Trainer Jauregui heads to 1st Breeders' Cup with Dreamfyre

If all goes well until Nov. 3, veteran Northern California-based trainer O.J. Jauregui will have his first starter in the Breeders’ Cup.

Set to provide the career achievement for Jauregui is Dreamfyre, a front-running winner of Sunday’s Grade 3 Surfer Girl for 2-year-olds going a mile on turf at Santa Anita. Stewards reviewed the stretch drive after Dreamfyre and runner-up Buttercream Babe bumped near the finish line, but no change was made to the order of finish.

Jauregui, a veteran trainer who has spent a lifetime in racing, was back at his base at Golden Gate Fields Monday morning. He said all appeared well with Dreamfyre after her victory by a neck as the 9-5 favorite.

“My groom said she was doing great. Everything seems good,” Jauregui said.

Dreamfyre, ridden by Hector Berrios on Sunday, now will be pointed to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf going a mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 3.

“It’s so exciting,” Jauregui said of the Breeders’ Cup. “It’s a dream come true.”

A daughter of Flameaway, Dreamfyre will enter the Breeders’ Cup with a 3-for-3 record. Before the Surfer Girl, Dreamfyre won her first two starts sprinting on dirt. She won the 5 1/2-furlong Everett Nevin Stakes at Pleasanton on debut July 9 and returned to win the Sorrento (G3) going six furlongs when shipped to Del Mar Aug. 12.

Jauregui said he had considered three options for Dreamfyre after the Sorrento. She could either stay on dirt and stretch out to 1 1/16 miles in Saturday’s Chandelier (G2), stay sprinting but face males in Saturday’s Speakeasy at five furlongs on turf, or try the Zuma Beach.

“I was thinking she could get a mile but wasn’t really sure because she is so fast. That made the Chandelier going a bit farther kind of questionable at this point,” Jauregui said. “And I wasn’t worried about turf because of her pedigree. But the Speakeasy wasn’t graded. We decided to keep her with the fillies, try a mile on the grass and try at least to get a graded stakes placing. It worked out.”

According to Equibase statistics, Jauregui has won 376 races and banked $8,172,875 in purse earnings. The most wins he’s had in a season was 35 in 2013. His highest-earning season came in 2021 when his stable banked $770,692 with 27 wins from 158 starters.

Dreamfyre was purchased for $140,000 by owner Danny Eplin at this year’s OBS spring sale of 2-year-olds in training. She has earned $285,000 through her first three starts.

Jauregui said Dreamfyre likely will ship back to Golden Gate this week and then return to Santa Anita a week to 10 days ahead of the Breeders’ Cup.

“It’s the same thing we did for this race,” Jauregui said.