Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint: Marley's Freedom to skip final prep

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Marley’s Freedom will train up to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint after trainer Bob Baffert decided early this week that the star filly will not run Sunday in the Grade 3 L.A. Woman at her home track, Santa Anita.

Marley’s Freedom, owned by Cicero Farms, has ascended to the top of the division in recent months, most recently winning the Grade 1 Ballerina by 3 1/4 lengths on Aug. 25 at Saratoga. The 4-year-old Blame filly worked a half-mile in 47.60 seconds Monday at Santa Anita, but Baffert said he now prefers to train her straight into the race.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2018: See DRF’s top contenders

“I don’t want to stress my horses out,” Baffert said.

Among those expected when entries were taken Thursday for the 6 1/2-furlong L.A. Woman were Anonymity, Moonshine Memories, and Yuvetsi, any of whom could go on to the Nov. 3 Filly and Mare Sprint at Churchill Downs, and the accomplished California-bred, Skye Diamonds, whose connections have said they are unlikely for the Breeders’ Cup.

Two other top California fillies also are being trained into the seven-furlong Filly and Mare Sprint – Dream Tree, the unbeaten 3-year-old trained by Baffert, and Selcourt, who has assumed a regular Saturday breeze schedule for John Sadler.

The L.A. Woman is the final major prep for the seven-furlong Filly and Mare Sprint, following by one day the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America, a Win and You’re In race set for Saturday at Keeneland.

:: Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Results, replays, charts, and more

Miss Sunset, who arrived Wednesday in Kentucky from California, is among the core of favorites for the six-furlong TCA, which drew a field of 10. Trained by Jeff Bonde, the 4-year-old filly was a narrow winner last fall of the Raven Run over the Keeneland surface.

Other notables looking to advance by way of the TCA include Vertical Oak, a last-out winner of the Open Mind at Churchill, and Curlin’s Approval, the Florida-based standout trained by Happy Alter.

From Florida, trainer Kathleen O’Connell said Stormy Embrace, who earned an automatic berth by winning the Princess Rooney, remains on target for the Filly and Mare Sprint.

In Kentucky, trainer Wayne Catalano said he intends to keep the Filly and Mare Sprint as a possible option for Farrell, who runs in the longer Beldame on Saturday at Belmont, while Bret Calhoun is training Finley’sluckycharm into the race. Finley’sluckycharm won the TCA last year as an odds-on favorite before finishing a disappointing ninth in the Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar.

:: Breeders' Cup PP packages: Get PPs, betting strategies, DRF+ Pro access, and more

Also, Mia Mischief, runner-up behind Dream Tree in the Prioress at Saratoga last month, will train up to the race for Steve Asmussen, who already has contenders in Vertical Oak and Gallant Bloom winner Union Strike.

– additional reporting by Steve Andersen