Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Baffert running American Cleopatra, Noted and Quoted in Chandelier

The Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes on Saturday is a course and distance prep for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, which will be held at Santa Anita in five weeks and run at 1 1/16 miles.

The Chandelier also is the third of five Win and You’re In races for the division. Sweet Loretta and Pretty City Dancer earned fees-paid berths in the Juvenile Fillies for their dead-heat win in the Spinaway at Saratoga. Daddys Lil Darling punched her ticket by winning the Pocahontas at Churchill Downs.

The final two Win and You’re In races are the Alcibiades next Friday on opening day of the Keeneland fall meet and the Frizette the next day at Belmont Park.

Trainer Bob Baffert will run both American Cleopatra and Noted and Quoted, the second- and fourth-place finishers in the seven-furlong Del Mar Debutante, in the Chandelier. Baffert had considered sending Noted and Quoted to the Alcibiades but in the end entered her in the Chandelier.

"She's staying home," he said by text Wednesday evening

American Cleopatra, who ran the better race of the two in the Debutante, but Noted and Quoted has every right to improve.

American Cleopatra, owned and bred by Zayat Stables, has good speed and won her debut going 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar in late July. In the Debutante, she was tracking the front-running Morganite, but when that filly began to back up on the far turn, American Cleopatra took the lead at the five-sixteenths pole. She could not withstand the wide rally of eventual winner Union Strike but kept fighting to hold second by a nose over Champagne Room, who also will be returning in the Chandelier.

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American Cleopatra is a full sister to reigning Horse of the Year American Pharoah, who won 9 of 11 starts and more than $8.6 million for Baffert.

“We’ll never see anything like that again, but she has ability,” Baffert said in reference to American Pharoah. “I was proud of her in the Debutante. She pressed the pace and kept on well.”

Noted and Quoted dropped back early in the Debutante, moved closer nearing the stretch, but lacked the needed kick and finished 3 1/2 lengths behind her stablemate. She had won a Del Mar maiden race by 9 1/2 lengths 27 days earlier.

“I didn’t think she ran her race in the Debutante,” Baffert said. “I was a little disappointed, but she’s breezed well since. I think she’ll run better next time, and I think she’ll go long.”

Baffert was going to run a third filly in the Debutante, but he declared American Gal from the race due to illness. She is not being considered for the Breeders’ Cup.

“She’s okay, she’s going light right now,” Baffert said. “When she’s ready, I think I’m going to run her short one more time.”