Super Corredora goes wire to wire to win Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies race

John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times on Oct 31, 2025

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DEL MAR, Calif. — John Sadler has had his share of Breeders' Cup failures, going 0 for 41 starts before he won his first Breeders' Cup race with Accelerate in the 2018 Classic. Then things changed, especially with his training of Flightline, a once-in-a-generation horse who ran only six races before being sent off to a lucrative career as a stallion.

On Friday's first day of the two-day Breeders' Cup at Del Mar, the Southern California based trainer picked up his fourth win when Super Corredora ($19.60 to win) won the $2 million Juvenile Fillies over the 1 1/16-mile dirt course. It was the first time a filly has won this race coming off a maiden win in her last start.

It was a Southern California exacta as Explora, for trainer Bob Baffert, finished second. Percy's Bar was third and Meaning, for Michael McCarthy, finished fourth. Super Corredora, who won by three-quarters of a length, led from the start with favorite Explora very close behind. But Explora could never get by her.

"I always expected her to improve around two turns," Sadler said. "We took a little chance wheeling her back in three weeks and it worked out."

The filly was sired by Gun Runner.

"There's not a hotter stallion in the country than Gun Runner and they move up going from six furlongs to a mile," Sadler said. "We had high expectations and that last race wasn't just that she broke her maiden but she was aggressive."

It was the first Breeders' Cup win for jockey Hector Barrios, whose reputation is as a turf rider. This could change things.

In the first Breeders' Cup race of the day, Cy Fair ($12.00) won the $1 million Turf Sprint, a five-furlong race. The filly broke alertly and stayed near the front before going to the lead in midstretch. She won by three-quarters of a length.

It was a tough race for Aidan O'Brien, who has won 20 Breeders' Cup races, as he had three horses in the race and the best he could do was second with Brussels. True Love finished eighth as the favorite and Mission Central was 10th.

George Weaver was the winning trainer, getting his first Breeders' Cup win. It was the 21st Breeders' Cup win for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

There were three other Breeders' Cup races for 2-year-olds on Friday, including the $2 million-Juvenile for 2-year-old males.

The first day of the Breeders' Cup is all 2-year-old races, but Saturday is where all the money is, $23 million in purses to be exact. It's headed by the $7 million Classic, a 1 1/4-mile race for horses of any age or sex. The race, and the whole event, took a major blow when Sovereignty, the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner and top-ranked horse in the country, was scratched after he spiked a fever early in the week. He was the 6-5 morning line favorite.

Everyone was looking forward to the rematch of Sovereignty and Journalism (5-1 adjusted odds), who finished one-two in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. McCarthy, who trains Journalism and owner Aron Wellman replaced jockey Umberto Rispoli after they didn't like his ride in the Pacific Classic. Jose Ortiz picked up the mount.

"I think it's unfortunate that Sovereignty is not in there but this is probably one of the best Classics we've seen in about 20 years," McCarthy said. "We'll bounce out of there and try and be tactical and try to be within four or five lengths of the lead."

There should also be some interest in Fierceness (5-2), who won the Pacific Classic after a terrible break when he ducked near the rail breaking from the one. He drew the one for this race too.

"He's got to break straight and establish the position he wants and run his race," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "His best race gives him a big chance, if he can deliver that."

Among others in the race are Santa Anita-based Baeza (10-1), who won the Pennsylvania Derby; Japanese horse Forever Young (7-2), winner of the Saudi Cup; last year's winner Sierra Leone (7-2); and Nevada Beach (20-1) for Baffert and winner of the Los Alamitos Derby and the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita.

Another race to watch on Saturday is the $5 million Turf in which Rebel's Romance is trying to become the first three-time winner of this race and the third horse to ever win three Breeders' Cup races, joining Goldikova and Beholder.