Baffert enters six in Breeders’ Cup 2026

Bob Baffert, the all-time leading Breeders’ Cup trainer by money won with over $44 million, has six horses entered in this year’s event Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland.

Baffert’s entries are split evenly across the two days. On Friday he will saddle Miss Monica in the Juvenile Fillies (G1) and the duo of Hughes and Salahudin in the Juvenile (G1). Saturday’s entries are Explora and Nooni in the Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) and Splendora in the Distaff (G1).

Friday’s trio are all undefeated to this point in their careers. Miss Monica won her Aug. 9 debut then came back to dominate the Del Mar Debutante (G1). The dark bay filly is owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. She will be ridden by Flavien Prat and break from post 5 in the 12-horse field.

In the Juvenile, Hughes will likely be the favorite after scoring four wins by a combined 24 ½-lengths, including Grade 1 wins in the Del Mar Futurity and American Pharoah. Hughes will be ridden by Prat and is in post 5 in the field of eight. The son of Into Mischief is owned by Front Row Club, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Albaugh Family Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan.

Salahudin, who is undefeated in three starts, has campaigned exclusively in Kentucky, where he broke his maiden and won the Juvenile S., both at Ellis Park, then took the Iroquois S. (G3) Sept. 12 at Churchill Downs.

Salahudin, owned by Zedan Racing Stables Inc., will be making his first start around two turns and will have Tyler Gaffalione aboard for the first time when he breaks from post 3.

On Saturday, the Breeders’ Cup races begin with the Filly & Mare Sprint, with Explora in post 11 and Nooni on the outside in the 13-horse field. Three-year-old Explora, who was beaten less than a length in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), was a five-length winner of the Test S. (G1) at Saratoga this summer. Also owned by Pegram, Watson and Weitman, she will be ridden by Jose Ortiz.

Nooni, owned by Zedan, is riding a two-race winning streak coming into the seven-furlong race. Nooni, who suffered a setback in late 2024 that ultimately kept her away from the races for 18 months, is coming into the race with a very strong set of workouts since her latest start on Sept. 13, including a four-furlong move of 46.4, second-fastest of 183 horses, on Oct. 24.

Splendora brings a three graded stakes winning streak into Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile race that drew a field of nine. The 5-year-old has been brilliant throughout her career, with a record of 10-4-0 in 16 starts and earnings of $1,843,700 for owners Boyd Racing LLC and By Talla Racing. Splendora drew post 8 and will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione.

Both Friday and Saturday’s races can be seen across a wide variety of online platforms, as well as on the NBC-TV family of networks.