Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint: Two key preps this weekend
The last two preps for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint are set for this weekend, with the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America on Saturday at Keeneland and the Grade 3 L.A. Woman on Sunday at Santa Anita.
Stonetastic could be favored in a competitive field in the six-furlong TCA, which offers a Win and You’re In berth in the seven-furlong Filly and Mare Sprint. The speedy 5-year-old mare will be returning from a 10-week layoff after earning a 104 Beyer Speed Figure in winning an ungraded stakes at her home base, Monmouth Park, in late July.
“She’s doing super,” said trainer Kelly Breen. “We gave her plenty of time since her last race and considered a couple other options before we decided to send her there to Keeneland. They’d all better be tied on.”
Bendable, Fioretti, Sarah Sis, and Spelling Again are among the others who logically could advance to Santa Anita with a big effort Saturday.
The 6 1/2-furlong L.A. Woman could get either Luminance or Enchanting Lady, said trainer Bob Baffert, with both being considered for the Filly and Mare Sprint regardless of which filly starts Sunday. Other probables for the L.A. Woman include Finest City, Gloryzapper, Juno, Perfect Pic, and Wild at Heart.
Meanwhile, from New York, Michelle Nevin said Gallant Bloom winner Paulassilverlining is only possible to run back in the Filly and Mare Sprint, whereas her Ballerina runner-up, By the Moon, was flown Tuesday to Santa Anita as a definite prospect for the race.
Paulassilverlining, owned by Vincent Scuderi, “definitely would be one of the fillies that would be live,” said Nevin. “It’s just a matter of seeing how she came out of the race and talking it over with Vinnie about whether we want to go ahead with this.”
Paulassilverlining won the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom last Saturday at Belmont Park as the 9-5 favorite, with Quezon second and Wavell Avenue third.
By the Moon will be overseen for the next few weeks by Ron Ellis, who trains the Southern California string for owner Samantha Siegel. Nevin will be on hand during Breeders’ Cup week.
“We wanted to get the filly familiar with her surroundings and the track,” said Nevin. “She’s not an overly big filly, and she runs well fresh. We didn’t want to really push on her with a race in between, so we decided to go this route.”
From Philadelphia, the connections of Cathryn Sophia said they are mulling their options with the 2016 Kentucky Oaks winner after she was defeated 12 1/2 lengths by Songbird in the Sept. 24 Cotillion at Parx. The Nov. 5 Filly and Mare Sprint is more likely than trying Songbird again the previous day in the BC Distaff or diverting to Keeneland for the Oct. 22 Raven Run, a Grade 2 race expected to get Lewis Bay and Lucy N Ethel.