The 45th operating of the $300,000 Goodwood Stakes drew a subject of 9 Saturday at Santa Anita Park. This race is a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Longines Traditional Oct. 31 at Keeneland, and there have been 5 Goodwood winners who went on to win the Traditional in the identical 12 months: Ferdinand (1987), Tiznow (2000), Pleasantly Good (2003), Mucho Macho Man (2013) and most lately Speed up in 2018. This 12 months’s version of the 1 1/8-mile race brings collectively one 3-year-old and eight older horses, together with final 12 months’s winner Nevada Seaside, who can be making his first begin since a bid within the Saudi World Cup on Feb. 14.
Right here’s a take a look at the sphere from the within (rail) publish place out:
Taif, a $1.45 million 2-year-old in coaching buy in 2023, posted his first win final outing in his third begin and first attempt over turf at Del Mar. The 5-year-old son of Arrogate skilled by Bob Baffert was sidelined for over a 12 months following his profession debut and returned in January with a runner-up end in a maiden particular weight on filth, after which was once more sidelined for almost seven months earlier than his maiden win on Sept. 7. Emisael Jaramillo can be aboard for the primary time. Vodka Vodka, a 5-year-old Keep Thirsty gelding skilled by Aggie Ordonez, is a three-time winner on turf and switched again to filth earlier this 12 months to complete runner-up within the Santa Anita Handicap Introduced by Yaamava’ Resort & On line casino at San Manuel. In April, Vodka Vodka gained the Sunland Park Stakes at this identical 1 1/8-mile distance and completed a distant seventh final outing within the Pat O’Brien Stakes at Del Mar after stumbling at first. Corridor of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux can be again aboard for simply his 51st mount of the 12 months. McAfee, who’s cross-entered within the Lukas Traditional Stakes Saturday at Churchill Downs, will choose to run within the Goodwood per coach George Weaver. The 4-year-old Cloud Computing colt, a half-brother to 2024 Horse of the Yr Thorpedo Anna, is coming off a 6 ¼-length victory on the allowance degree at Saratoga going 1 1/8 miles on filth July 3. Hector Berrios can be within the irons for the primary time. Authentic Sin can also be cross-entered within the Lukas Traditional however will run within the Goodwood per coach Brendan Walsh. The 4-year-old Curlin colt and homebred for Calumet Farm completed runner-up final outing within the 1 ¼-mile Pacific Traditional Stakes. Authentic Sin is one in all three graded stakes winners on this subject and may have a jockey swap to Kazushi Kimura as Juan Hernandez, who was aboard final outing, will journey Nevada Seaside.
The veteran of the group is Midnight Mammoth, a 7-year-old Midnight Lute gelding, who can be making his 46th profession begin and 11th on the graded degree. Midnight Mammoth may have Tyler Baze again aboard. Since a runner-up end in final 12 months’s FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Introduced by TAA, Mr. A. P. has made three consecutive begins over the turf as a 3-year-old. The American Pharoah ridgling was claimed by coach Vladimir Cerin in his profession debut earlier than operating second within the Juvenile simply three begins later in 2025. Joel Rosario, who has been aboard his final three begins, retains the mount. Cast Metal, the primary of two entrants from the Saffie Joseph Jr. barn, dominated the 1 ¼-mile Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes by 9 ½ lengths in Might in his one and solely begin at Santa Anita. Since then, the 4-year-old Vekoma colt completed a distant fifth within the Suburban Stakes Introduced by Subourbon Life at Saratoga and seventh within the Pacific Traditional at Del Mar final outing. Edwin Gonzalez, who’s having a breakout 12 months with almost $6 million in 2026 earnings, can be again aboard. Cast Metal’s stablemate Caldera, who was skilled at first of his racing profession by the late D. Wayne Lukas, ships in from Palm Meadows the place he recorded his final two exercises for Saffie Joseph. The 4-year-old Liam’s Map colt was sidelined for over a 12 months and resurfaced in April to win three straight races by a mixed successful margin of 12 lengths. Paco Lopez, who was aboard final outing at Colonial Downs when Caldera set a brand new monitor file for one mile on filth, travels to stay aboard and is scheduled to journey at Santa Anita on Saturday for the primary time in a minimum of 5 years. Nevada Seaside is the second Bob Baffert-trained entrant and is the 7-5 morning-line favourite. The 4-year-old Omaha Seaside colt can be making his first begin coming off a greater than seven-month layoff. He’s the one Grade 1 winner within the subject, having annexed final 12 months’s Goodwood Stakes by 1 ½ lengths. Juan Hernandez, who has been aboard Nevada Seaside for 5 of his eight lifetime begins, can be within the irons for the primary time since their runner-up end within the Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes at Santa Anita in December.
