Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: 13 pre-entrants but no standout

Everyone who wants to start in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita on Nov. 5 will get their chance, as 13 were pre-entered in the 1 1/16-mile race, one fewer than the limit of 14 starters.

Eleven probably will start because With Honors, trained by Keith Desormeaux, and New Money Honey, who races for Chad Brown, have the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf as their first preference. The Juvenile Fillies Turf is oversubscribed with 21 pre-entries, but both With Honors and New Money Honey qualified on points and are in the body of the race.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2016: Pre-entries, odds, comments, and more

The Juvenile Fillies is a far different contest than a year ago, when 3-5 favorite Songbird defeated 5-1 second choice Rachel’s Valentina by 5 3/4 lengths. The favorite this year can be expected to be closer to the price of Rachel’s Valentina last year – probably in the 3-1 or 4-1 range.

Noted and Quoted, who won the Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita for Bob Baffert, could go favored, as could Union Strike, who won the Del Mar Debutante for trainer Shelbe Ruis but now is trained by Craig Dollase. Sweet Loretta, the Spinaway and Schuylerville stakes winner trained by Todd Pletcher, also will have a good share of backers.

A late addition to the field at pre-entry time was the Baffert-trained American Gal, who came off a 10-week illness-related layoff Sunday to win the $71,000 Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita. American Gal, who is now 2 for 2, won the Anoakia by 6 1/2 lengths and was moving well at the finish of the six-furlong sprint.

She now faces the daunting task of returning on 13 days’ rest and stretching out five-sixteenths of a mile in the Juvenile Fillies. She could be the speed of the race.

:: Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Results, replays, charts, and more

Jamyson ‘n Ginger earned a startling 103 Beyer Speed Figure for her 15-length maiden win at a mile over a sloppy track at Belmont on Oct. 9. That figure is the best in the field by 19 points. Yellow Agate earned an 84 in her debut maiden victory going six furlongs, then came back and won the Frizette at Belmont.

In the Juvenile Fillies, Jamyson ‘n Ginger will have to prove she can duplicate that effort against tougher rivals in a two-turn race over what should be a dry track.

Five Breeders’ Cup Challenge race winners have fees-paid berths in the Juvenile Fillies: Daddys Lil Darling (Pocahontas), Dancing Rags (Alcibiades), Noted and Quoted (Chandelier), Sweet Loretta (Spinaway), and Yellow Agate (Frizette).