Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: East-West showdown could materialize

At this early juncture, the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland on Oct. 31 has the look of a classic East vs. West matchup.

Songbird’s 5 1/4-length romp in the Del Mar Debutante made her the clear leader of the West Coast division. She will be a heavy favorite for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer in the Grade 1 Chandelier at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Rachel’s Valentina took the top spot in the East with her from-off-the-pace score in the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga. Trainer Todd Pletcher has not yet decided whether Rachel’s Valentina – the second foal out of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra – will race in the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland on Oct. 2 or train up to the Breeders’ Cup.

Tap to It, who raced several lengths behind Rachel’s Valentina in the Spinaway and closed well to be second, beaten only a length, is based at Belmont Park with trainer Ralph Nicks. Tap to It was scheduled to work for the first time since the Spinaway on Thursday. Nicks is going to train her up to the Breeders’ Cup for owner Mandy Pope.

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“She’s had a couple of weeks and is doing very well,” Nicks said. “It is very rewarding to have this filly for Mandy, who has put so much into the game.”

Sorrento Stakes winner Pretty N Cool was no match for Songbird in the Del Mar Debutante but held second place. Trainer Bob Baffert worked her seven furlongs Sept. 17 and five furlongs on Tuesday. He is skipping the Chandelier and considering a start in the Alcibiades.

There are five Win and You’re In races for the division. Rachel’s Valentina earned a fees-paid berth in the Spinaway, and Dothraki Queen, trained by Ken McPeek, secured a Juvenile Fillies spot by winning the Grade 2 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs on Sept. 12. Dothraki Queen is likely to make her next start in the Alcibiades.

The other Win and You’re In races are the Chandelier, Alcibiades, and Grade 1 Frizette on Oct. 3 at Belmont Park.

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◗ Trainer Kelly Breen is monitoring Bold Quality, who finished second in the Pocahontas but was disqualified to third, to determine the best way to get her to the Juvenile Fillies.

“We’re going to pay her up to the Alcibiades and Frizette and see if she’s ready to run,” Breen said. “Otherwise, we can train her up to it.”

◗ Trainer Peter Miller is taking an interesting path to the Juvenile Fillies with Miss Big Stuff, who earned an 82 Beyer Speed Figure in winning her six-furlong debut at Del Mar.

The daughter of Big Drama was purchased for $45,000 as a 2-year-old at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. spring sale in April and is eligible to the Florida Stallion Series. Miller is planning to stretch her out to 1 1/16 miles in the $500,000 My Dear Girl division of the series at Gulfstream Park on Oct. 3. If she stretches out successfully, Miss Big Stuff will target the Breeders’ Cup, according to Miller.

◗ Lucky Folie, one of the better 2-year-old filly maiden winners at the Del Mar meet, is unlikely for the Breeders’ Cup, according to trainer Richard Mandella. Lucky Folie was given an 85 Beyer for her 2 1/4-length debut victory Sept. 6.

“I’m not sure she is ready to go long at this point,” Mandella said. “I am probably going to keep her sprinting for right now.”

– additional reporting by Jay Privman and Marcus Hersh