Despite having more than $2.5 million in the bank and defeating Bentornato this spring, Dark Saffron enters the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) as a longshot.
Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty and Japan's Forever Young are tied atop the Oct. 26 National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll with 12 first-place votes each, though Sovereignty holds a thin one-point lead overall.
Led by grade 1 winners Golden Tempo and Knightsbridge, 19 BloodHorse Maiden Watch Hot Prospects are scheduled to compete in the Oct. 30-31 Breeders' Cup at Keeneland. Another pair are also-eligibles and could gain entry with scratches.
Thanks to trainer Graham Motion's growing connections with owners such as Newstead Stable's Steven and Jessica Jell, the presence of South African-bred Breeders' Cup entrants has more than doubled the past couple seasons.