2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Juju's Map joins the elite with Alcibiades win
Juju’s Map became one of the favorites for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies by winning the Grade 1 Alcibiades last Friday at Keeneland, a 4 1/4-length jaunt that graded out to an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.
“She took that big step up, did everything the right way,” said her trainer, Brad Cox. “She’s got a big task ahead of her, but she’s a nice filly and we’re excited about her.”
Juju’s Map, by Liam’s Map, is the first horse Cox has trained for the Albaugh Family Stables of Iowa.
Juju’s Map figures anywhere from second to fourth choice in the 1 1/16-mile BC Juvenile Fillies, to be run Nov. 5 at Del Mar. She’s in that mix with Ain’t Easy, a 4 3/4-length winner of the Oct. 1 Chandelier at Santa Anita, and Hidden Connection, a 9 1/4-length winner of the Sept. 18 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs.
Echo Zulu is the clear-cut favorite after remaining unbeaten in three starts with a 7 1/4-length triumph in the Oct. 3 Frizette at Belmont Park. She has the three highest Beyers in the field – 92, 90, 90 – albeit all in one-turn races . Shortly after the Frizette, Echo Zulu was flown to Santa Anita, where she has resumed training with the balance of trainer Steve Asmussen’s contingent of Breeders’ Cup prospects.
Meanwhile, Hidden Connection was scheduled to breeze before dawn Thursday at Churchill, according to trainer Bret Calhoun, in her first work in two weeks. The daughter of Connect has romped in her two starts, a Colonial Downs maiden race and the Pocahontas. Her lone work since the Pocahontas was a half-mile breeze Sept. 30.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux said she hopes to run Tarabi in the BC Juvenile Fillies off a two-month layoff after the First Samurai filly missed the final round of preps with scrapes incurred during her runner-up finish behind Echo Zulu in the Sept. 5 Spinaway at Saratoga. Tarabi will breeze again this weekend at Keeneland after resuming a regular work schedule Oct. 2.
From Santa Anita, trainer Bob Baffert said via text that decisions were to come this week regarding the status of Grace Adler and Eda.
Quite a few fillies have dropped from consideration within the last week or so, most notably the Chad Brown pair of Gerrymander, the Frizette runner-up, and Distinctlypossible, who remains a maiden in two starts after finishing second to Juju’s Map in the Alcibiades. Brown said both are “unlikely” to go to Del Mar.
Also, Todd Pletcher said “unlikely” via text regarding Classy Edition, an easy winner of both her starts, both in New York-bred company, and A Mo Reay, a distant third in the Frizette.
Other defections include the Ken McPeek pair of Mama Rina and Penny Saver, a respective fourth and seventh in the Alcibiades, and Matareya, fifth for Cox in the Alcibiades.