Big Race Recap BB Juvy Races
This Year the Fillies winners looked a bit better than the boys. It would be the Juvenile Filly Turf that would provide us with the closest finish of the day in the juvenile races. Young sires ruled the day with first crop sire Meisque’s Approval and second crop sires Afleet Alex and Motivator siring three of the four winners. The fog that can cloud end of year honors really was not cleared up much in most cases.
Race: 3385.0909 Breeders Bowl Juvenile – Grade I – $1,000,000
Track:
Restrictions: All horses, 2 years old
Distance: A mile and one sixteenth on the Dirt
Fleet Daisy pulled the mild upset in the Juvenile. In a race like this a horse like this can be a bit over looked. He was second in the World Cup event and prior to that had a third place finish in the grade one Horsehead Juvenile and a second before that in a grade two event. He was tested in top graded company although had not broken through. Today he changed all that closing from tenth to first taking the Breeders Bowl Juvenile.
In the early stages of the race Fleet Daisy was in near the back of the pack but he was not very far off the pace. He was less than seven lengths back when he started to make his move and had climbed into contention at the top of the stretch. From there he made a strong move catching them all in deep stretch to win by a length and a quarter.
Pyralis, trained by the sims most photographed trainer, made his route debut a successful one. Pyralis won the grade one Horsehead Juvenile which appears to have been one of the key prep races in the path to the Breeders Bowl this year. Kbsweet elected to keep him in sprints for the World Cup where Pyralis ran a good second in the sprint there. In his first route race he found himself in much the same position as he does in his sprints. He was mid pack but not too far back sitting three lengths off the early pace. He moved around the turn to get into third position heading into the stretch where he continued to gain ground on the fading pace setter. He just did not have enough in the tank to hold off Feet Daisy running a gutsy second.
Ghost in a Dancer rebounded from a bad effort at the World Cup to get third in the Breeders Bowl Juvenile. Ghost in a Dancer had been displaying a good late kick taking a pair of grade two races and a juvenile race at the Smackdown. Not sure why but in this race Ghost in a Dancer was closer to the pace than he usually finds himself. He was eighth in the early stages just three and a half lengths back. In previous races he is usually closer to the back and more like seven to ten lengths off the pace. He made steady progress toward the front around the turn and through the stretch. He would finish third a length and a half behind the winner.
Race: 3385.0908 Breeders Bowl Juvenile Filly – Grade I – $1,000,000
Track:
Restrictions: Fillies and mares, 2 years old
Distance: A mile and one sixteenth on the Dirt
Ten Year Storm scores a mild upset in the Juvenile Filly with longs shots hitting the board behind her. Say hello to the your most likely winner of Juvenile Filly of the year. Ten Year Storm has now won five of her six career starts. Her only loss was a second place finish in a grade two sprint. Since stretching out to routes she has really progressed well. She won the grade two Margarine Stakes in much the same fashion as she won here today.
Ten Year Storm dropped back in the early stages of the race and was tenth early but only six lengths off the pace. She made a nice move from the half mile pole to the top of the stretch going from tenth to fifth just a little over two lengths behind the leaders entering the stretch. From there she got in the clear and mowed them down. She was strong in the stretch going on to win by a length and three quarters in a slightly faster time than the boys.
Fifteen to one Dreamy Cat made a strong closing bid late in the race to get up for second. It took Dreamy Cat four tries to break her maiden. She would then go from maiden race to grade three where she showed dramatic and won. She would run third in a grade one sprint after that before running a bad race in the World Cup Sprint. This was her first route race and she rebounded well. Dreamy Cat was next to last in the early stages of the race but less than seven lengths off the pace. She rallied outside of horses on the turn getting to mid pack and only three and a half lengths off the pace. She would continue to rally through the stretch passing all but Ten Year Storm finishing second.
Twelve to one Stage Royale changed tactics for the Juvenile and finished third. She may have been better off going to the lead like she had done in her previous races. She had won a grade three and finished second in a grade two at a mile in the previous race. Rather than bounce out on the lead here she was just off the pace sitting fourth early two lengths off the pace. She made a big entering the stretch getting to the pace setters but she had no answer for Ten Year Storm. She would get caught late for second having to settle for third two and three quarter lengths behind the winner.
Race: 3385.0907 Breeders Bowl Juvenile Turf – Grade I – $750,000
Track:
Restrictions: All horses, 2 years old
Distance: A mile and one sixteenth on the Turf
Buck’s Party goes wire to wire to take the Juvenile Turf. He almost did the same thing at the World Cup Juvenile Turf where he just got caught late to lose by three quarters of a length. He got away from the gates in very good order and set a moderate pace getting lose by a length. He then increased that lead to two lengths entering the stretch and was never really under any pressure in the stretch. He would stay on strong to earn a length and a half victory in the Breeders Bowl Juvenile Turf.
Woette’s Slippery continued to improve with a good second place effort. This was his third start in a route race and he has hit the board in each one of those starts. He just missed in the grade three Flying Saucer prior to this race and backed that up with a good effort here. He stalked the pace here from fifth position however he was not too far back just a little over two lengths back. He moved forward at the half mile pole a bit and picked it up in the stretch but he did not have the kick necessary to catch the winner. He gain a bit of ground through the stretch finishing a length and a half behind the winner.
Kepler Tokyo was a runner that was making his route debut. He had been a good sprinter up to this point winning the World Cup Juvenile Sprint. His sire though won the Kentucky Derby so there he has the stamina. He stalked from third the entire race. He was less than two lengths back early, briefly was in second at the top of the stretch and stayed on to hold third two and a half lengths behind the winner.
I probably will not mention many fourth place finishers this week but Idol Worship made an eye catching move in the stretch. He was more than ten lengths off the early pace and still nine lengths back at the top of the stretch however he closed to be just two and three quarter lengths behind the winner. Moving forward he might be a runner to keep your eye on as the distances get longer.
Race: 3385.0906 Breeders Bowl Juvenile Turf Filly – Grade I – $750,000
Track:
Restrictions: Fillies and mares, 2 years old
Distance: A mile and one sixteenth on the Turf
Long Shots rule the Juvy Filly Turf. Miesque’s Gold did much like her sire did in real life and scored a somewhat surprising victory at the Breeders Bowl. Meisque’s Gold was fourteen to one when the gates opened and she ran an awesome race from post fourteen. The outside post meant she would need to show more speed in the beginning to get good position on the turn and that is just what she did. She broke well and got a good stalking position from fifth less than two lengths off the pace. She made her move on the turn for home scooting away to a one length lead entering the stretch. She was all out in the stretch and needed every last drop of energy to hold off the late bid by High Motions. Meisque’s Gold would hold on to win by a head at the wire.
High Motions was merely a two time listed stakes winner coming into this event. This was her first graded attempt and a very good race. She was near the back of the pack in the early stages sitting ninth but she was within four lengths off the slow early pace. She moved around the turn into third position and picked up the chase of Meisque’s Gold at the top of the stretch. High Motions would gain ground with every stride. It appeared she would get there, then it looked like she would not, then again she surged and just missed at the wire. Easily the most thrilling finish of the Juvenile races.
Single White Pat won the battled for third. She was mid pack in the early stages of the race but was not too far from the early pace. She would move up around the turn for home but in the stretch was losing ground to the top two runners. She never threatened the top two but proved to be better than the rest finishing third five and three quarter lengths behind the winner a quarter length better than Notin to Cry About in fourth.