Breeders’ Cup 2026, day two: horse racing – live

The locals are siding with Wesley Ward to saddle a second winner of this race (he was successful with Golden Pal five years ago). He’s opened up at 8-5 on the tote, with Comanche Brave next in at 5-2.

George Weaver’s Cy Fair is currently the only other runner at single-figure odds on 8-1, and she has a squeak on her best form too but was distinctly disappointing when odds-on for a Grade Two at Kentucky Downs in early September. Shesospicy, meanwhile, is 15-1 for a repeat success.

Bacio simply burned off his rivals in his two races in Britain over the summer and is well drawn to attack in stall three. If he can get clear at the turn, it could be all over.

He is likely to face a fair bit more competition for the lead than he did in Europe, though, and Joe Shiesty could definitely apply some pressure if he breaks well from the outside. If so, Comanche Brave and Billy Loughnane, aboard his only ride on today’s card, will be poised to pounce. O’Brien’s runner travels strongly just off the pace and that could be just what’s required.

17.48 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, Grade One, 5½f

We’re on to the turf next, and the most obvious barrier to a European clean sweep on the grass in the form of Wesley Ward’s Bacio. He is already familiar to European racing fans as the winner of both the Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap at Royal Ascot and the Nunthorpe at York in August.

He’s a very obvious favourite back on his home turf, but Donnacha O’Brien’s Comanche Brave is an equally obvious main market rival after his wins in the July Cup and then the Flying Five at the Curragh.

Bacio and Comanche Brave are the only two runners in the field at single-figure odds, but it would be remiss not to mention last year’s winner, Shisospicy, who is back for a second go.

She’s well drawn in stall two but has not seen a track since finishing seventh at Churchill Downs in May, and has been on the wrong end of several setbacks since her win last year. She was forced to miss some juicy targets in the Saudi Arabia and Dubai in the early part of the year due to an infection, apparently as the result of a spider bite, and also had a fever shortly before her intended prep for today’s race at Belmont in September.

That pretty much unfolded entirely as expected: Kerry’s Kiss and R Disaster were forward early with Explora in pursuit, and then Ways And Means breezed through the field as if she’d just joined in. She set off as an even-money shot on the tote.

1. WAYS AND MEANS (Flavien Prat), 2. Foie Gras, 3. Explora. 11 ran.

R Disaster straight into the lead, but now Kerry’s Kiss leads ….

22.14sec for the first quarter, Kerry’s Kiss still in front as Ways And Means looks for room …

Ways And Means hits the front and this is all over … she powering a long way clear, what a performance to kick off the card.

Off and running in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint!

Won’t be long now until the second day of the Breeders’ Cup meeting is underway … strap yourselves in, it’s always a giddy ride …

It’s around a quarter of an hour to the Filly & Mare Sprint, and Ways And Means is a very warm favourite at 4-5 on the US tote.

4-5 Ways And Means 5-1 Explora 7-1 Kilwin & Sweet Azteca 8-1 R Disaster 19-1 bar

Pace map: Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint

The pace is likely to be fierce as four or five of the runners have been on or close to the lead after the first quarter-mile in the majority of their recent starts, including R Disaster and Kerry’s Kiss, drawn four and eight respectively, who are most likely to duel for the early lead. Explora too likes to be close to the lead, but may end up three or four wide from her outside stall, while Ways And Means should have a smoother time of it towards the inside.

17.10 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, Grade One, 7f

The Saturday card kicks off with a sprint that isn’t, by European standards at least, as seven furlongs is past the point where a horse can simply go flat out from the start (a bit like the 400m in athletics, when compared to the 100m or 200m). And it is perhaps no co-incidence that wire-to-wire winners are a rarity.

Nor is there a standout trial event that regularly highlights the winner, although Goodnight Olive took in the Ballerina Handicap at Saratoga before her wins in 2022 and 2023. Ways And Means, the morning-line favourite, was the winner of that contest this year, by nearly six lengths, and is expected to go off favourite today.

She breezed past R Disaster, a rival again today, at the top of the stretch and it is difficult to see Saffie Joseph’s mare reversing the form.

The second-favourite, meanwhile, is the three-year-old Explora, from the Bob Baffert stable. She was beaten at odds-on last time out, but had earlier taken the Grade One Test Stakes at Saratoga, over the same seven-furlong trip as the Ballerina, by five lengths.

Another leading contender to consider is Sweet Azteca, a six-year-old who is unbeaten in four starts this year since a stable-switch to join Richard Baltas. Her latest win, in a Grade Three at Del Mar, still leaves her with something to find to trouble the favourite, though.

Ways And Means is short enough in the betting but I can see her getting a better trip through the race than Explora, who is drawn in stall 11 and could end up three or four wide.

Welcome to the Guardian’s liveblog coverage of the main card at the 2026 Breeders’ Cup in Kentucky, where a strong team from Europe will be bidding for a first-ever clean sweep of the Cup’s turf events and, at the climax of the card, all eyes will be on the Japanese superstar, Forever Young, as he bids to become only the second horse in Breeders’ Cup history to win a second Classic.

Yesterday’s three turf events for juveniles were a complete rout for the visitors, who had the first seven home in both the Juvenile Turf Sprint and the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and the 1-2-3 in the Juvenile Turf. The European team also have the favourites for three of today’s four turf races, with the only exception being the Turf Sprint at 17.48, where Wesley Ward’s Bacio is nudging even-money to follow up his wins at Royal Ascot and York earlier in the season.

The highlight of the card for European fans is surely the Turf at 21.36, where a host of the continent’s best middle-distance horses will chase a share of the $5m purse, but Notable Speech is a huge runner too in the Mile (20.20) and the latest face-off between Blue Bolt and Precise in the Filly & Mare Turf (19.04) also promises to be something to savour.

It was an evening for the form horses yesterday, which is probably why I somehow managed to find four of the five winners. That, of course, all-but guarantees a complete blank today, but my picks for the nine races are here just in case, and we will be underway on one of the great racing rollercoasters with the Filly & Mare Sprint at 17.10.