Citizen Bull gives Baffert a record sixth Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) win

Bob Baffert clinched his record sixth victory in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile (G1) Friday at Del Mar with Citizen Bull’s thrilling win over stablemate Gaming in the 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds.

Citizen Bull took the fight to his nine foes immediately from the start, winning a scramble for the lead to get the first quarter-mile in :23.44. He relaxed nicely on the backstretch through a half-mile in :47.89. After another measured quarter-mile, Citizen Bull turned for home with a one-length lead that he would never relinquish. He edged clear of Gaming to win by 1 ½-lengths in 1:43.07 on a fast track. Baffert’s third runner in the race was nosed out for third to just miss giving the trainer the trifecta.

“I told all my riders, your plan is to win the race,” Baffert said. “So, they rode their horses the way they thought. Getaway Car, he has speed. We know Citizen Bull is very quick, very fast. Gaming, I don’t think he got away as good as he could have. I was surprised to see him laying second. And I figured they weren’t going too fast because Gaming, he was wanting to go.”

But in order to win these races, you need a good horse. And you have to have the right trip, the right luck. I wish they could dead-heat–one, two, three–but it didn’t happen.”

Owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables LLC, D Bashor, Determined Stables, R Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC & Catherine Donovan, Citizen Bull is now 3-0-1 in four starts and has earned $1,301,000 following the $1.04 million payday.

Bred by Robert and Lawana Low, Citizen Bull sold to his owners for $675,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling sale.