Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint: With preps done, decisions need to be made

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Results of the two final prep races and another round of serious workouts have brought greater clarity to what the field will look like when the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint is run Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.

Golden Mischief became a serious player by winning the Thoroughbred Club of America on Saturday at Keeneland, while the connections of Skye Diamonds are still mulling whether to pre-enter the California-bred standout after she captured the L.A. Woman on Sunday at Santa Anita.

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The TCA runner-up, Chalon, is likely to be pre-entered in the seven-furlong Filly-Mare Sprint, said trainer Arnaud Delacour, but the third-place finisher, Vertical Oak, will race instead in the six-furlong Dream Supreme on Nov. 4 at Churchill because of the shorter distance, said trainer Steve Asmussen.

From Southern California, both Anonymity, second as the odds-on favorite in the L.A. Woman, and Miss Sunset, fourth as the favorite in the TCA, remain possibile for the F-M Sprint, according to their respective trainers, Richard Mandella and Jeff Bonde.

Meanwhile, the top contenders for the F-M Sprint bypassed the final preps to train straight into the race, most notably the Bob Baffert pair of Marley’s Freedom and Dream Tree, both of whom were out for recent drills at Santa Anita.

Marley’s Freedom went six furlongs Monday in 1:10.80, two days after Dream Tree went five furlongs Saturday in 1:00.20. Marley’s Freedom, a 4-year-old Blame filly owned by Cicero Farms, is the likely F-M Sprint favorite on the strength of her 3 1/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 25 at Saratoga. Dream Tree, a 3-year-old filly, remained unbeaten in five starts in dominating the Sept. 2 Prioress at Saratoga.

In other works, Selcourt went five furlongs Sunday in 1:00.20 at Santa Anita; Finley’sluckycharm breezed five furlongs Monday in 1:00.20 at Churchill; and Union Strike, winner of the Gallant Bloom at Belmont last month for Asmussen, went an easy half-mile Sunday in 50.80 seconds at Churchill.

Another Asmussen trainee, Mia Mischief, is scheduled to breeze this weekend at Churchill in what will be her first work since Sept. 15 at Saratoga.

Stormy Embrace missed a scheduled recent work because of steady rain in south Florida but remains on track for the F-M Sprint, said trainer Kathleen O’Connell.

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In other news, trainer Chad Brown said from New York that neither Separationofpowers, winner of the Test Stakes two starts back, nor Your Love, runner-up in the Gallant Bloom, are under consideration for the F-M Sprint. Brown said that Lewis Bay, last of seven as the Gallant Bloom favorite, remains possible.

Trainer Wayne Catalano is trying to decide what’s next with Farrell, who faded badly Saturday in the longer Beldame at Belmont, and he has not ruled out a turn-back in the F-M Sprint.

Ami’s Mesa, beaten a nose in the 2017 F-M Sprint at Del Mar by Bar of Gold, has posted two swift works at Woodbine since finishing eighth as the favorite in the Presque Isle Masters last month, but is unlikely to run in the F-M Sprint, said trainer Josie Carroll.

Trainer Dane Kobiskie has turned out Still There, runner-up in the Ballerina, and ruled her out of the F-M Sprint.