Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint: Goodnight Olive favored to repeat
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Reigning Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Goodnight Olive heads the list of 13 pre-entered runners for this year’s Grade 1, $1 million event at seven furlongs at Santa Anita.
Listed as the 8-5 preliminary favorite by Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free, Goodnight Olive earned a career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure in her final prep, Saratoga’s Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 26.
Second to the now-retired Echo Zulu in that race, Goodnight Olive has never finished off the board in 11 starts. She breezed a half-mile in 49.82 seconds on Oct. 20.
While Echo Zulu won’t participate, trainer Steve Asmussen has a strong backup in Society, listed as the 5-2 second choice on Free’s line.
A Grade 1 winner around two turns, Society has emerged as an elite performer at seven furlongs. She won her last two races at the distance by a combined 16 1/4 lengths, with Beyers of 105 and 106.
Society worked five furlongs in 59.80 on Oct. 21 at Santa Anita. She was eager at the start of that drill, but finished with gusto.
Another horse working quickly is Caramel Swirl, who reeled off bullet half-mile breezes on Oct. 13 and Oct. 19 over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track.
“She’s been quite aggressive,” trainer Bill Mott said. “She’s always a good work horse, but I’d say they were a little better than normal.”
Caramel Swirl shipped to Southern California on Wednesday. Mott admitted he’d rather complete his preparations at Saratoga, but Caramel Swirl will have one final work at Santa Anita.
California has a solid contingent headed by the top-three finishers of the Grade 3 Chillingworth on Sept. 29. Kirstenbosch pulled off a minor upset in that race and would benefit from quick early fractions.
Progressive 3-year-old filly Clearly Unhinged, second in the Chillingworth, earned a Grade 1-placing when second in a spill-marred edition of the Grade 1 Test on Aug. 5 at Saratoga.
Eda had a seven-race winning streak snapped when third in the Chillingworth. A Grade 1 winner trained by Bob Baffert, Eda looked sharp working a quick half-mile in 46.80 on Oct. 22.
Three Witches returned from a five-month freshening with two victories, including the Grade 3 Princess Rooney, a Win and You’re In for the Filly and Mare Sprint.
“I just wanted to start back from scratch with her,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “We gave her the time and got her ready. We were hoping to get a graded stakes placing [in the Princess Rooney], and we didn’t think it was impossible to win it.”
Joseph plans to breeze Three Witches a half-mile on Friday or Saturday and will ship her to California on Sunday for her first race outside Florida.
Multiple Grade 1 winner Matareya and Grade 2 winners Elm Drive and Yuugiri also are pre-entered.
Three pre-entrants have first preference in other races. Desert Dawn and Hoosier Philly also are in the Distaff. Japanese shipper Meikei Yell pre-entered the Turf Sprint, but was not selected into the field and is listed as the first also-eligible for that race.
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