Breeders' Cup Juvenile 2026: Field, Odds and Gaudreau's Scratch

Breeders' Cup Juvenile 2026: seven run after Gaudreau's scratch

Update (2026-10-28): The Breeders' Cup Juvenile 2026 is down to seven 2-year-olds for Friday, Oct. 30 at Keeneland, after Champagne Stakes runner-up Gaudreau was scratched with a fever on Wednesday morning, Oct. 28. Unbeaten Hughes is the 1-1 morning-line favorite for Bob Baffert, with Coach Pope at 4-1 and Breeders' Futurity winner American History at 9-2.

The Juvenile is the championship race for 2-year-old colts and geldings: 1 1/16 miles on dirt for $2 million, Race 9 on Future Stars Friday with a 4:55 p.m. ET post time. Champagne winner U. S. S. Valor isn't in it either; his team decided on Oct. 4 to skip it and aim at the 2027 Kentucky Derby.

New to racing? A "juvenile" is simply a 2-year-old racehorse. Our two-year-old racehorses guide explains why these young horses race and what their results really mean.

The field, posts and morning line

Post positions were drawn Monday, Oct. 26. The morning line is the track oddsmaker's estimate of how the betting will go; the real odds keep changing until the gate opens.

Every colt carries 122 pounds. Baffert and Pletcher each have two runners.

The contenders in one line each

• Hughes (post 5): 4-for-4. He won the G3 Best Pal and G1 Del Mar Futurity, then the G1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita on Oct. 3 by six lengths in 1:43.22, which earned his Win and You're In berth.
• Coach Pope (post 7): the beaten favorite in the Breeders' Futurity, a length behind American History over this course.
• American History (post 6): unbeaten in two starts, and the only Grade 1 winner in the field over this track and distance.
• Salahudin (post 3): Baffert's second runner, a long-striding winner of the Iroquois Stakes.
• Earth Song (post 4): finished fourth in the Champagne, where U. S. S. Valor bumped him to get out.
• He Is No Lie (post 8) and Damavand (post 1): the outsiders at 15-1 and 20-1. Damavand is Pletcher's second starter; he won a maiden race at Keeneland on Oct. 4, also at 1 1/16 miles, in his first try around two turns.

Why Gaudreau was scratched

BloodHorse reported that a fever was found on Wednesday morning, Oct. 28, and Gaudreau was taken out of the race. His co-owner and managing partner, Peter Bradley, called it short-term. Bradley said he will talk with trainer Chad Brown first, and that the colt will probably get some downtime and then point toward a 3-year-old campaign.

The timing matters. Under the Breeders' Cup veterinary guide, each entered horse's attending vet must examine the horse and declare it sound to race, with the exam logged in its HISA medical record by 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Gaudreau's scratch came that same morning.

A fever two days before a championship race is reason enough to stay home. Running a young horse that isn't 100% puts the horse at risk, and passing on one race costs far less. Our explainer on what a vet scratch is shows how Breeders' Cup horses are checked every day at Keeneland and who makes the call.

Gaudreau, a son of 2015 Juvenile winner Nyquist, won his Aug. 8 debut at Saratoga, where Coach Pope and U. S. S. Valor were also in the field. He then ran second, 6 1/2 lengths behind U. S. S. Valor, in the Champagne.

He was not Wednesday's only scratch. Scottish Lassie came out of the Distaff, Induction out of the Juvenile Turf, Zulu Kingdom out of the Mile and Go For Launch out of the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

American History: the Breeders' Futurity winner

American History won the Grade 1, $650,000 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland on Oct. 3 by one length. He ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.88, beating the favorite Coach Pope, with Q B Rocket third.

• He broke slowly and raced well back early.
• John Velazquez let him rally from off the pace, and he finished best in the stretch.
• The win earned him a Win and You're In berth in the Juvenile and 10 Kentucky Derby points.

His dam is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Vekoma. He won his debut Aug. 22 at Saratoga going 6 1/2 furlongs, so the Futurity was his first try around two turns.

Why this matters: the Futurity is run at the same track and the same distance as the Juvenile. For the full prep picture, see our Breeders' Futurity 2026 preview.

U. S. S. Valor: the Champagne winner who stayed home

U. S. S. Valor won the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park on Oct. 3 by 6 1/2 lengths. He ran the one-turn mile in 1:34.84, ahead of Gaudreau and Club Reign.

The margin hides a messy trip. He broke a step slow and had to wait behind horses on the far turn, and near the quarter pole Manny Franco moved him out and bumped Earth Song to find room. Once clear, he pulled away under a light drive.

• Pedigree: by War of Will (the 2019 Preakness winner) out of Spangled Banner.
• Connections: owned and bred by Team Valor International; trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey.
• Record: 3 starts, 2 wins, 1 third.

On Oct. 4, Team Valor's Barry Irwin and McGaughey confirmed he would skip the Juvenile and not race again in 2026. Irwin said the colt had done enough this year; the main goal is the 2027 Kentucky Derby. McGaughey named Gulfstream Park's Holy Bull, Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby as possible spring stops, according to DRF. Our Champagne Stakes 2026 preview covers his rivalry with Gaudreau.

How 2-year-olds got into the Juvenile

There are two main ways into the gate.

1. Win and You're In. Winning a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race for juveniles gives an automatic berth with entry fees paid. Hughes and American History both got in this way.
2. Field selection. If more horses pre-enter than the gate holds, Breeders' Cup uses a field selection process to pick the starters.

Every horse had to be Breeders' Cup nominated and pre-entered by noon EDT on Oct. 19. The berth is an invitation, not an obligation, which is why U. S. S. Valor's spot went unused.

Want the full rules? Read what "Win and You're In" means.

Race facts at a glance

For TV and the full two-day schedule, see our Breeders' Cup 2026 guide. The fillies' version of this race is covered in our Juvenile Fillies 2026 story.

Why it matters for the Kentucky Derby

The Juvenile is the biggest points race of the fall on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. It awards 30-15-9-6-3 points to the top five finishers.

The Futurity and the Champagne each paid 10-5-3-2-1, so American History and U. S. S. Valor have 10 points each. Hughes also earned points in the American Pharoah. A Juvenile win adds 30 more.

Fall points are only a start. Most of the 20-horse Derby field is set by the points list, and the biggest points come in the spring preps.

Does the Juvenile winner win the Derby?

Sometimes, but not often. Street Sense (2006) and Nyquist (2015) both won the Juvenile and the next year's Derby. Many Juvenile winners never make it to Churchill Downs at all.

The real value is a title shot. The Juvenile winner usually becomes the leading candidate for the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old colt. By staying home, U. S. S. Valor gives up the chance to settle that title on the track.

What to watch before and on Friday

• More vet checks. Breeders' Cup and Keeneland vets inspect every runner daily, on the track and in the barn, until race morning. Horses of concern go on a watch list until they are cleared or scratched.
• Hughes vs. American History. The unbeaten West Coast favorite meets the unbeaten colt who has already won over this course.
• The Futurity rematch. Coach Pope gets another shot at American History over the same 1 1/16 miles.
• The odds board. The morning line is only a guide; the price on Hughes and the rest will move all afternoon.
• The result. Post time is 4:55 p.m. ET. We'll update this page once the result is official.

Watching on TV or going to Keeneland? Look for the horses in the paddock before the race. Calm, relaxed young horses tend to handle the crowd better.

What matters most is the horses themselves. These colts are still growing, and Gaudreau's team chose his long-term health over one race. Want to learn more about racing terms? Our glossary explains the basics, and you can share your thoughts in the community.