Bob Baffert's bid to move alone atop the Breeders' Cup's all-time training leaderboard will be carried by six horses and four separate races at Keeneland, with unbeaten Hughes providing the strongest chance of all. The Hall of Fame trainer's 21 victories are tied with Aidan O'Brien, but Baffert's current team gives him a formidable opportunity to reach No. 22.
The centerpiece is Hughes, who enters Friday's $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile as the likely favorite after winning all four starts by a combined 24 1/2 lengths. His résumé already includes Grade 1 victories in the Del Mar Futurity and American Pharoah, and Churchill Downs reported that he covered four furlongs in :47.20 in his final work before shipping to Keeneland. Churchill Downs' official work report also noted that Baffert keeps a horse alongside Hughes because the Into Mischief colt can become lazy when working alone.
Hughes will be joined in the Juvenile by Salahudin, another undefeated Baffert trainee. The Uncle Mo colt is 3-for-3, including a victory in the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill on Sept. 12, and matched Hughes with a :47 final half-mile. Salahudin's profile is less polished but potentially more interesting at his expected 6-1 price: Baffert has described him as a late developer who should improve as distances increase. Tyler Gaffalione is named for the mount from post 3, while Hughes drew post 5 with Flavien Prat. US Racing's pre-race analysis confirms the pair's unbeaten records and Hughes' Grade 1 form.
Prat also takes over on Miss Monica in the $2 million Juvenile Fillies, giving Baffert a second major favorite among the 2-year-olds. She has won both starts, most recently by 6 1/4 lengths in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante, but Friday's 1 1/16-mile race will be her first attempt around two turns. Her :47 work at Churchill was encouraging, although the distance remains the central handicapping question. Baffert's decision to freshen her rather than force a two-turn prep reflects the same spacing strategy that has helped him produce so many Breeders' Cup winners. Thoroughbred Daily News reported that Prat was confirmed for both Hughes and Miss Monica.
The older-horse division gives Baffert two more live chances. Explora is pointed to the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint after winning the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga and finishing a close second in Churchill's Grade 3 Dogwood on Sept. 19. Nooni is listed for the same race, while defending champion Splendora has first preference in the $2 million Distaff after progressing from last year's sprint triumph to a series of strong Grade 2 route victories. The official Churchill list identifies Explora, Hughes, Miss Monica, Nooni, Salahudin and Splendora as Baffert's six pre-entries and assigns Splendora to the Distaff. Churchill Downs' pre-entry report provides the race assignments.
The numbers explain why this is more than a ceremonial pursuit of history. Baffert has won the Juvenile six times, and Hughes gives him his most accomplished contender in that race since Citizen Bull won it in 2024. Yet the stable's depth may matter just as much as its headline horse: two unbeaten colts, an unbeaten filly facing a new distance, a Grade 1-winning sprinter and a defending champion stretching into the Distaff. If even one of the six delivers at Keeneland, Baffert will have a chance to turn a tie into sole possession of the Breeders' Cup record.