Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint: Top Kisser out, Thank You Marylou in

Just a couple of minor surprises were in store when pre-entries for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint were announced Wednesday at Santa Anita: Top Kisser is not in the lineup, and Thank You Marylou is.

After Top Kisser won the Grade 3 L.A. Woman at Santa Anita on Oct. 4, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said that owner-breeder Tommy Town Thoroughbreds intended to supplement the homebred mare for $100,000, but that did not happen.

“We’re running instead in the Goldikova,” said Hollendorfer, referring to a $200,000 one-mile turf race to be run Nov. 2, the Sunday after the two-day Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita. “The distance and surface are more suitable for her.”

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Thank You Marylou, third by 10 1/4 lengths last weekend behind winner Taris in the Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland, initially was said by trainer Mike Maker not to be running in the Breeders’ Cup, but owner Ken Ramsey said Wednesday that he pre-entered her about 15 minutes before the deadline Monday.

“We did not plan on running her,” said Ramsey. “But Dora Delgado,” a Breeders’ Cup vice president, “called and said the race was lighter on entries than some of the others, so I took a second look.

“We’d had the filly sent from Keeneland and put her in the hyperbaric chamber at Kesmarc to make sure she was okay, and she is, according to Mike. I checked out her Ragozin figure from the race and got John Velazquez to ride her in this race. We had enough money in my horsemen’s account there at Santa Anita, so we’re in.”

Thank You Marylou is one of six 3-year-olds in the seven-furlong Filly and Mare Sprint, which has never been won by a 3-year-old since its 2007 inception. The others are Artemis Agrotera, Little Alexis, Southern Honey, Stonetastic, and Sweet Reason.

In all, 11 are in the Nov. 1 Filly and Mare Sprint, although one of those, Better Lucky, has the BC Mile as her first preference. However, she is No. 21 on a list of 25 for the Mile (limited to 14 starters) and therefore might well wind up in this race instead.

One other Filly-Mare Sprint starter was pre-entered in another BC event: Living the Life, who has the Turf Sprint as a second preference.

In alphabetical order, these are the pre-entries for the seven-furlong Filly-Mare Sprint: Artemis Agrotera, Better Lucky, Judy the Beauty, Leigh Court, Little Alexis, Living the Life, Midnight Lucky, Southern Honey, Stonetastic, Sweet Reason, and Thank You Marylou.

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Meanwhile, in recent workouts toward the Filly-Mare Sprint:

◗ Better Lucky: Breezed a half-mile Sunday in 50.80 seconds at Belmont Park in her first work since a runner-up finish in the Oct. 4 First Lady at Keeneland.

◗ Judy the Beauty: The 2013 Filly-Mare Sprint runner-up went a swift five furlongs in 57.80 seconds Monday morning at Keeneland. It was the mare’s first dirt work aftrer four in a row over the Keeneland turf.

◗ Leigh Court: Had her first work since winning the Oct. 4 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes, breezing five furlongs in 1:00.20 over the Polytrack surface Oct. 16 at Woodbine.

◗ Living the Life: Went six furlongs in 1:12.40, handily, Saturday at Santa Anita in her fourth work since winning the Sept. 8 Presque Isle Masters on synthetic.

◗ Little Alexis: An early Santa Anita arrival from south Florida, she went five furlongs in 1:00.80, handily, on Sunday in her third work since finishing fourth in the Sept. 20 Cotillion.

◗ Midnight Lucky: Posted a bullet when going six furlongs in 1:12 last Friday at Santa Anita in her seventh work since returning from a lengthy layoff for Bob Baffert.

◗ Southern Honey: Her half-mile work Saturday at Keeneland in 46.80 seconds, her first since a runner-up finish in the TCA Stakes, was a key factor in trainer Rusty Arnold confirming her for the race.

◗ Stonetastic: Breezed three furlongs in 36.20 seconds at her Monmouth Park base Saturday for trainer Kelly Breen in her first work since finishing third as the favorite in the TCA.

◗ Sweet Reason: Was confirmed as a starter by Leah Gyarmati after breezing three furlongs in 34.60 seconds Sunday at Belmont in her first work since recovering from an ulcerated eye suffered in the Cotillion.
– additional reporting by Jay Privman