Wilson Racing has struck gold with a $150,000 claim that finished a surprising second in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar on October 31.
Mr. A. P., a son of American Pharoah, was claimed by trainer Vladimir Cerin on behalf of owners David and Holly Wilson from BG Stables and Royalty Stable in the ridgling’s 5 1/2-furlong debut earlier this summer.
“David Wilson picked the horse out, all I did is approve him,” Cerin said. “You could see all the videos online of his workouts and he looked good to me. But I didn’t expect this good.”
The claim came about during a casual conversation between Cerin and Wilson.
“I told him that someone asked me to claim a horse for $150,000, but I really didn’t like the horse,” Cerin explained. “And he said, ‘Well, I like a different horse in that same race. Why don’t we take him?'”
This successful claiming strategy isn’t new for the Cerin-Wilson partnership. Both Early Pioneer and Designed for Luck — each claimed for $62,500 — went on to capture Grade I victories in the Wilson’s orange-and-white silks. Early Pioneer won the 2000 GI Hollywood Gold Cup while Designed for Luck took the 2004 GI Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup Mile S.
Mr. A. P. followed his debut second as the even-money favorite with another runner-up finish in a maiden special weight at Del Mar on August 31. The ridgling then successfully stretched to two turns with a narrow maiden victory going a mile at Santa Anita on October 13.
In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Mr. A. P. outran his 20-1 odds, finishing within a length of soon-to-be-crowned champion and TDN Rising Star Ted Noffey (Into Mischief). The performance earned Mr. A. P. a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure.
“When Ted Noffey put Baffert’s horse away, I think if we had gone even farther, I don’t know if we would’ve caught him,” Cerin said. “But who’s gonna complain about being second with a claiming horse?”
Bred in Kentucky by Pollock Farms, Mr. A. P. RNA’d for $47,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall yearling. His dam Trenchtown Cat (Discreet Cat), a multiple stakes winner and Grade 3-placed mare, brought $500,000 from Reverie Farm while in foal to McKinzie earlier this month at Fasig-Tipton November.
The ridgling has remained in light training at Santa Anita, where he is expected to launch his sophomore campaign in 2026.
“We’re just training very very lightly—tack walking, jogging,” Cerin said. “There are many options, and I’d like to leave him in Southern California. Just gonna let him dictate when he’s ready to run.”
The Southern California Road to the GI Kentucky Derby includes several potential targets: the GII San Vicente S. (7f) on January 10; the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. (1m) on February 7; the GII San Felipe S. (1 1/16m) on March 7; and the GI Santa Anita Derby (1 1/8m) on April 4.
Cerin, who has maintained a successful training operation for decades, seems content to take a patient approach with his new stable star.
“I’m 71, I’m not in a hurry to go anywhere,” he concluded.
Victory belongs to Ted Noffey in the prestigious $2 Million @FanDuel #BreedersCup Juvenile, presented by @TBAftercare. 👏 #BC25 pic.twitter.com/hQ6PBwggzQ
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup)
Victory belongs to Ted Noffey in the prestigious $2 Million October 31, 2025
