Three Breeders’ Cup World Championships starters at Santa Anita Park are a fitting tribute to preeminent owner/breeder Brereton C. Jones. The trio will be Jones’ largest representation in a single year as a breeder at the North American racing season’s denouement.
Jones, a former Kentucky governor and founder of Airdrie Stud near Midway, Ky., who died Sept. 18, held a particular fondness for the Breeders’ Cup as one of its founding members. He served as the organization’s treasurer in 1984-86 and then as a director in 1988-89. Following his term as governor, he continued serving as a Breeders’ Cup Member.
“Today everyone in the industry looks so forward to these two days. It really is Christmas morning to have the greatest horses in the world all at one venue,” said Bret Jones, Airdrie’s vice president, who manages the daily operations of the family farm. “But to dad, having been there during the founding and to have worked with the founders through the process of creating something remarkable, which was magnificent and at times quite difficult, has always been very special. As is participating in it and seeing what the event continues to become.”
As a breeder, Brereton Jones has been represented by 22 Breeders’ Cup starters since 1988. Caressing delivered the best performance among these starters by winning the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and being named the year’s champion 2-year-old filly. As owner/breeder Jones raced Proud Spell in the 2007 Juvenile Fillies, where the daughter of Airdrie stallion Proud Citizen was second to Indian Blessing. At 3, Proud Spell would claim her own championship title after winning the Kentucky Oaks (G1), Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), Delaware Oaks (G2), and the Alabama Stakes (G1).
Jones’ three starters for the 2023 World Championship are all by Airdrie stallions—Cairo Prince , Summer Front , and Upstart .
“This is what we set out to do with every mating that we put down on paper, and we all know well the chances of it actually happening are remote,” said Jones. “So now to have three this year is a big deal for us, and we couldn’t be looking forward more to the weekend.”
Two of the Jones-bred Breeders’ Cup runners will perform Nov. 3: Noted , a son of Cairo Prince, and Stay Hot , a ridgling by Summer Front.
Noted will break from post 11 in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) for Repole Stable and trainer Todd Pletcher. The colt has won twice and been second twice from four career starts. He won the Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park Aug. 26 and comes into the Breeders’ Cup off a second by a nose to Can Group in the Bourbon Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland, going the Juvenile distance of 1 1/16 miles. Irad Ortiz Jr. who was in the saddle for the Bourbon has the mount in the Juvenile.
Noted in Todd Pletcher’s barn at Keeneland Oct. 17
A two-generation homebred, Noted is out of the Proud Citizen winner Sea View Millie. The dam is out Pocho’s Dream Girl, who Brereton Jones bought for $375,000 at the 2000 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. Before Sea View Millie, Pocho’s Dream Girl produced grade 2 winner and sire Mark Valeski (Proud Citizen) and grade 3 winner Albano (Istan).
“Sea View Millie was just a beautiful filly and the rare exception when we did not take a filly to the sale because we really wanted to stay in this family,” said Bret Jones. “Noted was a beautiful colt. Actually all three of the Breeders’ Cup colts were exceptional yearlings. Sometimes you have a year where the little engine that could is overlooked at the sale, but this was not the case. All three of these colts were gorgeous and sold to people who are great judges.”
West Bloodstock’s Jacob West picked Noted out of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $200,000. This year, Sea View Millie produced a filly by Upstart.
Stay Hot will start in the one-mile $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) for trainer Peter Eurton. Brereton and Bret Jones thought so highly of the colt that they stayed in as a co-owner after selling him for $130,000 during the Fasig-Tipton July Sale. Bloodstock agent Marette Farrell bought the colt on behalf of Exline-Border Racing. The colt is now campaigned by Exline-Border, Jones, SAF Racing and William Hudock. Stay Hot will break from post 6 with Antonio Fresu aboard.
“Marette is not only a great judge of horses, she is great friend, so we asked if it was possible to stay in because of how much we thought of him,” said Jones. “These things don’t always work out, but so far this colt has the makings of a real success story.”
Eurton recognized early that Stay Hot would probably be his best on the turf but that opportunity kept eluding him during the Del Mar meet. Consequently, the colt finished third in his racing debut and sixth in his next start out going six furlongs each time on Del Mar’s main track. Once back at Santa Anita, Eurton entered him in a one-mile turf maiden special weight Oct. 7 where he won by 2 1/2 lengths. Since his debut win, he’s worked a bullet on the grass at Santa Anita, going four furlongs in :47 2/5.
“He won so impressively that Peter, who I think is certainly not someone who’s going to throw a horse in over its head, really wanted to take this chance, and we’re along for the ride,” Jones said.
Stay Hot is out of the Smart Strike mare Etsu, who Bret Jones bought for $35,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale under the name Morton Rozier Stables. Jones said he occasionally bought under this stable name, which is a tribute “from my misguided youth” to two of his favorite University of Louisville basketball players, Dwayne Morton and Clifford Rozier, who both played in the NBA.
Etsu also has produced the Upstart filly Prerequisite , who won this year’s Wonder Again Stakes (G2T) at Belmont Park and was second in the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T).
“We have another Smart Strike mare who is the dam of Faiza , Girvin ‘s impressive grade 1 winner,” Jones said referring to Sweet Pistol. “There is a lot of magic in those Smart Strike mares, and I wish we had a whole bunch more. They have certainly been good to us.”
Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) contender Zandon is Brereton Jones’ third starter. The 4-year-old son of Upstart has been a fixture among the best of his generation. He won the 2022 Blue Grass Stakes (G1) and ended up a respectable third in the Kentucky Derby (G1). This year, he was second in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1), Whitney Handicap (G1), and Westchester Stakes (G3) before finally returning to the winner’s circle in the Woodward Stakes (G2). Raced by Jeff Drown and trained by Chad Brown, Zandon has an impressive 3-6-3 record from 13 starts and earnings of $2,140,000. He will break from post 2 and have top international jockey Frankie Dettori in the saddle.
“Zandon was certainly a breakout horse for Upstart,” Jones said. “Watching him train for the Kentucky Derby, I thought we had a big, big chance to get Pop a Kentucky Derby win, and at the sixteenth pole, I wouldn’t have traded places with anyone. He had the momentum but just didn’t quite finish it off that day.”
Zandon is the product of three generations of Jones breeding. The colt is out of Memories Prevail, a daughter of Creative Cause and the first foal out of the Indian Charlie mare Incarnate Memories, who Jones bred and raced. Memories Prevail is a half sister to multiple grade 3 winner Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince), who also ran second in Starlet Stakes (G1) and third in Del Mar Oaks (G1T). This year Memories Prevail delivered a filly by multiple leading North American sire Tapit . The weanling filly will be offered during the Keeneland November sale.
Jones said he is expecting big things from the progeny of Upstart in the coming years.
“He dramatically improves his mares, and the quality of the books he had the previous two years and again this season are night and day from the opportunity he was given initially,” Jones said. “I really think when the progeny of those mares hit the track, the next few years are going to be a big deal for Upstart, and the industry will recognize what a really top class stallion he is.”
As to Zandon’s chance in the Nov. 4 Classic?
“The way this race is taking shape and as good as Zandon appears to be from the outside looking in, I think he’s got a real shot,” he said. “I would put his talent up against any horse that goes into that starting gate.”
