Every autumn, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile serves as the definitive proving ground for two-year-old Thoroughbreds.

Anchoring the celebrated Future Stars Friday, this 1 1/16-mile dirt race acts as the ultimate early preview for the following year’s Triple Crown trail.

Winning or even just running in the Juvenile has propelled numerous horses into legendary, Hall of Fame careers. But the sophomore glory and fame attained in this race is often fleeting, and one need to look no further than the Run for the Roses.

For decades, a statistical anomaly known as the Juvenile Curse suggested that winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile doomed a horse’s chances of wearing the roses on the first Saturday in May.

The fact is, only two horses in history have won both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Kentucky Derby:

STREET SENSE (2006 Juvenile, 2007 Derby): He became the first to break the jinx, dismantling the Juvenile field by 10 lengths before a spectacular rail-skimming victory under the Twin Spires the following spring.

NYQUIST (2015 Juvenile, 2016 Derby): Following in the footsteps of UNCLE MO in his undefeated two-year-old campaign of 2010, this undefeated Champion capped off his perfect two-year-old season with a Juvenile win and extended his unbeaten streak to capture the 2016 Kentucky Derby.

While only two winners have pulled off the double, participating in the Juvenile without winning it is a highly productive route for some horses. In fact, approximately one-quarter of all Juvenile starters successfully make it to the next year’s Kentucky Derby.

Notable examples include SPEND A BUCK, who finished 3rd in the inaugural 1984 Juvenile before conquering the 1985 Kentucky Derby, and ALYSHEBA, who ran in the 1986 Juvenile and came back to win the 1987 Derby.

More recently, 2017 Juvenile Champion GOOD MAGIC finished 2nd in the Derby but later sired 2023 Kentucky Derby winner MAGE.

Winning the Juvenile is often a ticket straight to the Eclipse Award—nearly 80% of BC Juvenile winners are crowned Champion Two-Year-Old Male.

Whether they find the Winner’s Circle or simply gain vital experience in the initial crucible of Championship racing, the colts that step into the starting gate for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile are the very horses that shape the future of the sport.