Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint: Artemis Agrotera, Super Majesty intriguing additions
LEXINGTON, Ky. – An outstanding field for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint continued to take further definition with several additions and defections in recent days. Uzzili, Leigh Court, No Fault of Mine, and Flutterby all have bowed out of the seven-furlong Filly and Mare Sprint, while the brilliant 3-year-old Super Majesty and the comebacking Artemis Agrotera are foremost among those newly confirmed.
Following her third victory in four career starts in the Grade 3 Dogwood Stakes at Churchill Downs last month, Super Majesty had been tentatively pointing to the Grade 2 Raven Run against 3-year-old fillies this weekend at Keeneland. But trainer Jerry Hollendorfer decided this week to forgo the Raven Run and go directly to the Breeders’ Cup. On Wednesday, Super Majesty breezed five furlongs in 59 seconds over a fast Keeneland track.
Also this week, trainer Mike Hushion made a surprise revelation when saying he will run Artemis Agrotera off a one-year layoff in the Oct. 31 Filly and Mare Sprint. Artemis Agrotera won the Ballerina and Gallant Bloom last year at 3 before finishing seventh in the Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita.
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With pre-entries due Monday, the core of likely favorites for a contentious renewal of the Filly and Mare Sprint includes Cavorting, La Verdad, Stonetastic, Taris, and the defending race winner, Judy the Beauty. As many as 14 can run, and it appears that right around that number will be pre-entered.
Stonetastic, whose 109 Beyer Speed Figure from a Sept. 1 allowance at Parx Racing is the highest last-out figure in the field, breezed a half-mile Wednesday in a bullet 47 seconds at her Monmouth Park base. The 4-year-old filly had to scratch from a prep Oct. 3 because of the quarantine situation at Parx.
“We’re right on schedule,” said trainer Kelly Breen. “Missing that race is not a big deal. We were seriously thinking about training into the Breeders’ Cup anyway.”
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Two Filly and Mare Sprint prospects put in separate breezes Monday at Belmont Park: Merry Meadow, most recently seventh in the Aug. 29 Ballerina, had her fourth workout since that subpar effort when going five furlongs in 1:01.60 for Mark Hennig, while Wavell Avenue, second at 11-1 behind the odds-on La Verdad in the Gallant Bloom, went a half-mile in 50.40 second for Chad Brown.
At Keeneland, Todd Pletcher confirmed Dame Dorothy as definite for the Filly and Mare Sprint while terming Sweet Whiskey, fifth in the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes earlier this month, as a possible starter.
In California, trainer John Sadler continues to list Ben’s Duchess, who upset Taris in the Oct. 4 L.A. Woman, as a “possible” BC starter. The 3-year-old filly breezed a half-mile in 48.60 seconds on Tuesday at Santa Anita.