Breeders' Cup: Danner gets her 2nd shot with Ground Support
Assuming all goes well, Kelsey Danner is headed to the Breeders’ Cup for the second time in her career.
This time, it’s with Ground Support, the 12-1 winner of Saturday’s Grade 2 Miss Grillo at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet. The Army Mule filly improved her record to 2-for-2 and earned a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
With Adam Beschizza riding, Ground Support led at every call to win the 1 1/16-mile turf route by two lengths over the favored Deep Learning, trained by Chad Brown.
“She's a nice filly,” Danner said. “Obviously 2-for-2. Just did everything right thus far.”
Ground Support was an $80,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale in May and is owned by NBS Stable. With Saturday’s victory, she has earned $164,000.
Danner said the filly “can get a little high-strung here and there. She was a little bad in the gates over there at Belmont. But she's pretty straightforward, really. Likes her job, likes to train.”
Ground Support trains at Danner’s Turfway Park base, where she shifted most of her operation early this year from Florida. Danner finished second in the training standings behind Mike Maker at the Northern Kentucky track’s winter-spring meet.
“It’s been a good move,” she said. “Turfway has a good, consistent surface.”
Danner’s first trip to the Breeders’ Cup was with Shards, who was fifth in the Juvenile Turf Sprint in 2023.
Danner also trains Baby Max, who was on the Kentucky Derby 2025 trail until he tore a tendon after being stepped on in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3). Before that, the Maximux Mischief colt won the Leonatus Stakes and was second by a half-length in the John Battaglia, both at Turfway.
He had a few spring workouts after that, then had the summer off before returning to training Sept. 10 with a three-furlong work at Turfway followed by a half-mile last Tuesday.
Danner said he could return to racing in December.
“He should be fine to come back at the same quality as he was last year,” she said. “He's bigger, stronger this year. He looks good.”