Breeders' Cup Filly-Mare Sprint: Cotillion critical for Cathryn Sophia, Carina Mia
The Grade 1 Cotillion on Saturday at Parx should prove critical for the top two challengers to Songbird in determining which Breeders’ Cup race they will run in.
Cathryn Sophia and Carina Mia both have shown themselves to be highly effective at shorter distances, and depending on what transpires in the 1 1/16-mile Cotillion, their connections might wind up opting for the seven-furlong distance of the $1 million BC Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita.
That’s just one of many things still to be determined in the final round of prep races leading into the Filly and Mare Sprint. Three other races – the Oct. 1 Gallant Bloom at Belmont Park, the Oct. 8 Thoroughbred Club of America at Keeneland, and the Oct. 9 L.A. Woman at Santa Anita – also should be highly instrumental in how the final lineup shakes out.
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In any case, at this early juncture, the Filly and Mare Sprint sure looks like a wide-open race that could draw a capacity field of 14.
Aside from Cathryn Sophia and Carina Mia, other major prospects include Haveyougoneaway and By the Moon, the one-two finishers in the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga; Wavell Avenue, the defending Filly and Mare Sprint champion, trained by Chad Brown; Stonetastic, the dynamic mare based in New Jersey with Kelly Breen; and perhaps the top West Coast female sprinters, Tara’s Tango and Enchanting Lady, the one-two finishers in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo last month at Del Mar.
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But wait, that’s not all.
The New York contingent appears to be particularly deep, with 3-year-olds Lewis Bay, Off the Tracks, Lucy N Ethel, and Paola Queen being prepared to mix it up with their elders, a group that includes Paulassilverlining and Wonder Gal. As such, the Grade 2, $300,000 Gallant Bloom at 6 1/2 furlongs could be the prep with the widest implications, depending on what is decided following the Cotillion.
There’s also the possibility that horses who come up short in longer races such as the Beldame, Zenyatta, and Spinster could make turnbacks in the Filly and Mare Sprint, but again, there’s a lot to be decided in the next few weeks.