BB Juvenile Filly Turf – 14 Clash for Glory
Preview – Breeders’ Bowl Filly Juvy Turf
Once again, a rich $1,000,000 purse draws a full field of 14 juvenile fillies, and despite the brevity of their careers (the “veteran” in the group, Dirty Denman, has made eight starts), no less than nine of them are already graded stakes winners, and many are undefeated routing. Frankel, who has been in high demand all year, shows why he is so popular: four of the fillies are sired by him. The remaining ten fillies are sired by ten different sires. As usual, the California sunshine means that the turf course is rated firm. It is an interesting mix of frontrunners and fillies who make one big move in the stretch. The oddsmakers threw up their hands and rated three fillies co-favorites at 7/1; the outsider is a mere 24-1, which should result in some pricey returns, if you can figure out the correct order. Presenting in post position order, this year’s hopefuls:
1. Speak No Lies, (Cape Cross x Sadler’s Wells)
Lenny is always a presence come BB time, and this year is no exception. The mahogany hued miss has been brought along conservatively, winning her first three races before tackling stakes competition. The daughter of Cape Cross has raced twice at a mile, first in an allowance where she posted an 88 SF, and then in the Natalie-G3, where she posted a 93 SF. In a field full of fillies that like to run on the lead or from the back of the pack, this miss tends to run mid-pack, which may serve her well from a tactical perspective. 10/1 on an unbeaten filly is hard to pass.
2. Lawless Insomniac (Lawman x Shamardal)
By up and coming sleeper sire Lawman, this curious bay miss doesn’t miss a beat on the track. A winner of three of her four career starts, she is content to dawdle at the back of the pack before making a big sweeping move around the field. The winona trainee fell just short in the Calvados-G3 at 7 panels, gobbling up ground down the stretch as she moved from ninth to third. In her latest start, she contested the Jessamine S-G3, and was just a hair closer to the pace. Insomniac dazzled in the stretch as she pulled away to win by 2 1/4 lengths with a 95 SF. The main question is whether the cutback to a flat mile will hurt – she’s got a solid shot here, and is one to watch when the distances get longer.
3. Pivotal Dream (Oasis Dream x Pivotal)
It is somewhat surprising that one of the favorites in the race is a filly who has yet to win a stakes, but that shouldn’t be read to knock this filly. Bred and trained by ticketman3, the chocolate-hued bay has done little wrong in four starts. She won her first two efforts, then made an attention grabbing move in the More Glare S-G1, going from 10th to third behind O for Frankel, with an 88 SF. She was then stretched out to 1 1/16 miles in the Jessamine S-G3, where she dueled with another filly most of the way before Lawless Insomniac passed them both in the stretch, with Pivotal Dream a best of the rest second. The effort garnered her a career best 92 SF. The distance is not a problem, and lightly raced filly is eligible to improve, just not a ton of value.
4. Asteroid My Way (Frankel x Giant’s Causeway)
Thierry has a royally bred and talented juvenile in Asteroid My Way. She turned heads in her second start, which she won with an 85 SF, so the remainder of the summer must have been very disappointing, as she proceeded to finish off the board in two graded stakes. Undaunted, her connections decided to try her at a mile, since she liked to come from a little off the pace, and her pedigree indicates a miler or router, and they were not disappointed. After racing towards the back of the pack in the early going, she made up almost nine lengths to win the Animale-G3, good enough to earn a 92 SF. Will be another one flying late.
5. Frankiedon’thurtme (Frankel x Unbridled’s Song)
Bred and campaigned by the ever colorful Lord Pye, this is the first, and to date, only Frankel bred by him. This filly is the second foal out of Contango, who showed little on turf on the track – she was better suited to the main track – but had a high turn of foot. After disappointing her trainer in her first two starts and causing him to question using Frankel, Frankie broke her maiden in her second turf try and has continued to improve. Her only loss since her maiden score was a listed stakes at 5 furlongs, which Pye concedes was too short for her. Stretched out to a mile and given a class test in the Filly Grand Prix, Pye admitted that it was a “complete shot in the dark,” but “he knew I had a well-bred filly who had shown promise and should be able to improve going a mile.” It paid off. Even though Frankie was dismissed at nearly 11/1, she battled with Yacireta throughout before pulling away in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths with a solid 92 SF. As the only G1 winner at a mile, it is somewhat surprising to see her dismissed at 14/1, but she is sharp, and ready to bring home a second G1, again at a price. Ignore at your peril
6. Super Slayer (Sea the Stars x Giant’s Causeway)
Super Slayer has done little wrong in four starts for pukki. By Sea the Stars, who is one of the best sires in the game, out of a well bred mare, this light bay filly has hit the ground running, and is one length away from being unbeaten. After working her way through her first two conditions, this deep closer finally was able to run a mile, and handled both the distance and the jump in class with ease, closing with a furious rush from 11th to first, and posting a 92 SF in the process. Still has lots of room to improve and an honest pace to run at.
7. Equine Royalty (Frankel x Kingmambo)
Futurestar’s homebred filly is aptly named, by the blazing hot freshman sire Frankel out of one of the best broodmares in the game (how good? Good enough to earn her way into the Hall of Fame) Dangerous Reward. On the track, she won $2.5 million and was a grade 1 winner. Dangerous Reward started in three BB Distaffs, but was never able to pull off the win. As a broodmare, she produced Title Defense, earner of more than $15.6 million and winner of the Breeders’ Bowl Turf-G1, Moldavia, who earned her way into the Bluegrass Derby-G1 by beating the boys in the Wooden Indian-G1, Army Ranger, who won a G2 sprinting, and four other stakes winners. Title Defense has been described by Dixiedotco (aka futurestar) as “easily my best horse ever.” Equine Royalty kicked off her career with a win, then followed that up with an N2x, each time looking like she would want more ground. After closing for third in the Lowdown-G2, over six panels, the distances finally increased, and so the reddish filly with black points took on the colts in the Pricey Courage Stakes, where she emerged the determined winner, posting a 90 SF in the process. That race was at 1 1/16 miles, but with an honest pace, this filly will be closing furiously in the stretch, attempting to stake her claim to stardom. Offers a solid 10/1 to her backers.
