DEL MAR, Calif. – In 2019, trainer Brendan Walsh came to Southern California with an undefeated 2-year-old he thought had an excellent chance to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. The morning after entries were made for the race, Maxfield was off in his right front and had to be scratched with what was ultimately diagnosed as the start of a condylar fracture. Maxfield went on to have a terrific career, winning 8 of 11 races, including a pair of Grade 1s. Five years later, Walsh is back in Southern California – this time at Del Mar as opposed to Santa Anita – with East Avenue, an undefeated 2-year-old he thinks has an excellent chance to win Friday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. East Avenue is a deserving morning-line favorite in a field of 10 2-year-olds entered to contest 1 1/16 miles on the first day of the two-day, 14-race Breeders’ Cup event. Like Maxfield, East Avenue comes to the Juvenile 2 for 2 and, like Maxfield, he comes in off a five-plus-length victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. “It’s uncanny their similarities going into the race, they were both very impressive winners of the Futurity in their second starts,” Walsh said. “It’s nice to get another shot at it because it was very disappointing when Maxfield didn’t make the race last time.” :: ON SALE NOW: DRF Breeders' Cup Packages! Get everything you need to win and save 41% off the retail price. The difference between East Avenue and Maxfield is running style. Maxfield came from well off the pace. East Avenue has won his first two starts in front-running fashion. He couldn’t have looked more impressive winning the Futurity, with jockey Tyler Gaffalione sitting chilly most of the way around the Keeneland oval. How much he was aided by a track that was extremely speed-favoring is unclear. Still, that running style should suit Del Mar, which, by all accounts, was extremely speed-favoring during the summer meet. “He doesn’t have any running style yet, obviously, he’s got a high cruising speed,” Walsh said. “It seems like that track suits that kind of style, but he’s not a horse that we need to fire out there on the lead or anything like that. If he has to sit off, he can sit off.” Like Maxfield, East Avenue is owned and bred by Godolphin Racing, which has won the Juvenile three times, most recently in 2021 with Essential Quality. East Avenue, by Medaglia d’Oro, is the first foal out of the unraced mare Dance Card, herself a half-sister to Cody’s Wish, a two-time Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner and the 2023 Horse of the Year. East Avenue breaks from the rail under Gaffalione. At the other end of the gate will be Chancer McPatrick, thus far the most accomplished member of the juvenile class of 2024, having gone 3 for 3 with Grade 1 victories in the Hopeful at Saratoga and Champagne at Aqueduct. His running style is such that he comes from the back of the pack. In the Champagne, he actually broke on top but seemed content to drop back when a quick pace developed. Chancer McPatrick, a son of McKinzie, has shown trainer Chad Brown that he is wise beyond his years. “He’s a very athletic horse and he’s very mature for his age, he has an unbelievable mind on him, so I think those are attributes that could lead to success in a race like this when horses are still trying to mature and improve,” said Brown, who won this race here in 2017 with the Champagne runner-up and maiden Good Magic. “All of them are still inexperienced when you look at their total body of work.” Brown said drawing post 10 was “not ideal. . . . Hopefully, there’s enough speed that spreads the field out before they get to the turn would be my hope.” Jonathan’s Way and Gaming are two other unbeaten stakes winners in this field. :: Get Breeders' Cup Betting Strategies from Brad Free and David Aragona for exclusive wager recommendations and play the races with confidence! Jonathan’s Way, trained by Phil Bauer for Robert Rigney, overcame trouble to win his debut at Saratoga, then was a front-running dynamo in the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs. Fifteen horses have come out of the Iroquois to run in the Juvenile, with Not This Time’s runner-up finish in 2016 the best result. Like Chancer McPatrick, Jonathan’s Way will be trying two turns and 1 1/16 miles for the first time. “I don’t think another sixteenth of a mile is going to be a problem,” Bauer said. “If anything, at two turns he’ll be able to get a little bit of a breather once they kick down the backside.” Joel Rosario rides Jonathan’s Way from post 5. Gaming, a son of 2018 Juvenile winner Game Winner, is one of three entered by Bob Baffert, a five-time Juvenile winner. Gaming won both of his starts at Del Mar this summer, including the Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 8. He was given ample time to recover from those two races. “He’s a big horse, he looks like a 3-year-old,” Baffert said. “I know he’ll go two turns. I think that extra time will help him because [Flavien] Prat said he was getting a little bit racy. Since then, he’s come back and looks great.” With Prat committed to Chancer McPatrick, Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Gaming from post 7. Citizen Bull, after running third to Gaming in the Del Mar Futurity, beat stablemate Getaway Car in the Grade 1 American Pharoah on Oct. 5 at Santa Anita. Citizen Bull, who breaks from post 6 under Martin Garcia, is the likely horse to challenge or be ahead of East Avenue early. “He is definitely a front-runner, there are no ifs or buts about it, he’s all speed,” Baffert said. Baffert took blinkers off Getaway Car for the American Pharoah and while he did sit off Citizen Bull that day, Baffert said he won’t be far off the pace. Ferocious was arguably the most impressive debut-winning 2-year-old male at Saratoga. He finished second to Chancer McPatrick in the Hopeful and second to East Avenue in the Breeder’s Futurity. In his first three starts, Ferocious broke from post 1 twice and post 2 once, and he reared twice in the Futurity. :: BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more Friday, he’ll break from post 4. That and the fact he is reunited with Javier Castellano, aboard for Ferocious’s debut win, are two positives as far as trainer Gustavo Delgado is concerned. Japan is represented in the Juvenile by Shin Believe and Ecoro Azel, both trained by Japan’s Hideyuki Mori. They are two of 10 juveniles Mori bought at the OBS March 2-year-olds in training sale. Shin Believe, by Constitution, won his only start, at 1 1/8 miles, by five lengths. Ecoro Azel, by Shancelot, won his debut sprinting but was then fifth behind Juvenile Fillies contender American Bikini in a stakes on Sept. 28. Hill Road, a Kentucky-bred son of Quality Road has made both of his starts on turf in Ireland for trainer Adrian Murray. The Juvenile goes as race 9 on a 10-race card that begins at 11:35 a.m. Pacific. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.