Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Flawless Four put it on the line
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Unlike most other Breeders’ Cup races this weekend at Keeneland, the $2 million Juvenile Fillies drew a short field.
And yet no one is complaining about it. That’s because the collective quality of the seven fillies in the 37th running of the 1 1/16-mile race seems beyond reproach, with four of them never having tasted defeat ahead of what is one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the two-day series.
Princess Noor, Simply Ravishing, Dayoutoftheoffice, and Girl Daddy all have overmatched their rivals to date, going a combined 11 for 11. Come Friday, however, something’s got to give, and it’s anyone’s guess as to how this regional showdown of unbeatens will ultimately play out. “Special” and “amazing” are the words being used on a regular basis by people connected to them all, and yet only one of these fillies will still have an unblemished record when night falls, barring the unlikelihood of a dead heat or a longshot winner.
Princess Noor enters as the 9-5 morning-line favorite looking to give her Hall of Fame trainer, Bob Baffert, his third Juvenile Fillies victory, following Silverbulletday (1998) and Indian Blessing (2007). The daughter of first-crop sire Not This Time was sensational in winning three races within a five-week span in California, most notably capturing back-to-back Grade 1’s, the Del Mar Debutante and Chandelier. She breaks from post 7 and will be ridden by Victor Espinoza, who teamed with Baffert five years ago in completing a “grand slam” with American Pharoah in the BC Classic at Keeneland.
“She’s one of the best I’ve ever ridden,” Espinoza said after taking the Sept. 26 Chandelier in a hand ride.
Whereas several of her opponents have achieved higher Beyer Speed Figures, Princess Noor has only earned Beyers ranging from 76 to 79 – although Baffert has said he believes she has not yet put her potential on full display. Indeed, Espinoza had her geared down through the final furlong of both stakes wins, so Friday should provide an opportunity for her to max out if needed.
Simply Ravishing (post 1, Luis Saez), based most of the year in Kentucky with Ken McPeek, has been similarly impressive in her three starts. After winning her Aug. 2 debut going two turns on the Saratoga turf, she won right back in the off-turf P.G. Johnson going seven furlongs at the Spa. As the coup de grace, the New York-bred daughter of Laoban thoroughly dominated the Grade 1 Alcibiades last month going this same distance over the same course, drawing off by 6 1/2 lengths after gunning straight to the lead. She earned an 89 Beyer.
“The good thing about her is I really don’t think she’s a speed type – although obviously she’s fast – and she’ll get better with more distance,” said McPeek, who enters this weekend with a 0-for-31 record in the Breeders’ Cup. “She was really striding out in the Alcibiades. It’s going to take some kind of filly to beat her Friday.”
Dayoutoftheoffice (post 3, Junior Alvarado) has been something of an overachiever. After an easy debut win at Gulfstream Park in May, the dark bay daughter of the red-hot Into Mischief posted a six-length score in the July 16 Schuylerville at Saratoga when dismissed at 19-1. She then followed that with a two-length victory in the Oct. 10 Frizette at Belmont Park, earning a field-high 95 Beyer and giving Tim Hamm his first Grade 1 triumph in a 25-year training career.
“She’s done everything perfect,” said the Ohio-based Hamm, who is being represented by his first BC starter as a trainer. “My level of confidence is probably as good as anyone else in the race.”
Girl Daddy (post 5, Joe Talamo) skipped the final round of traditional preps for the Juvenile Fillies after overcoming an uneven start in winning the Pocahontas during Kentucky Derby week at Churchill Downs. The only prior start for the gray Uncle Mo filly was a blowout score in her July debut at Ellis Park.
“I’ve said for months now that she might be the best filly I’ve ever had,” trainer Dale Romans said. “We could’ve run her one more time after the Pocahontas, but she’s trained lights out and I’m satisfied with doing it this way. She’s going to run big.”
Among the others, Vequist (post 2, Joel Rosario) has done the most, winning the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga by 9 1/2 lengths before finishing second as an odds-on favorite behind Dayoutoftheoffice with a 91 Beyer in the Frizette, a one-turn mile.
“We’re hoping the two turns will be in our favor,” trainer Butch Reid said.
Rounding out the field are a second McPeek filly, Crazy Beautiful (post 6, Brian Hernandez Jr.), and Thoughtfully (post 4, Ricardo Santana Jr.).
Keeneland main track races at 1 1/16 miles begin and end at what is otherwise the sixteenth pole, making the Juvenile Fillies a “short stretch” race.
As for how the race might unfold, Simply Ravishing might be forced to go from her rail slot, lest she and Saez find undue trouble. Dayoutoftheoffice surely will be prominent making her first two-turn start, while Girl Daddy figures extra-sharp off the nine-length layoff. Espinoza probably will want to use the natural speed of Princess Noor so as not to be caught too wide going into the first turn. It all makes for some fascinating handicapping.
The Juvenile Fillies, one of the “original seven” Breeders’ Cup races run every year since the 1984 inaugural, has been won by such greats as Go for Wand (1989), Storm Flag Flying (2002), Beholder (2012), and Songbird (2015). The 2019 winner at Santa Anita was British Idiom, trained by Brad Cox.
The Juvenile Fillies goes as the eighth of 10 races and therefore is a key link in all multi-race wagers late on the card. Post time is 3:50 p.m. Eastern.