Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Flight arrangements in the works for Scandalous Act

The connections of Scandalous Act would like the filly who swept the Florida Stallion Stakes last Saturday to advance to the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita on Nov. 2. But trying to coordinate suitable travel arrangements from Miami to Los Angeles has been difficult, according to trainer Kathleen O’Connell.

The options O’Connell had as of Wednesday morning were to van 15 to 18 hours to Kentucky and then catch a flight to Southern California, or ship Scandalous Act to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where she would catch a flight to Memphis. She would then have a four- to five-hour layover in Tennessee before going on to Los Angeles.

“What I don’t want to do is to have 20 hours of shipping involved where I don’t think she can physically be at her best,” O’Connell said. “It’s asking a lot, especially of a young horse that hasn’t traveled. The most she’s traveled is on a van four or five hours, from the farm to Calder.”

O’Connell was continuing to search for options Wednesday and said she just heard Breeders’ Cup officials were hoping to help coordinate a flight for Florida runners from Ft. Lauderdale to Kentucky. From there, the horses would fly to Southern California.

“It would be a much better option, and would make me feel a lot more comfortable,” O’Connell said.

Scandalous Act has won 4 of 5 starts, including the three-race Florida Stallion Stakes series run at Calder between July and October. She took the races by a combined margin of 22 lengths, her latest conquest coming in the $300,000 My Dear Girl. The 1 1/16-mile race was the two-turn debut for Scandalous Act, and she led throughout for a 5 3/4-length win. For the effort, Scandalous Act earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 78.

Awesome Feather, winner of the Juvenile Fillies in 2010, swept the Florida Stallion Stakes prior to the Breeders’ Cup.

Scandalous Act is a homebred daughter of Act of Duty who races for Gilbert Campbell.

Rosalind to Juvenile Fillies

Rosalind, who had been a candidate for both the Juvenile Fillies and the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, will go in the Juvenile Fillies, said her trainer, Ken McPeek. The versatile Rosalind won her maiden on turf then became Grade 2-placed on dirt when third in the Pocahontas at Churchill Downs. In her most recent start, Rosalind closed from ninth for second in the Grade 1 Alcibiades on Polytrack at Keeneland.

McPeek said the deciding factor was the distance of the Juvenile Fillies.

“I just felt like the mile and a sixteenth is better than the flat mile,” McPeek said. “The Juvenile Fillies Turf is a flat mile. The more distance she gets, the better.”

McPeek said Rosalind is scheduled to work in company at Churchill on Saturday. Rosalind, who races for Landaluce Educe Stables, is to be ridden by Joel Rosario, said McPeek.

** Battlefield Angel, who was third in the Alcibiades, had been pointing for the Juvenile Fillies but will not go due to injury, said her trainer, Wayne Catalano.

** Stonetastic, second in the Pocahontas, also will not advance to the Juvenile Fillies, according to trainer Kelly Breen. “We don’t plan on running,” Breen said.

– additional reporting by Jay Privman