Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Emphatic the clear leader after Alcibiades win
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Emphatic, the winner of the Grade 1 Alcibiades last month, led a group of 13 pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Wednesday. A small army of improving contenders seem willing to challenge the Brendan Walsh trainee, but she remains the two-turn specialist with a clear head start.
With Summer Starlet, the beaten favorite in the Alcibiades, out of contention for trainer Steve Asmussen, Emphatic went from a short second choice to the expected favorite in the Juvenile Fillies. Undefeated in three starts, she also won the $100,000 Sorority around two turns at Monmouth Park before improving at Keeneland.
Her appearance on the pre-entry list was merely a formality, as Walsh made his intentions clear when the Pennsylvania-bred began formal training at Keeneland earlier this month. She completed her first workout on the track on Oct. 16, breezing four furlongs in 48.80 seconds.
Miss Monica, the runaway winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante in September, was also predictably pre-entered by Bob Baffert. The trainer skipped a two-turn test in the Grade 2 Oak Leaf at Santa Anita to ship her to Kentucky last month.
The potential field for this year’s Juvenile Fillies was one of the last to take shape, as several preps in early October dictated trainers’ next steps. Domain Expansion and Dotsy, the upset winners of the Oak Leaf and Grade 1 Frizette, were both in consideration to go to Keeneland, and both have been pre-entered.
Domain Expansion, who entered the Oak Leaf as a maiden with no experience on dirt, earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure in her seven-length victory for trainer Leonard Powell. She defeated three Baffert trainees that day and is now the only pre-entered Juvenile Fillies runner still based on the West Coast. Powell also pre-entered her in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, but this race is her first preference.
Dotsy, on the other hand, shipped to Belmont from Finger Lakes earlier this month before winning the Frizette for trainer John Grabowski. The modest filly went overlooked at 12-1 but easily kicked clear of Rum Twist and Revenge of the Sis, who are both also pre-entered in the Juvenile Fillies.
Voyager, unbeaten in her last two starts on grass, has handled both surfaces reasonably well and is pre-entered in the Juvenile Fillies as a second preference to the Juvenile Fillies Turf for Mark Casse. The trainer also pre-entered Lexi’s Charm in the Juvenile Fillies after a 12-length starter allowance victory at Keeneland on Oct. 7.
Manuka Honey has been steadily working toward the Breeders’ Cup since winning the Grade 3 Pocahontas in September. She was pre-entered by trainer Brian Lynch.
Todd Pletcher and Repole Stable pre-entered Life Changing and Badittude, relative outsiders in the group. Life Changing has lost two stakes since an impressive debut victory at Saratoga, while Badittude remains winless in three starts.
Trainer Brad Cox pre-entered Scarlett Begonia and Foxiest, who would also be longshots. Scarlett Begonia has finished in the money in two stakes, while Foxiest is coming off a solid maiden victory at Churchill Downs.
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