BC Filly & Mare Sprint: Artemis Agrotera in post 5

ARCADIA, Calif. – A well-balanced field of 10 has been entered for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, with likely favorites Artemis Agrotera and Judy the Beauty assigned to the middle of the starting gate for the seven-furlong race Saturday at Santa Anita.

Artemis Agrotera, a flashy winner of the Ballerina and Gallant Bloom in her last two starts, got post 5, while Judy the Beauty, the runner-up in the Filly and Mare Sprint last year, will start nearby in post 7.

From the rail, this is the field for the Filly and Mare Sprint, set for 1:21 p.m. Pacific on Saturday: Sweet Reason, Little Alexis, Stonetastic, Thank You Marylou, Artemis Agrotera, Leigh Court, Judy the Beauty, Better Lucky, Living the Life, and Southern Honey.

Owner-trainer Wesley Ward said “any post would’ve been fine” for Judy the Beauty, although “the farther outside, probably the less chance you have for trouble. I’m fine with everything. The most important thing is how the mare is training, which is fabulous.”

As to how the race might unfold, Stonetastic looks like the speediest, while Artemis Agrotera, Judy the Beauty, and Leigh Court should be right behind.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2014: Post positions and odds

Among the longer shots is Little Alexis, one of six 3-year-olds in the race. “She deserves a shot at this,” said owner-trainer Carlo Vaccarezza, who won the BC Turf here two years ago as the owner of Little Mike. “Her first start in February at Gulfstream, she beat My Miss Sophia, and she’s been getting better ever since.”

The Filly and Mare Sprint, first run in 2007 at Monmouth Park, was won the last two years by the since-retired Groupie Doll, both here at Santa Anita.

No 3-year-old has ever won the Filly and Mare Sprint. The others in this renewal are Sweet Reason, Stonetastic, Thank You Marylou, Artemis Agrotera, and Southern Honey.