Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint: Works key for Skye Diamonds's status

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Workouts the next two Saturdays at Santa Anita will determine Skye Diamonds’s status for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint as a sizable field for the Nov. 3 race continues to come into focus.

Jon Lindo, one of the ownership partners in Skye Diamonds, winner of the Oct. 7 L.A. Woman in her last start, said trainer Bill Spawr will use the works as a gauge to decide whether to actually start. Either way, the 5-year-old California-bred mare will be among the Filly and Mare Sprint pre-entries Monday and will be on a subsequent flight to Kentucky because she is entered to be sold Nov. 4 at Fasig-Tipton in Lexington.

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Also from California, Marley’s Freedom, the likely favorite for the seven-furlong Filly and Mare Sprint at Churchill Downs, had another sharp workout when going five furlongs Tuesday in 1:00.40 at Santa Anita. It was the sixth drill for Marley’s Freedom, a 4-year-old Blame filly owned by Cicero Farms, since a 3 1/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 25 at Saratoga ran her winning streak to four. Both she and her Bob Baffert-trained stablemate, the unbeaten 3-year-old Dream Tree, are not scheduled to ship to Churchill until early Breeders’ Cup week. Dream Tree had her most recent work last Friday when going five furlongs in 59.40 seconds at Santa Anita.

From Florida, Stormy Embrace had her first breeze in nearly three weeks when going five furlongs in 1:02 last Friday at Gulfstream Park West. Trainer Kathleen O’Connell said the filly’s work schedule was altered by weather and the recent death of O’Connell’s father. Stormy Embrace was a troubled third in her last start Sept. 8 after earning a Win and You’re In bid with a six-length romp in the June 30 Princess Rooney.

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At Churchill, Mia Mischief is back on a regular work schedule into the Filly and Mare Sprint after breezing a half-mile in 49.20 seconds on Saturday. It was the first work in four weeks for the 3-year-old filly trained by Steve Asmussen. Asmussen also has Gallant Bloom winner Union Strike for the Filly and Mare Sprint.

Also at Churchill, trainer Wayne Catalano has declared Farrell from consideration for any Breeders’ Cup event and is looking to run the 4-year-old filly in the Grade 2 Chilukki, a one-mile race on the Nov. 3 BC undercard.