Main Win Contenders:
With 6-1 morning line odds, Authentic Sin supplies lots of worth for a colt who completed runner-up final outing within the Pacific Traditional, a aggressive race with a 109 class ranking in comparison with the Goodwood’s 107 class ranking. Within the Pacific Traditional, Authentic Sin broke lifeless final and was 14 lengths off the tempo on the second level of name, however he made up an incredible quantity of floor going into the ultimate flip, ending second after passing 9 rivals within the ultimate 4 furlongs. Authentic Sin prolonged his common stride size and elevated his common velocity within the ultimate furlong in comparison with the penultimate furlong, which is an unbelievable feat for a 1 ¼-mile (10-furlong) race. The Curlin colt shipped again to Churchill Downs following that effort on Aug. 22 and has seemingly come again properly, posting two stable works together with his most earlier printed work on Sept. 18 going 5 furlongs in 1:00.80. Authentic Sin was first skilled by Brad Cox, making two bids on the maiden particular weight degree in 2024 earlier than being sidelined for over 10 months and switching to the Brendan Walsh steady. Authentic Sin earned his first win at Churchill in his 3-year-old debut final October and has since had a beautiful 4-year-old marketing campaign. He has three wins and a second from six begins in 2026 together with a victory within the Blame Stakes over Churchill’s filth essential monitor on Might 30, making him 2-for-2 racing 9 furlongs. In July, Authentic Sin completed ninth by 18 lengths within the Suburban Stakes at Saratoga, which helped him go off at 22-1 odds within the Pacific Traditional. It’s notable that eight of the 9 runners on this Goodwood subject have an early or presser operating model, leaving Authentic Sin because the lone contender with a sustained operating model. Even so, Authentic Sin has been in a position to win when urgent the tempo as properly and is a flexible colt who must be to deal with no matter tempo develops within the Goodwood Stakes. Along with his worth, capacity to win at 1 1/8 miles and in addition contemplating his GPS information within the Pacific Traditional final outing, Authentic Sin has a great likelihood to search out his option to the Breeders’ Cup Traditional with a win within the Goodwood on Saturday.
Caldera is an extremely intriguing colt who has seemingly come into his personal as a 4-year-old, after a stable 3-year-old marketing campaign in 2025. Caldera began his profession with the late D. Wayne Lukas, ending sixth and second as a 2-year-old on the maiden particular weight degree at Churchill Downs and Oaklawn Park, respectively. As a 3-year-old, Caldera dominated a 1 1/16–mile maiden at Oaklawn in January 2025 by 5 ½ lengths and went on to run second by only a nostril within the Sunland Park Derby in February. After being checked and stumbling at first of the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby, Caldera got here again to run a slim second within the Bathhouse Row Stakes at Oaklawn in his one and solely begin on the 1 1/8-mile distance. Caldera was then laid off till this April and returned as a runner in the Saffie Joseph Jr. steady. Coming off a layoff of simply over a 12 months, Caldera romped by 6 ¼ lengths in an allowance optionally available claiming race at Gulfstream Park, incomes a 91 Equibase Pace Determine. He adopted that up with a three-length victory once more on the allowance degree at Colonial Downs, bettering to a 101 determine. Final outing, once more on the mile distance at Colonial in an allowance optionally available claiming race, Caldera once more improved to a 107 Equibase determine for his monitor file efficiency, masking the gap in 1:32.37 beneath Paco Lopez. Whereas he solely gained on the allowance degree, that Colonial race had a 102 class ranking and Caldera beat Macho Music by 2 ¾ lengths. That runner-up gained the 2025 Pat Day Mile Stakes Introduced by SAP by 3 ¼ lengths. It’s a terrific signal that Paco Lopez is keen to journey to Santa Anita to remain aboard, and signifies that this Caldera may very well be his Breeders’ Cup Traditional mount – if he wins. Joseph Jr. and Lopez win at 31% collectively in all races during the last 5 years and over the previous 12 months they’ve gained 9 of 16 begins collectively (56%) and completed within the prime three at an 81% fee. Joseph has additionally discovered success delivery to Santa Anita, successful at 43% and ending 71% within the prime three during the last 5 years, albeit from simply seven begins. Whereas Caldera is taking a giant leap in school degree, this colt is a formidable contender who appears to be on the prime of his sport and brings stable worth with 5-1 morning-line odds.
Mr. A. P. is one other contender who brings lots of worth to this race, particularly for a ridgling who completed runner-up in final 12 months’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. The lone 3-year-old on this subject was claimed for $150,000 in his profession debut at Del Mar final July. He went on to run second by simply three-quarters of a size in his first begin for coach Vladimir Cerin and the brand new silks earlier than taking a mud route race at Santa Anita in October. In his subsequent begin, he was despatched off at odds of 21-1 within the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and Mr. A. P. made a valiant effort to lose to undefeated Ted Noffey by only a size whereas incomes a 106 Equibase Pace Determine. Mr. A. P. was then sidelined all the best way till mid-July and oddly sufficient returned as a 3-year-old by switching to turf. In his turf debut within the Oceanside Handicap at Del Mar, Mr. A. P. completed third behind Proletariat, who went on to win the Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby in his subsequent begin. Following the Oceanside, Mr. A. P. gained his first race on turf in an allowance optionally available claiming race at Del Mar after which shipped to Kentucky Downs in September to run within the Gun Runner Stakes. Mr. A. P. completed ninth within the Gun Runner, which is excusable as Kentucky Downs is a course that horses both love or hate. Nonetheless, Mr. A. P. got here out of the race in good type and got here again to his house monitor of Santa Anita to publish a bullet five-furlong work in a blistering 58.80 on Sept. 20. Mr. A. P. has by no means run out of the exacta on filth and has confirmed he might compete with the perfect of the perfect 2-year-olds in 2025. His total type mixed together with his affinity for the Santa Anita filth implies that Mr. A. P. might shock at a pleasant value to finish the trifecta.
The remainder of the sphere with their finest Equibase Pace Figures in comparable races, is Taif (96), Vodka Vodka (105), McAfee (107), Midnight Mammoth (111), Cast Metal (107), and Nevada Seaside (107).
High Picks in Choice Order:
