Two Year Old Fillies on the Dirt – Too Close to Call! BB Juvy Filly Dirt P-1
The Breeders’ Bowl Juvenile Filly has attracted the best of the best two year old fillies. Like all the other Breeders’ Bowl races there is no easy favorite and every filly in here has a chance to jump up and take the win. The race is run at a mile and a sixteenth over a fast dirt track for a purse of a million and a half bucks. Let’s jump right in there and take a look at the field.
#1 Ruler of Justice 8/1
Race Record – 5-3-2-0
Ruler of Justice broker her maiden second time out going six and a half furlongs in June. She followed that up with an allowance win in her next start where she added a furlong to the distance. Going a mile for the first time she was a fast closing second in a listed stakes where she ran an impressive 87 speed in August. Given about five weeks off she returned to win the Grade One Darley at today’s distance with a 93 speed.
Running Style –
Ruler of Justice tends to lay mid-pack and make one big run around the turn and into the stretch. In her listed run she was a bit further back than she tends to be, suggesting she may have been a bit green with the increase in company but she still closed well for that second place finish. Her Darley run was extremely impressive as she charged to the lead at the stretch call and held on for a comfortable length victory.
Pedigree –
This filly has massive pedigree power being a daughter of Triple Crown winner and freshman sire Justify out of the grade two winning Smart Strike x Nureyev mare Ruler of Galaxies. Ruler of Galaxies was bred as a three year old and did not do her best running early. She earned her grade two victory in August of her four year old year going a mile on dirt. She also took two listed stakes at the same distance which seemed to be her niche. As Ruler of Justice has already won at a mile and a sixteenth it shouldn’t matter too much that her dam was a miler.
#2 Pleasures of War 9/1
Race Record – 5-4-0-0
Pleasures of War made her first three starts at six and a half furlongs, winning twice before finishing up the track in a listed stakes. She started her career in May and has raced pretty steadily every five to six weeks since. After her listed debacle Pleasures of War tried an allowance at a mile and ran a huge race winning by almost four lengths. Even though her speed that day, a 79, was not super for the time of year the ease of victory convinced her trainer to try her in the Grade One Walnut Tree Stakes at a mile and a sixteenth. That race is the local prep for this one and the field was much tougher. Still Pleasures of War proved up to task winning by a quarter lengths with a 91 speed.
Running Style –
Most of Pleasures of War’s races have seen her come from midpack and make a middle move. She did win an allowance going wire to wire but that was in a four horse field which typically make for strangely run races. In the Walnut Tree Stakes Pleasures of War found herself farther back than she’s ever been before – twelfth of fourteen at the first call yet she was still able to rally for the win. That versatility will work to her favor here.
Pedigree –
A daughter of War Front, Pleasures of War was produced by a Kingmambo x Seattle Slew mare. That is a classic sim-royalty bloodline. Dam Speed or Pleasure has produced twelve foals including two listed winners and two graded placed listed winners. Three of her foals (including Pleasures of War) have earned over half a million dollars. Her breeding history is interesting as she has been bred to both high and low end stallions and had success with both. For example her first foal, one the graded placed stakes winners was by Corinthian yet her best foal, Pleasures of War is by War Front. She’s also had failures with the likes of Philanthropist and Galileo so it goes to show that even a well bred mare can have mixed results.
#3 Prayer Mojo 17/1
Race Record – 6-4-1-1
Prayer Mojo is one filly in the race who has never routed. The New York bred started her career running against local breds, running second in an allowance and then winning an allowance before trying open company which she handled with ease. Her first race came in February and she did have a two month break in the middle of her six race career. After that break she returned in a seven furlong allowance with a win before breaking into graded company in the Grade Two Hoserhead Juvenile Fillies at six and a half furlongs. She ran third that day but did run a solid 83 speed, good for a July run. Prayer Mojo returned in the seven furlong Grade Two Motherly Love and won the race by a length with an 87 speed. That race came on September 15th so she’s had a bit of time to rest and mature before today’s race. Trainer metalinut had this to say about his star filly “I actually thought she was special after her first race in an Alw but she finished 2nd. Her next race she won coming from the back of the pack. It was only in a local NY state race. So then I figured I said show me what you got girl and she did that in her next two races (won all 3 races at 7500 Alw). Her next race she finished 3rd after her legs getting cut and her last race she won at 7F G2 Motherly Love.” He believes she will love the distance and has a strong shot here.
