Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Bellafina assumes role as favorite

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bellafina already wants more, and she will ship to Churchill Downs as the presumptive favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies following a decisive victory in the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Wednesday morning, in her first day back to the track, a frisky Bellafina was full of herself. She was a handful for her exercise rider to control, brimming with energy. If anyone wondered how Bellafina came out of her third graded win, the answer was clear.

“She just jogged, but she looked like she wanted to do a lot more,” trainer Simon Callaghan said watching Bellafina leave the Santa Anita track at 7 a.m.

Callaghan will train Bellafina at Santa Anita for most of October. Plans call for her to have her final breeze at Santa Anita and ship to Churchill one week in front of the Nov. 2 Juvenile Fillies.

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Bellafina and Serengeti Empress remain early favorites; their odds order flipped following the Chandelier. Bellafina removed blinkers, stretched to a route, and won by more than six. Daily Racing Form installed Bellafina as the 7-2 favorite; Serengeti Empress is 4-1.

The list of secondary contenders shuffled after the latest round of prep races. The Juvenile Fillies complexion will become clear after final Grade 1 preps this week at Keeneland and Belmont Park – the Alcibiades on Friday and Frizette on Sunday.

Four that entered the Chandelier drop off the list of contenders. Brill, Del Mar May, and Der Lu finished third through fifth; Mother Mother got sick and scratched. Her status is pending.

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California-based Vibrance and Florida-based Cookie Dough ran well enough last Saturday to target the Juvenile Fillies. Vibrance finished second to Bellafina in the Chandelier; Cookie Dough romped in the My Dear Girl Stakes for Florida-sired fillies on Saturday at Gulfstream Park. She won by more than seven lengths, despite a wide trip.

Catherinethegreat and Covfefe are new to the list. Their status for the Juvenile Fillies depends on performances in the two remaining Breeders’ Cup Challenge races for the division.

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Catherinethegreat seeks a rebound in the Alcibiades. She won a Grade 3 in July at Saratoga and then finished ninth the Grade 1 Spinaway.

The Alcibiades also includes Spinaway runner-up Restless Rider and Arlington-Washington Lassie winner Into Trouble, who may be worth backing. Into Trouble’s stakes victory on the synthetic surface at Arlington was more impressive visually than her 67 Beyer Speed Figure.

Covfefe is the likely favorite for the one-mile Frizette; entries are Thursday. Covfefe won her debut by more than nine lengths Sept. 16 at Churchill Downs, earning an 86 Beyer that is the highest of the Frizette nominees.

Carnival Colors is the Juvenile Fillies sleeper. She won a maiden race Aug. 16 at Arlington by more than 11 lengths and entered the Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes on Saturday at Woodbine.

Spinaway winner Sippican Harbor resumed breezing. She will train into the Juvenile Fillies, which will be her first start in two months.