Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Dominant top three in Chandelier will move on

The Chandelier last Saturday at Santa Anita helped sort out the West Coast’s crop of 2-year-old fillies, with the first three finishers -- Secret Compass, She’s a Tiger, and Fascinating -- finishing more than 18 lengths clear of the rest of the field. The trio is scheduled to advance to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, which will be run at Santa Anita on Nov. 2.

Secret Compass won her two-turn debut in the Grade 1, $250,000 Chandelier, a Win and You’re In race held over the same surface and distance as the BC Juvenile Fillies. She stalked the pace in fourth in the 1 1/16-mile race, picked up steam on the final turn, and was diligent through the stretch to catch She’s a Tiger.

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Secret Compass was a head winner over She’s a Tiger, the second choice following her win in the Grade 1 Debutante at Del Mar. Both earned Beyer Speed Figures of 79. She’s a Tiger was also making her two-turn debut in the race, and was prominent throughout in what seemed to serve as a highly useful prep for the BC.

Fascinating, a maiden who went off as the favorite in the Chandelier, had one horse beat early on then put in a sustained run to finish third, beaten a length for everything. It was her first start at two turns and her first on natural dirt, and she earned a Beyer Figure of 78. Fascinating, who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Bodemeister, has a nice stride and appears to be a filly with a good deal of upside.

Bob Baffert trains both Fascinating and Secret Compass, who gave him his ninth win in the Chandelier, the race formerly called the Oak Leaf. Jeff Bonde is the trainer of She’s a Tiger.