The nightcap on DelPenn\u2019s BB day card is the rich $500,000 DelPenn Breeders\u2019 Cup Juvenile Fillies. Lured by the purse, bragging rights, or both, a full field of 20 passed the entry box, with several trainers stuffing the ballot box with multiple entries in an attempt to come out the winner. If you haven\u2019t experience a major DelPenn event, sit back, and hang on for the ride! Lots of questions abound when trying to handicap this race – unfortunately the answers will come after the bets are placed. The 20 hopefuls in this race, in post position order, are as follows:
1. Justify<\/B>, (Distorted Humor x Wild Again x El Gran Senor)
Talented filly has played catch me if you can in each of her six starts, and for the most part, she has not been caught. The zwango1<\/I> charge has captured two stakes in her short career before tiring late after battling for the lead in the G2 Margarine Stakes at Saturday\u2019s distance, posting an 84 SF in the process. So, it will be interesting to see how the race plays out. Still, on class, and talent, this may very well be her race to lose, and the 11\/1 odds are rather appealing.
2. South Seas<\/B>, (Speightstown x Street Cry x Danehill)
First of several super entries, this filly has improved with added distance, closing for fourth in the7 \u00bd furlong Endless Nana Stakes, and posting an 80 SF in the process. Still, she will need to take another step forward here to threaten some of those who have accomplished a bit more at this point in their careers.
3. Eraticus<\/B>, (Smarty Jones x Wild Again x Stop the Music)
Second super stable entrant returns to the dirt after two straight wins on turf, albeit in slow time. Stretches out to a mile for the first time, not entirely clear how she\u2019ll handle it, but will need to put up a career best to hit the board.
4. Arseoholic<\/B>, (Gone West x Northern Dancer x Seattle Slew)
Hilarious name, although I do feel bad for this beautifully bred filly to be saddled with such a name. Representing arse2007<\/I>, she\u2019s perked up since switching to the main track, and broke her maiden last time out, earning a 75 SF for six furlongs. It\u2019s hard to gauge her only route, as it came over an off track. Should have a better handle on her distance limitations, or lack thereof, after the race is run.
5. Unexpecting<\/B>, (Pleasantly Perfect x Seattle Slew x Mr. Prospector)
Sdmf8’s<\/I> filly is bred to run all day, and while she has already put up three wins from six starts, she\u2019s faltered in both of her races against open stakes competition. Of bigger concern is, that despite her stalking style and routing pedigree, she really didn\u2019t show all that much in a one mile stakes, a complete 180 from the impression she gave when a gallant second in the DelPenn Spinaway. Unexpected, indeed. If it was a bad day, she could rebound nicely, but if not, it may be back to sprints for her.
6. T.A.S. Broken Heart<\/B>, A P Valentine x Seattle Slew x Northern Dancer)
Route debut for this adrian2<\/I> homebred. She broke her maiden at five furlongs, then was third over a track rated good. Speed figures are a little on the light side, and so far, she hasn\u2019t really acted like she wants to stretch out, but you never know, particularly with babies.
7. La Integral<\/B>, (Alumni Hall x Red Bullet x Dixieland Band)
Longest shot on the board, primarily on the basis of her speed figures, which have cracked the 60s only once – a 71SF when third in a 5 \u00bd furlong stakes. This is her route debut, but she wasn\u2019t exactly inspiring in her longest start to date, a tiring fifth place finish at 7 furlongs for borinquen<\/I>. Best chance if she\u2019s a monster at a route, who\u2019s just been waiting to show her stuff. How likely that is remains to be seen.
8. Weekend Update<\/B>, (Distorted Humor x Broad Brush x Secretariat)
Distorted Humor has been having a solid year with his juveniles, so it is somehow fitting that the biggest threat to Justify is another daughter of DH. She hails from the texasace06<\/I> barn, and has made a sparkling start to her short career. After defeating 17 other fillies in a DelPenn maiden, she returned to fall short by the slimmest of noses in a one mile allowance race, posting an 89 SF, which ties for the fastest speed figure by any filly in this race. She\u2019s had five weeks rest to recover from that effort, and looms large in this group. Of course, her odds reflect her fast times, as she is currently at 5\/1.
