BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 31, 2026

Juan Hernandez

Wesley Ward

Caitlin Ward

Bacio

Keeneland Race Course

Turf Sprint

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started. Congratulations, connections of Bacio, winner of the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

I'll start with you, Juan Hernandez. Congratulations. I know you have a flight to catch, so we'll get going here. First Breeders' Cup win and a horse that has taken you around the world, literally. Just take us through the race but also finally getting that elusive Breeders' Cup championship win.

JUAN HERNANDEZ: Sure. First I want to just say thanks to Wesley and all the owners for letting me ride this beautiful horse. Yeah, I only started riding him back in California and then my agent told me that he was a really good horse. Actually Wesley and Blake tell me, hey, stay with this horse because it's a really good horse. Maybe you can win a Breeders' Cup for him.

So far he's doing great. I'm glad they told me that because we stayed with this horse. And coming with this race, you know, he was all fire on the post, but I feel he was ready to break out of the gate.

I know there was some speed horses from inside and outside, so I was kind of a little -- I was planning to play the break. But the second jump my horse was in front already, and after that he was trying to go a little faster than that, but I was saving the horse for the last part.

And then on the backside he see the outside horse that he was pressing me a little bit, and then he was trying to go faster. But like I say, good thing I got him and he came back to me.

And like I said, I was saving the horse for the last part. Turning for home, I pass the quarter pole, he switched leads and he take off again and never catch him. You saw how good he is.

THE MODERATOR: You've had six Breeders' Cup seconds and now finally a big win on this horse who has just taken you across the pond, around the world to do so well. Just let us know how you're feeling about him breaking through.

JUAN HERNANDEZ: I'm feeling really happy. I'm feeling really grateful with all the people. Yeah, I was finishing like a lot of seconds. I was close like three times. It could be like literally for a nose.

But I'm glad today I get today, I get the break the maid in the Breeders' Cup, and hopefully this one is just one of many more. I'm going to keep working hard every day and try to improve my skills riding, and hopefully next year I can get maybe a couple.

I don't know, but just going to keep working. Like I say, I feel really happy and really excited to win this big race today.

Q. Wesley, this is your home track. You literally walk across the street here. To win with Bacio, to win here at Keeneland, a place that's home to you, but also this horse and some firsts here and taking you, as you do, around the world with him, and only a three-year-old in this race.

WESLEY WARD: Yeah, this was a special horse. There was a lot to the whole story behind him, to me getting him, and then once he started winning me keeping him. He was a sought after horse. A lot of people were coming in. My daughter-in-law brought me one of the greatest gifts ever, my grandson, Killian, and she put an ownership group together with MyRacehorse in order to keep him here in our stable.

It's so nice to have thousands of owners in this horse and win the Breeders' Cup to where it just spreads, to where it's going to really help our sport. MyRacehorse is fantastic to where we have so many owners now and they have so many friends that watch this race to where we need all the help we can get in our sport, and I think this is a big boost for it.

THE MODERATOR: Some of the owners involved were the breeders of Bacio, as well, so how important to win with a horse they bred and stay involved with the ownership. So Caitlin Ward, you're representing MyRacehorse, one of the main owners of this course. Kind of how you put together the ownership group - we all know about the micro shares of MyRacehorse - but helping the breeders involved as well.

CAITLIN WARD: Well, really that's all credit to them, Torie and Jimbo Gladwell, who are one of the breeders in Bacio. When he was second in the Win and You're In last year at San Anita there was a private offer that came across the table and they really couldn't refuse it, but they gave us the first chance to match it because they didn't want to move the horse off of Wesley because that was part of the deal of the private sale.

Working for MyRacehorse, I called my boss immediately. Wesley told me this horse was just fantastic and he was going to keep getting her better and better with time. Pitched it to my boss. We were in the market for a horse of racing age. We needed some instant action. We had a lot of young horses on the platform, and this horse was -- he fit the bill, and we thought he would run Breeders' Cup weekend either in the Breeders' Cup last year or on the undercard.

Regardless we were going to have a horse going with a lot of people around.

Yeah, huge shout out to the Gladwells because without them at least giving us the opportunity to put a deal together and them stay in, we might not have been in the winner's circle with him today.

Q. Wesley, everywhere you looked on paper it looked like there was speed. Were you confident that he could outbreak everybody?

WESLEY WARD: You know, he's not a big horse. He's very quick and agile like a cat. I thought the first jump, he if he came out of there -- a lot of times in 14-horse fields and sprints the horses that are going into the gate, they can be a little apprehensive. So you're standing in there a long time, especially when we were in the 3 position there in the 3 hole. He was standing there a long time, so you just really don't know.

But he really stood well and won. A lot of different jockeys, they have certain talents, and he's one that can get him out of there and get him going.

In California everything is predominantly speed, and that's the reason why Juan is Bob Baffert's number one jockey, is because his talent, and especially coming out of the gate, as Bob's horses are mostly up in front.

I was a little worried the first quarter of a mile going into the race, but when we got off clean and we were off and the 14 horse was right beside Juan and some of the other fast ones weren't there, I was feeling really, really good.

A question of mine was just if he was going to get a hold of the track the last part because his first looks back from being over in York, he will wasn't getting ahold of it. He was real kicking up the ground, so I was a little worried.

I didn't really celebrate until one jump before the wire. Then I was really happy, and Juan rode a great race and here we go. And we have a big plan to go down to Australia in February, February 13, Black Caviar Lightning. I've never been to Australia, but I'm going to bring the whole family down, both my sons and my daughter and my daughter-in-law and my grandson, so I'm really looking forward to that. He's going into quarantine this evening.

Q. I know there's been Lady Aurelia, Golden Pal, et cetera, et cetera, but this guy has got speed to burn.

WESLEY WARD: He's very, very fast, and he's won the Breeders' Cup and he's won the Nunthorpe in York that my others haven't. Hopefully we can conquer something that I never have in one of the biggest sprint races in Australia, so we'll see what happens.

Q. Will we see him back here again?

WESLEY WARD: That will be the plan.

Q. Was there any moment at the hedge?

JUAN HERNANDEZ: Yeah, I think we saw the bushes over there turning for home. He switched leads and he really took off. When I asked him I felt like he gave me a couple good jumps. But I think he saw the bushes and he kind of surprised me because I only have one hand in my reins and I was showing him the way so he kind of got spooked a little bit.

So I kind of lost my balance for a second, but good thing he came back again and then I just went back to the saddle and he took off again.

You just keep going. He's a really nice horse. He just got spooked. I don't know if he saw something. First time running here, so he might have saw something different. But good thing here we recovered really well and just keep going.