Jerry Bailey Bobby C. Barnett John A. Franks1:44.00 miles$1,000,000 I1997 Favorite Trick Pat Day Patrick B. Byrne Joseph LaCombe Stable1:41.47 miles$1,000,000 I1996 Boston Harbor Jerry Bailey D. Wayne Lukas Overbrook Farm1:43.40 miles$1,000,000 I1995 Unbridled's Song Mike E. Smith James T. Ryerson Paraneck Stable (Ernie Paragallo)1:41.60 miles$1,000,000 I1994 Timber Country Pat Day D. Wayne Lukas Overbrook Farm, Gainsway Farm & Robert B. Lewis1:44.55 miles$1,000,000 I1993 Brocco Gary Stevens Randy Winick Albert R. Broccoli1:42.99 miles$1,000,000 I1992 Gilded Time Chris McCarron Darrell Vienna David Milch, Jack Silverman & Mark Silverman1:43.43 miles$1,000,000 I1991 Arazi Pat Valenzuela François Boutin Allen E. Paulson1:44.78 miles$1,000,000 I1990 Fly So Free José A. Santos Scotty Schulhofer Tommy Valando1:43.40 miles$1,000,000 I1989 Rhythm Craig Perret Claude R. McGaughey III Ogden Mills Phipps1:43.60 miles$1,000,000 I1988 Is It True Laffit Pincay Jr. D. Wayne Lukas Eugene V. Klein1:46.60 miles$1,000,000 I1987 Success Express José A. Santos D. Wayne Lukas Eugene V. Klein1:35.201 mile$1,000,000 I1986 Capote Laffit Pincay Jr. D. Wayne Lukas Barry A. Beal, Lloyd R. French Jr. & Eugene V. Klein1:43.80 miles$1,000,000 I1985 Tasso Laffit Pincay Jr. Neil Drysdale Gerald Robins1:36.201 mile$1,000,000 I1984 Chief's Crown Don MacBeth Roger Laurin Star Crown Stable (Andrew Rosen, et al.)1:36.201 mile$1,000,000 I

See also Breeders' Cup Juvenile "top three finishers" and starters Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships American thoroughbred racing top attended events Road to the Kentucky Derby

References

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External links Official Breeders' Cup website Three Great Moments: Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Hello Race Fans!