Breeders' Cup winner Nobals goes for Woodbine repeat

Breeders’ Cup winner and defending champion Nobals will face five rivals in the Grade 2, US$124,661 Kennedy Road Stakes for 3-year-olds and up on Saturday at Woodbine. 

A 6-year-old son of Noble Mission out of the Empire Maker mare Pearly Blue, Nobals, the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner, arrives at the six-furlong main track test off a narrow runner-up defeat in the Nearctic Stakes (G2) at the Toronto oval.

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After being bumped at the start, the Larry Rivelli trainee rallied stoutly down the lane to miss by a neck for all the spoils in the six-furlong test over the inner turf on October 4.

“It was another big effort from him,” said Rivelli, who recently reached the 2,000-win plateau. “He’s just an incredible horse, who shows up every time and gives it every single thing he’s got.

“He can run on turf and synthetic, which is nice to have in a horse.” 

Other notable victories for Nobals include the 2021 Arlington-Washington Futurity at Arlington in just his second start and the 2023 Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2) at Churchill Downs.

Nobals is also no stranger to success at Woodbine, winning the 2022 Woodstock Stakes, at 6 1/2 furlongs on the inner track, by 2 3/4 lengths.

The final time of 1:07.63 remains a track record.

“That was awesome,” said Rivelli. “That might have been even better than the Breeders’ Cup, to tell you the truth. Winning the Breeders’ Cup was really cool, but in the Woodstock, it felt like he was going a thousand miles an hour the whole race.”

Owned by Patricia’s Hope, the bay gelding is 29: 12-6-1 with by US$1,842,240 in purse earnings.

Bred in Kentucky by Dr. John A. Chandler, Nobals was a US$3,500 purchase at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton fall yearling sale.

For Rivelli, he remains the gift that keeps on giving.

“No kidding. He is obviously a great horse. He won the Futurity in his second start and then won a couple of stakes (Animal Kingdom and Turfway Prevue) at Turfway in 2022. I think we knew we had something special when he won the Twin Spires Turf Sprint, for $500,000, at 38-1 two years ago. He went to the lead and never looked back – that was when we realized this horse could pretty much do anything. 

“He has never been the type the sweat the small stuff. He’s been to so many racetracks and he handles everything like a pro.”

Rafael Hernandez, Woodbine’s leading rider, will be in the irons on Saturday.