9. Sabbath Point<\/B>, (Seeking the Gold x Seattle Slew x Damascus)
The other holder of the field best 89 SF is this regally bred filly, who resides in AFC\u2019s malekfarms\u2019<\/I> barn. After sizzling at first asking against a full field of 20 fellow DelPenn maidens in the slop, she was wheeled back on four weeks\u2019 rest, and bounced against G1 competition. Does she love a wet track, or was it the short rest? That is the main question handicappers are asking. If the latter, watch out. Like her speed demon rival on the inside, that fast time has left her odds at 6\/1.
10. Brewtalicious<\/B>, (A.P. Indy x Danzig x Mr. Prospector)
I love this name. Arse2007<\/I> has yet another regally bred filly in its barn, and she\u2019s kind of like that nursery rhyme about the girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead. When she\u2019s good, she\u2019s very very good, like her four length romp in a one mile allowance, but when she\u2019s bad, she\u2019s horrid, such as her 11th place finish in the G2 Margarine Stakes. To be fair, that may have been due to the quick three week turnaround time, in which case that race may be a toss, but she will still need to pick up the pace a little to keep up with some of other contenders.
11. Kattskill Bay<\/B>, (Bernardini x Nijinsky II x Damascus)
Afc\u2019s second entrant, from his domedriver<\/I> barn, is this regally bred miss. She zipped to a nice win in her debut, but has faltered in two starts since. Her connections are clearly hoping that things will turn around in her route debut, and her pedigree certainly indicates that she ought to improve with extra ground, but she\u2019ll have to go out and prove it on Saturday.
12. TA.S. Empire<\/B>, (Empire Maker x Kingmambo x A.P. Indy)
Filly bred to go long is another entry making her route debut. Theavenger\u2019s<\/I> homebred, who is the first part of an entry, had been knocking on the door in her last few starts, and finally broke through last time out with an 82 SF against allowance competition. Will need to continue to improve, and is certainly capable of doing just that.
13. Giant Step<\/B>, (Danehill Dancer x Unbridled x Roberto)
Another super entry, and another filly making a route debut. Won smartly in her debut, but has failed to live up to that early promise in two starts since.
14. Sandanista<\/B>, (Gone West x Fappiano x Northern Dancer)
Sort of in the same boat as Giant Step. Won at first asking, makes a route debut here, and will need to improve to threaten some of the more favored contenders.
15. Hill Of Grace<\/B>, (Galileo x Fusaichi Pegasus x Private Account)
This super filly is sort of surprisingly dismissed at 32\/1. Unlike many of the contenders, she\u2019s actually won over a route, breaking her maiden last out with a 78 SF, and showing marked improvement over her sprinting efforts. Bred to like the extra distance, and offers some value. Will need to take another step forward to upset, but going in the right direction.
16. Marked Woman<\/B>, (Dynaformer x Mineshaft x Mr. Prospector)
Still more superness. Filly attempts a route after tiring in sprints. Bred to go long, but would need to really step it up, as her speed figures have yet to break the 75 SF mark.
17. Eurochic<\/B>, (Unbridled\u2019s Song x Danehill x Roberto)
The last of the super harem may be its strongest hope for a win, as she won at first asking, drawing away in the stretch, with a respectable 76 SF. Should improve, but will have to answer several questions about class and distance first.
18. Absolut Talent<\/B>, (Charismatic x Kingmambo x A.P. Indy)
I love the Absolut ads, and raider92’s<\/I> homebred miss has already flashed a good deal of talent in her first two starts, romping home a 4 1\/4 length winner at first asking, covering a flat mile with an 83 SF, then followed it up with a runner-up effort in a one mile llowance, this time with an 85 SF. Definite shot here.
19. T.A.S. Minister<\/B>, (Unbridled\u2019s Song x Deputy Minister x Fappiano
The second half of theavenger\u2019s<\/I> entry is also making her route debut after running almost exclusively at 6 panels. This is her second start after an injury, and she\u2019ll need to bring her \u201cA\u201d game, and show she can get a route of ground, to compete for the top spot.
20. Come Home Barb<\/B>, (With Approval x A.P. Indy x Storm Boot)
From the barb empire, redhead<\/I> division, this filly has looked good in two starts to date, winning her debut with a 78 SF, then finishing third against stakes competition. Only real knock on her is that she may be more of a sprinter than router, as the field has been gaining, if not passing her, in both starts, and there\u2019s another quality speed horse way to her inside. Still, nice, nice filly.
Good luck to all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Who will provide the answers?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":438,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/438"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4989\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}