8. O For Frankel (Frankel x Sea the Stars)
This lgbost5b homebred has improved with every start, and remains undefeated in three starts. She has made every step a winning one in each of her races, and has won under a hand ride, never being asked for her best. After clearing a maiden and an allowance, she then tackled the More Glare S-G1, and while her margin of victory was closer than usual, she still posted a 90 SF in the process. Beautiful cherry bay filly has top jock Fred Gossett, who is normally based here, in the irons. Only knock against her is she has yet to tackle a mile, and it may be harder for her to carry that natural speed the extra furlong, but everything about her pedigree indicates a mile should be right up her alley. Offers some value at 10/1.
9. Goumada (Giant’s Causeway x Montjeu)
The lightly raced miss had made a splash on the racing scene. In only two starts, the strikerich miss has done nothing wrong. After a smart victory in a maiden event, at Saturday’s distance, she stepped up to G3 company in the Miss Brillo, and after challenging the leaders, drew off to a 1 1/4 length win, with a solid 92 SF. Her “dam”, Blakely, won almost $2 million on the track, including the Champion S-G1 at 10 furlongs. Should do well as the distances get longer, but showed enough spark in her debut that a win would be no surprise. The punters agree, having set her odds at 7/1.
10. Dirty Denman (Denman x Octagonal)
In a field full of royally bred Frankels, Galileos, Giant’s Causeways, etc., Denman is not exactly a household name. But, hewett2’s filly by that stallion has earned herself a berth in the starting gate, along with all of the bluer bloods. She won a listed stakes at 6 furlongs, but punched her ticked by finishing third in the Filly Grand Prix-G1 (89 SF) in her routing debut. Longest shot in the field at 24/1, but her routing effort is comparable to many in the race, so it would not be a surprise to see her pull off the upset. After all, her connections, under the name manofladstable, have already won this race once with Miss Timoshenko, who went on to be Horse of this Year.
11. Habanero Amsterdam (Rip Van Winkle x Distorted Humor)
If this was a sprint, I would absolutely adore this filly’s chances. Her dam, Me Me and More Me, was a brilliant sprinter, and two-time G1 winner, earning just over $1 million on the track. As a broodmare, she has produced Tale To Tell, who won a G3 at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt, Distorted Me, who is a stakes winner and graded stakes place sprinting on the lawn, and A Bit of All Right, who won several stakes sprinting on the grass. Habanero may be the best of the lot, having already captured the Chevel-G1 at six panels with an 88 SF. The bay filly with the crooked blaze runs on or near the lead, but doesn’t have to have the lead in order to win. Stretches out to a mile, so it’s a bit of a gamble by atchafalay, but really, there’s no downside – there’s more money if she can get a mile, and if she can’t, this filly has already established herself as a top sprinter. Offers a little bit of value at 11/1 if you guess right and she can go a mile.
12. Who Watches (Galileo x Kingmambo)
I got a chance to speak with spinround, who is co-owner of Who Watches with mjbfarms. The filly’s intriguing name comes from an episode of Star Trek the Next Generation titled Who Watches the Watchers. Interestingly enough, this filly’s dam, Scatterlings, did her best running on the dirt, and her half-brother, Aubergine (by Montjeu), has run well on both surfaces, but this filly has been strictly turf for eminc6 It was the success with Montjeu that caused the partnership to send Scatterlings back to Galileo (and Galileo has been gold for the partnership this year – all three BB entrants for eminc are by that stallion). The decision to run Who Watches on the turf was a good choice, as the elegant bay, after scoring in a hot maiden, came back to capture the aptly named Blazing Saddles – BC Juvenile or Die Trying Stakes. She’s made it to the entry gate, the question is whether the daughter of Galileo can pull of the second part of the challenge. After struggling a little over the summer, Who Watches returned to form in the Spring Hill S-G2, her first try at a mile. She battled throughout the race, trading blows for the lead, when Super Slayer rallied from the far back to win. Who Watches’ dueling partner faded to 6th, but Who Watches stayed on, a game second with a 90 SF. Her best running has been on or near the lead, so the pace scenario may not suit, but has the potential to make eminc6’s dreams of glory a reality.
13. Yacireta (Capo Blanco x Medicean)
Pato3 has already experienced some success with this filly’s siblings. While her dam, Fantastic Family, did little on the track, but has already produced Pachamama, who is a G3 winner at 1 mile on the turf, and another filly who has won stakes routing on both turf and dirt. It took the leggy filly three tries to break her maiden, but she appears to be improving with every start, and in her last out, was a stubborn second to Frankiedon’thurtme in the Filly Grand Prix-G1, yielding the lead in only the last 100 yards. Fits in well with these at a price – 18/1. Gets Ledwith in the irons, which is always a plus
14. Rea Silva (Daiwa Major x Nijinsky)
This fawn-hued filly has the grace of a deer, and since she stretched out to a mile, has shown the fleetness of foot to match. The brabant homebred won an allowance with a 90 SF, then wheeled back a little over three weeks later to score a 1 1/2 length win in the Dormello-G3, this time with a 97 SF, the best in the field. A return to that effort makes her the one to beat. Co-favored at 7/1.
Good luck to all of the fillies and their connections!