2021 Breeders' Cup Turf: Distance makes the difference for Teona
The 3-year-old filly Teona has shown such improvement in recent months that she will start against males in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar next Saturday and not in the Filly and Mare Turf the same day.
Roger Varian, who trains Teona in England, said in a phone interview on Friday that the BC Turf distance of 1 1/2 miles is better for Teona than the Filly and Mare Turf at 1 3/8 miles.
“We think she’s a true mile and a half filly,” Varian said. “We’ve gone for the trip.”
David Egan has been booked to ride Teona, who has won 3 of 6 starts, including a nine-length win in a maiden race at 1 1/4 miles for 2-year-olds on the synthetic track at Newcastle in northern England last November.
“We knew we had a good one,” Varian said. “We thought she’d be a Group 1 filly.”
Teona, who races for Ali Saeed, was 10th of 14 over good-to-soft turf in the English Oaks in June, her first start in a Group 1 race.
“The Oaks didn’t really work out,” Varian said. “She was not a happy filly after the race. We had to rebuild and be patient.”
Teona rebounded to win the August Stakes at 1 7/16 miles at Windsor Racecourse in England in August and the Group 1 Prix Vermeille against fillies and mares at 1 1/2 miles at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris on Sept. 12. Two-time Group 1 winner Snowfall finished second.
“She was really good in the Vermeille,” Varian said. “She’s peaking at a nice time of the year.”