Bass Racing's Seal Team wins Twilight Derby on Breeders' Cup weekend at Santa Anita

Fort Worth philanthropist Ramona Bass didn’t have an entry in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships but she still had reason to celebrate on thoroughbred horse racing’s biggest weekend.

A 3-year-old colt named Seal Team, bred and owned by Bass’ Kentucky-based thoroughbred breeding and racing operation, won the $250,000 Grade 2 Twilight Derby, a mile and an eighth turf race preceding Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup contests at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

Trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella and perfectly ridden by jockey Umberto Rispoli, Seal Team rallied from eighth place on the backstretch and outdueled two other horses to win by half a length while posting a time of 1:47.29.

Seal Team paid $16.60 for a $2 win bet. 

“I could see him get his head into the game at the half-mile pole and Umberto started looking for a place to go” Mandella told TV commentator Kenny Rice after the race. “It looked like he had horse and it turned out he did.”

Seal Team has earned $260,960 in five lifetime starts with three first-place finishes, one second and a third. Mandella told Daily Racing Form the colt’s next start will be Dec. 2 in  the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar.

Bass Stables LLC and Bass Racing LLC. are managed by Ramona and Lee Bass’s son, Perry Bass II.

Highlighting the Breeders’ Cup action on Saturday was betting favorite White Abarrio’s victory in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. The win capped trainer Rick Dutrow’s comeback following a 10-year suspension by New York officials for a history of medication violations.

Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., White Abarrio ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.87. Sent off as the 5-2 favorite, the gray colt paid $7.20 to win. The gray colt was moved to Dutrow’s barn by his owners after White Abarrio’s previous trainer had two horses die last spring. Dutrow previously won the Classic in 2005 with Saint Liam.

The 64-year-old trained Big Brown to victories in the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but the colt finished last in the Belmont to end his Triple Crown bid. Controversy found Dutrow when he admitted regularly giving anabolic steroids to Big Brown and other horses in his stable.

The emotional high point of Saturday’s races came in the $1 million Dirt Mile when Cody’s Wish rallied from last and survived a stewards’ inquiry to defend his championship in the race. Ridden by Junior Alvarado, Cody’s Wish ran the distance in 1:35.97. Sent off as the 4-5 favorite, the 5-year-old horse paid $3.60 to win.

The victory ensured a storybook ending for Cody’s Wish in his final race before retirement. He won 11 of 16 career starts, including eight in stakes races, and racked up over $3.1 million in earnings.

Waiting in the winner’s circle during the inquiry was Cody Dorman, a teenager who has a rare genetic disorder and uses a wheelchair. He and the horse first met during a Make-A-Wish visit to a Kentucky farm when Cody’s Wish was a foal in 2018. Cody’s Wish walked over to Dorman’s wheelchair and put his head in the boy’s lap, creating a touching bond.

“I think that horse probably saved Cody’s life in a lot of ways,” said Kelly Dorman, the boy’s father. “I know him and the horse have made a lot of lives better.”

The Dorman family was on hand last year when Cody’s Wish won the Dirt Mile by a head at Keeneland, and they joined Mott in celebrating again.

• Auguste Rodin, a leading 3-year-old from Europe, gave Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien a record seventh win in the $4 million Turf. Ryan Moore guided Auguste Rodin to a half-length victory. As the 5-2 favorite, Auguste Rodin paid $7 to win. He ran 1 1/2 miles in 2:24.30.
• Nobals won the $1 million Turf Sprint by a neck for trainer Larry Rivelli. Under Gerardo Corrales, Nobals paid $26 to win at 12-1 odds.
• Elite Power rallied down the center of the track to win the $2 million Sprint. Trained by Mott and ridden by Ortiz Jr., the 8-5 favorite paid $5.40 to win.
• Inspiral won by a neck in the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf under 52-year-old Frankie Dettori, who scrapped his retirement plans in favor of riding for another year in the U.S. Trained by John Gosden, Inspiral paid $7 to win as the 5-2 favorite.
• Goodnight Olive rallied three horses wide on the turn and drew off to a 2 3/4-length victory for a repeat win in the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint. Ridden by Ortiz Jr., she paid $4.20 to win as the even-money favorite for Brown.
• Master of the Seas stormed down the center of the turf course to beat Mawj by a nose in the $2 million Mile, giving owner Godolphin a 1-2 finish. The 5-year-old gelding ridden by William Buick and trained by Charlie Appleby paid $8.60 to win.
• Idiomatic posted a half-length victory in the $2 million Distaff under Florent Geroux. She paid $5.60 to win as the 9-5 favorite for trainer Brad Cox.