BC Dirt Mile Winner Full Serrano Heads Goodwood

The Goodwood Stakes (G1) has had its share of names since its beginnings in 1982, but since the Breeders’ Cup was inaugurated in 1984, it has been a major prep for the series.

The 1 1/8-mile grade 1 race, to be run at Santa Anita Park Sept. 27, sports a $300,000 purse and a Win & You’re In berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Five horses have won both races in the same year: Accelerate in 2018, Mucho Macho Man in 2013, Pleasantly Perfect in 2003, Tiznow in 2000, and Ferdinand in 1987.

Under a reciprocal arrangement between the Oak Tree Racing Association, which at the time conducted a non-profit meeting at Santa Anita in the fall, and Goodwood Racecourse in England, which created an Oak Tree Stakes, the race began as the Goodwood Handicap. Santa Anita ran it as the Awesome Again Stakes from 2012-23, as the California Crown Stakes last year, and now as the reinstated, original Goodwood.

The Goodwood has attracted seven, including 2024 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Full Serrano , three 3-year-olds from the Bob Baffert barn, and Brad Cox-trained First Mission , in from Churchill Downs.

Full Serrano missed the Goodwood (then the California Crown) last year due to a minor fever after running second in the 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar in only his second U.S. start. John Sadler, who trained Accelerate, trains the 6-year-old son of the Mizzen Mast sire Full Mast for Hronis Racing.

Following the Dirt Mile, Full Serrano was away from the races until a one-mile allowance/optional claiming race at Del Mar Sept. 1. He led throughout while ridden by Juan Hernandez for the first time to win by 7 1/4 lengths.

“He had an issue last fall, and he needed time off,” Sadler said. “So we gave him the time off and got him ready for Del Mar. But he wasn’t ready for the Classic down there—he wasn’t that far along. We got a nice conditioned allowance race, and he won easy. We’re really excited for Saturday in the Goodwood.”

Hernandez is set to ride Full Serrano again.

Gaming and Nevada Beach , two of the Baffert 3-year-olds, finished one-two in the June 8 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita. Since then, Gaming, winner of the 2024 Del Mar Futurity (G1) and second in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), ran third behind champion Citizen Bull and Smooth Cruisein in the three-horse Shared Belief Stakes Aug. 31 for 3-year-olds. Nevada Beach won the June 28 Los Alamitos Derby at 1 1/8 miles by 4 1/4 lengths.

Nevada Beach, a son of Omaha Beach , will be making only his fourth lifetime start in the Goodwood and first against older horses. Hernandez has ridden him in all three of his races, and Kyle Frey will take over this time.

Gaming, a son of Game Winner , will also face his elders for the first time in the Goodwood. Though he has never gone as far as nine furlongs, he won the 1 1/16-mile Affirmed by 1 3/4 lengths, leading throughout. Mike Smith will ride Gaming for the first time.

Baffert’s third entry is Privman , a son of Triple Crown winner Justify . Privman will be tackling stakes company and a distance beyond a mile for the first time. However, he has gone up against older runners in his last three outings, resulting in a second and two wins. Hernandez rode him in both of those victories, and the colt gets Antonio Fresu in the Goodwood.

Cox is sending out Godolphin homebred First Mission. The 5-year-old son of Street Sense has not competed on the West Coast, but he has four graded wins to his credit, including this year’s Oaklawn Handicap (G2). Since that race, he ran third in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) to Mindframe and Sierra Leone and second in the Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3). First Mission has the most earnings of the field, with a bankroll of $2,209,270.

Ultimate Gamble is the only Goodwood entrant to come out of the Pacific Classic. The 5-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro finished third to Fierceness and Journalism in what was his stakes debut. He is lightly raced, with only 10 starts for trainer Mark Glatt.