Running Style –
Prayer Mojo is a stone cold closer. She’s been last or next to last at the first call of all six of her races. She’s proven she has the ability to quicken when necessary but she’s never won a race by more than a length. In all of her wins she was within three lengths of the leader at the stretch call and she was further back in her two losses so that will be the pivotal moment of the race for her. She’s a scrappy filly who will fight for the win if she’s in position to get to the leaders.
Pedigree –
As mentioned Prayer Mojo is a New York bred by Tapin Mojo out of the stakes winning Storm Cat x Seeking the Gold mare Anointed Prayer. Metalinut loves Tapit and his sons. Anointed Prayer has never produced a stakes winner before and indeed all four of Prayer Mojo’s older siblings ran in claiming races at one point or another during their careers. Interestingly Anointed Prayer did all her best running sprinting on the turf. Annointed Prayer was inherited from pazjazz’s stables after he retired from the game. So her metalinut choce her name because “I thought of a mojo type of horse. And said a Prayer Mojo and it worked so far.”
#4 American Goer 10/1
Race Record – 5-3-1-0
American Goer exits a win in the Grade One Frickazee Stakes at a mile over the New York racetrack. That was her biggest win to date in her career and her only route run. She had previously been second in the Grade Two Red Fish Blue Fish Stakes at six and a half furlongs back in July. She started her career in April and she won two races prior to the Red Fish Blue Fish Stakes at the same distance. Her career began in Australia and she’s traveled to Britain and Dubai before running her last two races in New York. The travel from Dubai to New York may have caused some jet lag as her only off the board effort came after that move in a seven furlong grade one.
Running Style –
This filly should be on the lead or battling very close to it early on. The furthest back she’s been at the first call of a race was second by a quarter length and she much prefers to have some distance between herself and the second place runner. Still she’s a scrapper, in the Frickazee she was second by a head at the first call and moved up to be in front before the second call. That early move didn’t seem to bother her as she won by a comfortable length and three quarters.
Pedigree – American Goer is a scratchbred daughter of American Pharoah x A.P. Indy x Easy Goer
#5 Bowlegged Mule 11/1
Race Record – 6-5-1-0
Bowlegged Mule’s only loss came in her first start. That was in a January 31st maiden special weight at five and a half furlongs. She was in the mix at the end, finishing second, but things didn’t quite click for her that day. Things have certainly clicked every other day though, she broke her maiden next out and most recently has racked up three straight graded stakes victories at six, six and a half and seven furlongs. That is her biggest weakness though, she’s never routed. Trainer desertdog said “She’s a proven winner at the sprint distances and if this race was at 7F I would be very confident going into the race. Since this is at 8.5 I question her ability to get the distance but it’s the Breeder’s Bowl and you take your shot when it presents itself. She’s won 5 straight against the best 2yo’s this season and she’s well rested, so it’s out of my hands. All we can do is wait and see now.” He’s pretty much right, she’d certainly be lower odds if the distance were shorter but she’s obviously one of the most talented fillies in the field.
Running Style – This filly comes from off the pace but she seems fairly rateable in terms of how far off the pace she needs to be. In her run two starts back in the Grade Two Hoserhead Juvenile Fillies she was twelfth, over four lengths off the early pace at the first call. But just one start earlier, in the Grade Three Butterfly Futurity she was only sixth at that point and just over a length back. Trainer desertdog remarked that the way she won going away in the Hoserhead (coming from twelfth to win by a length and a quarter) was when he knew she was pretty special. He chose to make her final start in the Grade One Getaway Stakes because he felt the field was pretty strong and his filly would get a strong test, which she past.
Pedigree –
Bowlegged Mule is a scratchbred daughter of Army Mule x Rubiano x Indiana Charlie. Desertdog explains the meaning of her name and his pedigree choice as such “Bowlegged Mule is in honor of the name police commissioner Itch. Plus she is by Army Mule. I bred her to be a sprinter. Army Mule was a freak flash in the pan G1 winner at 7F. So giving her solid sprint backend made sense. I’ve had great luck with Rubiano at DS and Indian Charlie is a good value play at DDS and will strengthen the sprint influence without making her too short. “