As of Friday, 10 days remain until the pre-entry deadline for the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar. With all of the major preps for the Juvenile Turf Sprint in the books, the picture is still continuing to solidify. One thing appears virtually certain – that Wesley Ward, who has won two of the three editions of the Juvenile Turf Sprint, will train this year’s favorite. Averly Jane took over at the top choice at 3-1 on David Aragona’s early line for Daily Racing Form, dethroning stablemate Twilight Gleaming, at 4-1. Averly Jane made her case with a sparkling three-length victory in her turf debut, the Indian Summer on Oct. 10 at Keeneland, turning in a stakes-record time of 1:02.65 for the 5 1/2 furlongs despite testing turf. “She’s got a tremendous amount of speed, and she just keeps going,” jockey Tyler Gaffalione said. “She’s one of the fastest [out of the gate] I’ve ever been on. She almost throws you in the back seat. She’s a lot of fun.” :: BREEDERS’ CUP 2021: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more for each division Another stablemate, Kaufymaker, rallied to finish second in the Indian Summer. She was not wearing blinkers after wearing them in two prior outings, and Julio Garcia, a work rider who is an integral part of Ward’s team, said they might need to go back on. “The jockey” – Irad Ortiz Jr. – “told me maybe she needs the blinkers – she was looking around,” Garcia said. “She’s a good filly, too.” The picture is in flux behind Averly Jane, with several logical candidates perhaps opting for other targets. Slipstream and Bubble Rock won Belmont’s preps in the Grade 3 Futurity and Grade 3 Matron, respectively. Trainer Brad Cox and owner Shortleaf Stable are continuing to discuss their options for Bubble Rock, who would be among the top choices on Aragona’s line. Meanwhile, Slipstream will instead run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at a mile. “If it’s up to me, yes,” said trainer Christophe Clement, who has Derrynane as a candidate for the Juvenile Turf Sprint. “We have to see how he comes out of it and be sure the owners are on board and that everything goes well. . . . I always like when you go to California, the idea of pushing that sprinter speed going six or seven furlongs to a mile.” Another logical candidate would be Red Danger, who won the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs but finished fourth stretching out to 1 1/16 miles in the Grade 2 Bourbon at Keeneland. Trainer Brian Lynch was not wholly discouraged by the effort, and said if the colt goes to the Breeders’ Cup, it will be in the Juvenile Turf. :: Bet the races with confidence on DRF Bets. You're one click away from the only top-rated betting platform fully integrated with exclusive data, analytics, and expert picks. “They’re still lightly raced horses, and you wonder, was it a fitness angle that he got a little bit tired, or was it the distance, that he doesn’t want to run that far?” Lynch said. “I don’t think he’s got the speed to sprint; I don’t think he’s that sort of horse. If we were to take a shot, it would be the mile, but I’ll sleep on that.” Likewise, the international contingent is still sorting itself out. Quick Suzy, owned by American-based Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, has long been targeting this spot, with perhaps a half-dozen others also considering the trip. A lack of experience won’t be an issue for Twilight Jet, who has made 10 career starts, breaking through with a career-best effort in the Group 3 Cornwallis at Newmarket on Oct. 8 “After he won the other day I was saying, ‘I’ll give this lad a break,’ but he arrived home the next morning and he told me different,” trainer Michael O’Callaghan told the British press. “He absolutely loves racing. He has a great constitution. He’s just a bit of an animal, he loves his job and he’s a dream to train.”