Russell Aiming to Become Seventh Female Trainer with BC Win

LAUREL, MD – Hillwood Stable’s Maryland-bred multiple graded-stakes winner Post Time, trained by Laurel Park-based Brittany Russell, was among 14 horses and five also-eligibles pre-entered in the $1 million Dirt Mile (G1) when fields were announced Wednesday for the 41st Breeders’ Cup World Championships Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar.

A total of 212 horses were pre-entered for 12 Breeders’ Cup races worth more than $34 million in purses including the 4-year-old Post Time, Maryland’s 2022 champion juvenile that represents the first Breeders’ Cup starter for Russell and her husband, champion jockey Sheldon Russell, as well as octogenarian owner Ellen Charles of Hillwood.

Post Time, who left Maryland for Southern California Wednesday, enters the Dirt Mile off a commanding 11 ½-length victory in Laurel’s one-mile Polynesian Sept. 14. Less than $3,000 away from $1 million in career earnings, he has never been worse than third in 13 races with nine wins, six in stakes, including the Feb. 17 General George (G3) at Laurel and Aqueduct’s April 6 Carter (G2).

Among other Dirt Mile pre-entrants are Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners National Treasure and Three Technique. National Treasure won the 2023 Preakness (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, at historic Pimlico Race Course and beat Post Time in the June 8 Met Mile (G1) at Saratoga. In their rematch, Post Time finished ahead of National Treasure when third in the Aug. 3 Whitney (G1).

In the Whitney Post Time also defeated seven-time graded-stakes winning millionaire and Dirt Mile pre-entrant Skippylongstocking, third in last year’s Dirt Mile who was cross-entered in the $7 million Classic (G1). Seize the Grey, winner of the 149th Preakness May 18, is also pre-entered in the Dirt Mile.

Brittany Russell, 35, made history as the first woman to lead Maryland’s annual trainer standings by wins in 2023 with 118, ending Claudio Gonzalez’s six-year reign. She is also the first woman to win multiple individual meet titles in Maryland with four at Pimlico and three at Laurel, where she tops the current calendar year-ending fall stand which began Sept. 7 with 23 wins.

Russell is again leading the overall Maryland standings with 82 wins, eight more than Jamie Ness. She owns six career graded-stakes victories including Doppleganger in the 2023 Carter (G1). Sheldon Russell has yet to find Grade 1 success but has been aboard Post Time for 10 straight starts, six of them wins. To date, Charles’ best horse has been retired Grade 3-winning millionaire gelding Cordmaker.

No female trainer has won the Dirt Mile, which was added to the Breeders’ Cup lineup in 2007. Six women trainers have won Breeders’ Cup races starting with Jenine Sahadi and Lit de Justice in the 1996 Sprint (G1) and including Kathy Ritvo and Mucho Macho Man in the 2013 Classic. The most recent was Maria Borell with Runhappy in the 2015 Sprint.

The Dirt Mile is the last Breeders’ Cup race to be run, carded as Race 12 Nov. 2 with a post time of 8:25 p.m. EST.

Fair Hill, Md.-based trainer Graham Motion pre-entered horses in three Breeders’ Cup races – South African-breds Beach Bomb in the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf (G1) and Isivunguvungu in the $1 million Turf Sprint (G1) as well as Correto in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

Beach Bomb earned automatic entry to the Breeders’ Cup with her victory in the Jan. 6 Cartier Paddock (G1) at Kenilworth and is twice stakes-placed since coming to North America, most recently in the Oct. 5 Rodeo Drive (G2) at Santa Anita. Fellow South African multiple Group 1 winner Isivunguvungu won his only U.S. start, the 5 ½-furlong Da Hoss, Sept. 7 at Colonial Downs. Correto, third in the Oct. 6 Miss Grillo (G2) after scratching from Laurel’s Sept. 28 Selima when it was rained off the turf, is second on the also-eligible list.

Trainer Mike Trombetta, with strings at Laurel and Fair Hill, pre-entered Arzak in the Turf Sprint. Winner of the Shakertown (G2) in April and most recently third in the Oct. 5 Woodford (G2), both at Keeneland, he ran sixth by two lengths in last year’s Turf Sprint.

Miss New York, trained by Jorge Delgado, was pre-entered in the $2 million Distaff (G1). The 4-year-old filly has won two straight races, both at Laurel – a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance Aug. 17 and the one-mile Twixt Sept. 22 by a combined 4 ¾ lengths, neither as the favorite. Also pre-entered in the Distaff was Musical Mischief, runner up in the May 17 Allaire du Pont at Pimlico.

Other pre-entered horses with Maryland connections include Straight No Chaser and Nakatomi, respectively first and third in the 2023 Maryland Sprint (G3) at Pimlico, in the $2 million Sprint (G1); Classic also-eligibles Pyrenees and Rattle N Roll, the past two winners of the historic Pimlico Special (G3); and Sabertooth, bred in Maryland by 2500 Determined Stud, in the $1 million Juvenile Turf (G1).