This Halloween serves up an international treat for racing fans. Kicking off on Friday evening, the two-day Breeders’ Cup bonanza lays on no fewer than 14 Grade 1 contests. The home team will be hard to beat on the Del Mar dirt, but they’ll do well to repel the European raiders in the top-tier turf events.
Aidan O’Brien will draw much of the attention, thanks to his assault on his own Group/Grade 1 world record. However, it is not all about the County Tipperary colossus. Charlie Appleby also boasts an impressive record at the US showpiece. First tasting success with Outstrip in the 2013 Juvenile Turf, Appleby now has 11 Breeders’ Cup wins to his name.
With the final fields taking shape, the Godolphin number one can’t match the trio of short-price O’Brien-trained favourites. However, Appleby boasts solid claims in four events as he bids to make it a dozen wins at one of the biggest meetings on the planet.
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint – Military Code
- Previous Wins – Mischief Magic (2022)
Appleby became the first British trainer to win this 5f contest in 2022. Interestingly, his winner that day, Mischief Magic, was a full brother to Sound And Silence, who finished second in the 2017 edition.
Having gone without a runner in 2023 and 2024, Appleby sends Military Code into battle. Unlike Mischief Magic, who had already scored in Group 3 company, this son of Wootton Bassett has only a pair of novice wins. This demands a big career-best, but the quick conditions should suit, and he ran well to finish a close second at York last time. With William Buick in the saddle, he may be one of the more popular each-way options at a double-figure price.
Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf – Rebel’s Romance and El Cordobes
- Previous Wins – Yibir (2021), Rebel’s Romance (2022, 2024)
This is the strongest race of the meeting for the European raiders. Nine of the 14-runner field hail from a British, Irish, or French yard. Aidan O’Brien saddles red-hot favourite Minnie Hauk, while Frankie Dettori renews his partnership with the James Owen-trained Nashville Derby winner Wimbledon Hawkeye. However, Appleby is the only European trainer with two runners in the race.
The clear pick of the Appleby duo is the 2022 and 2024 champ Rebel’s Romance. Five years after making his debut at Newcastle, William Buick’s favourite horse has nine Group/Grade 1 wins and career earnings of over £11 million. Warming up with an easy win in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont, he looks like the biggest threat to Oaks queen Minnie Hauk.
El Cordobes is among the outsiders but has the services of the excellent Billy Loughnane in the saddle. Having broken his Grade 1 duck at Saratoga in August, he finished well for third behind Rebel’s Romance last time out.
Breeders’ Cup Mile – Notable Speech
- Previous Wins – Space Blues (2021), Modern Games (2022), Master Of The Seas (2023)
If Appleby is to have a winner at the 2025 Breeders’ Cup, the betting suggests it is most likely to come in this race. Having landed three successive editions between 2021 and 2023, Appleby is tied with French legend Freddy Head as the most successful trainer in Breeders’ Cup Mile history. One more win will see him claim the record as his own.
Having finished third twelve months ago, Notable Speech is the horse tasked with taking his trainer into the record books. Last year’s 2,000 Guineas hero struggled to hit those heights in the first half of 2025 but has shown signs of coming back to his best. Most unlucky in the Prix Jacques Le Marois in August, he put that right with a blistering effort to claim the Woodbine Mile last time out. Having launched his challenge a little too late last season, William Buick is unlikely to make the same mistake twice.
Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf – Cinderella’s Dream and Diamond Rain
- Previous Wins – Wuheida (2017)
Appleby has twice come close to adding to his sole win in this race, with Wild Illusion (2018) and Cinderella’s Dream (2024) finishing second by a neck and half a length respectively.
Like Notable Speech, Cinderella’s Dream returns to Del Mar for a second crack at the prize. Whilst beaten in her two most recent outings, the ground may have been slower than ideal for a filly who likes rattling quick conditions. Her most recent run on good to firm saw her claim a first British Group 1 in the Falmouth Stakes.
Jockey bookings suggest Cinderella’s Dream is Godolphin’s main hope, but Diamond Rain provides a strong second string to the Appleby bow. This Shamardal filly kicked off 2025 with Listed and Group 3 wins at Haydock and Newcastle and almost landed the hat-trick on her US debut in August. Briefly tapped for toe in the straight, she finished powerfully to lose out by a rapidly diminishing head in the Grade 1 E. P. Taylor Stakes.
A Group 1 world record may not be on the menu for Appleby. However, with a strong squad descending on Del Mar, it will be no surprise to see the Classic-winning trainer add to his Breeders’ Cup tally.
