This weekend’s major horse racing events featured several key victories that secured “Win and You’re In” berths for the upcoming Breeders’ Cup. Mystik Dan, trained by Bob Baffert, won the Grade II Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs and is likely to target the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Baffert also celebrated wins with Nevada Beach in the Grade I Goodwood Stakes, Cavalieri in the Grade II Zenyatta Stakes, and Imagination in the Grade II Santa Anita Sprint Championship, each earning spots in their respective Breeders’ Cup races. Other notable winners included Rebel’s Romance, who dominated the Grade I Joe Hirsch Turf Classic aiming for a third Breeders’ Cup Turf title, and Johannes, who secured a place in the Breeders’ Cup Mile with a win in the City of Hope Mile.

Additional graded stakes winners included Locked in the Woodward Stakes, Tumbarumba in the Ack Ack Stakes, and Bracket Buster in the Oklahoma Derby, among others. Internationally, Japan’s Win Carnelian captured his first Grade 1 victory in the Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama, while Forever Young prepares for the Nippon TV Hai as a lead-up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Overall, the weekend showcased top-tier performances across multiple divisions, setting the stage for a competitive Breeders’ Cup season.