There will be plenty of surprises in the final run-up to the Breeders’ Cup and in the results of the races themselves. But one thing that’s no surprise is that the newest race on the program, the Grade 1, $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint, once again, has drawn a massive group from around the globe at the pre-entry stage. When Breeders’ Cup pre-entries closed Monday, 20 horses were still under consideration for the Juvenile Turf Sprint. The cast of pre-entries is made up of 11 U.S.-based runners; eight based in Europe, which has been the path for the last two winners of this race; and one traveling from Japan. The lineups for the Breeders’ Cup races will crystallize in the coming week, as horses were allowed to pre-enter two races at this stage, declaring a first and second preference. However, there is still expected to be an overflow group for the Juvenile Turf Sprint when final entries close next Monday. Since its addition to Breeders’ Cup weekend in 2018, the Juvenile Turf Sprint has gone with the maximum number of starters in each of its six runnings, with at least one also-eligible scratched from the program each time. This year’s edition, on Nov. 1 at Del Mar, is limited to 12 starters, with as many as six also-eligibles permitted to be listed on the program. :: BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF SPRINT: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more The 12 horses who would currently be in the main body of the field for the Juvenile Turf Sprint were determined by a multi-part process involving berths from Win and You’re In races, graded stakes points, and a selection panel. Two horses who rank as part of that group, Celandine and Mentee, were cross-entered and have first preference in the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Juvenile Turf, respectively, and would rank in the main body of those fields as well. If they were to enter those races instead, that would allow Gate to Wire and Chasing Liberty into this field, in that order. Chasing Liberty has first preference in the Juvenile Turf, but would be three down on the also-eligible list as of Wednesday. If Gate to Wire and Chasing Liberty both enter the Juvenile Turf Sprint – and there are no other defections – the six also-eligibles on the program would be Jet Sweep Joe, Mi Bago, Pali Kitten, Smash It, Smoken Wicked, and Kale’s Angel, in that order. Some of those also pre-entered the Juvenile Turf, but are well down on the preference list. The early favorites for the Juvenile Turf Sprint on David Aragona’s line for Daily Racing Form are Japan’s unbeaten Ecoro Sieg at 4-1 and Big Mojo – coming from Europe for the same connections as the 2023 winner of this race, Big Evs – at 9-2. Aesterius, a familiar foe to Big Mojo, and Governor Sam, the top U.S. hope who has won three straight stakes, are both 5-1. The post-time favorite has won the Juvenile Turf Sprint twice. In the other four editions, the post-time favorite finished out of the top three – although three other winners, including Big Evs, went off as the second choice. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.