Splendora Opens the Breeders’ Cup with a Brilliant Victory in the Filly & Mare Sprint

Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, she swept past rivals at the top of the stretch, while the Chilean Richi finished fifth

Splendora, at the Peak of Her Powers / BREEDERS' CUP

By Diego H. Mitagstein (Special Correspondent for Turf Diario at Del Mar, California)

DEL MAR, California — The main day of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships opened with a dominant display from Splendora, who confirmed the promise she had shown over the summer on this same track and stamped her authority with a commanding victory in the GI Filly & Mare Sprint, the first of nine championship races on Saturday at Del Mar.

Racing in the colors of Talla Racing, the daughter of Audible proved unstoppable through the stretch, sweeping past her rivals with ease to win by 4 3/4 lengths over Vahva (Gun Runner), while stablemate Hope Road (Quality Road) finished another 1 1/4 lengths back in third.

Guided perfectly by Flavien Prat, Splendora stopped the clock in 1:21.79 for 1400 meters over a fast track, earning the first graded win of her career and giving Bob Baffert his 20th Breeders’ Cup victory, as well as his second in this same event. For Prat, it marked his eighth win at the Championships.

The race unfolded at a sharp tempo from the break, with Haulin Ice (Coal Front) setting early fractions of :22.12 for the opening quarter while Hope Road pressed from close range and the Chilean mare Richi (Practical Joke) tracked just behind. Turning for home, Prat swung Splendora to the outside, and once straightened for the drive, she unleashed a blistering burst of acceleration that sealed the outcome in a matter of strides.

“She loves this track and had been training beautifully,” said a jubilant Bob Baffert, celebrating a one-two finish. “I told Flavien to just wait on her a bit; once he tipped her out and she responded like that, I knew it was over. Hope Roadalso ran huge. Winning a Breeders’ Cup race is never easy—these results mean twice as much.”

Prat echoed the trainer’s confidence: “I was a little worried about the pace early after the scratches of Sweet Azteca(Sharp Azteca) and Tamara (Bolt d’Oro), but the tempo turned out perfect and she traveled so comfortably. When I got her in the clear, she felt powerful.”

Representing South America, Richi ran below expectations, racing prominently for much of the way before tiring in the final furlong to finish a distant fifth.

Bred in Maryland, Splendora is out of Miss Freeze (Frost Giant). With this victory, she added $520,000 to her bankroll, boosting her earnings to $860,800 with a record of 10 starts, 5 wins, and 4 placings, never having finished off the board.

With strength, consistency, and the full confidence of her connections, Splendora launched the 2025 Breeders’ Cup in style—reaffirming Bob Baffert’s dominance in sprint divisions and confirming, once again, that Del Mar remains his perfect stage.