Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Field looks low on quantity, but high on quality
LEXINGTON, Ky. – With unbeaten fillies abounding, the prospective field for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies has winnowed to single digits as the Monday deadline for pre-entries nears.
Princess Noor, Simply Ravishing, and Dayoutoftheoffice are all undefeated in three starts, scaring off most would-be longshots whose connections would dare to try them. That’s aside from Girl Daddy, who’s 2 for 2, and Souper Sensational, who also is 2 for 2 following a four-length romp last Saturday in the Glorious Song over the Woodbine synthetic.
Mark Casse, trainer of Souper Sensational, has not yet committed the Curlin filly to the race, saying he and owner Charlotte Weber of Live Oak Plantation are still discussing it.
“We had a discussion about it [Tuesday], and Mrs. Weber wants to think on it a little more,” Casse said.
Souper Sensational, a $725,000 yearling purchase at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, “is a special filly, we really believe. But we do find this race to be a little tougher than normal.”
Casse recalls running Valadorna in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita “straight off a maiden win and thought she could win it, and she nearly did,” as she was beaten less than a length by Champagne Room. “You’d have a tough time doing that this year. There might not be much quantity to this field, but there sure seems to be a lot of quality.”
In all, there are nine fillies under consideration for the Nov. 6 Juvenile Fillies, to be run at the once-around distance of 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland. Princess Noor, whose combined margin of victory in her three wins is 17 1/4 lengths, is the early 5-2 favorite in the latest Daily Racing Form projections over Simply Ravishing and Dayoutoftheoffice, both at 3-1.
Princess Noor, trained by Bob Baffert, was among the contenders sent through another serious workout last weekend when going five furlongs in 59.20 seconds on Saturday at Santa Anita. In other recent works, all at Churchill Downs: Simply Ravishing went a half-mile Saturday in 47.20, while her Ken McPeek stablemate, Crazy Beautiful, went the same distance the same morning in 48.60; Girl Daddy was sent five furlongs in 1:00.40 on Friday; and Thoughtfully covered five furlongs in 1:01.60 on Sunday.