Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Regional battle of unbeatens
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Breeders’ Cup was conceived as an event that would bring together top horses from all regions to settle championships. Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup races begin with one of those classic East-vs.-West showdowns, between Rachel’s Valentina and Songbird in the $2 million Juvenile Fillies. Both are unbeaten, and a victory by either would make her the undisputed Eclipse Award divisional champion.
The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, run at 1 1/16 miles around two turns, is race 3 at Keeneland on Saturday, with post time of 12:05 p.m. Eastern.
Songbird is the 7-5 favorite on the Keeneland morning line. But it is Rachel’s Valentina – the only daughter of immensely popular Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra – who has captured the public’s imagination. The Bernardini filly carries the colors of Stonestreet Farm for Barbara Banke, whose late husband, Jess Jackson, engineered Rachel Alexandra’s audacious campaign.
“She’s a delight to train,” trainer Todd Pletcher said of Rachel’s Valentina. “She’s just as straightforward as any 2-year-old we’ll ever get in. She, knock on wood, has never missed a beat – never. Everything that we did with her from her first three-furlong breeze to [now], she has just continually handled with ease. Did all the things you want to see a 2-year-old do mentally. Very straightforward, very uncomplicated.”
Rachel’s Valentina has won both of her starts, coming four wide to take a Saratoga maiden special weight that has the look of a key race and then winning the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes there Sept. 5. She comes into the Juvenile Fillies off an eight-week layoff and having never gone two turns. Pletcher is eager to tackle the latter challenge.
“Before we started her the first time, my only concern was just if six furlongs was going to be a little bit short and sharp for her,” Pletcher said. “She’s not a super-quick filly away from the gate. It seems like the further she goes, the better she gets. So, I was impressed that she was able to handle six, and then we felt even better about the seven in the Spinaway and feel even better about the mile and a sixteenth here. But I think, like her pedigree would suggest, two turns is really what she’s wanting to do.”
Rachel’s Valentina is the second foal out of Rachel Alexandra, who defeated males in three Grade 1 events during her 2009 campaign to lock up Horse of the Year honors. With Rachel Alexandra unlikely to be bred again – she suffered complications requiring surgery and a lengthy clinic stay after delivering the filly – Rachel’s Valentina is nearly priceless.
“Any time that you have a filly with the pedigree like that and you’re able to win a Grade 1 race, and a very prestigious Grade 1 race like the Spinaway, it’s a fantastic achievement for her and her dam and the entire family,” Pletcher said. “It’s very satisfying. Aside from that, she’s just a lovely filly to be around, she’s got a great personality, and she’s really a very cool horse to train.”
Songbird, meanwhile, has somewhat quietly won all three of her starts by a combined 16 1/4 lengths. She became a Grade 1 winner in her second start with a victory in the Del Mar Debutante. Stretched out to two turns next out, she handled that challenge with ease to add the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes to her résumé on Sept. 26 at Santa Anita. Remarkably, the 4 1/2-length margin of victory in that race is the smallest of her career.
“She’s doing everything that we’ve asked her to do,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said.
Songbird, with Mike Smith in the irons, drew the outside post in the field of 10 for the Juvenile Fillies. Rachel’s Valentina is directly toward her inside under John Velazquez.
“It’s not ideal to be outside, especially on this racetrack,” Hollendorfer said. “But it’s a lot better than being inside.”
The Juvenile Fillies has been a formful event, with 17 favorites winning in 31 prior runnings and winners paying $5 or less 22 times. The race has seen major upsets the last two years, however, as Ria Antonia was 32-1 when she won via disqualification in 2013 and champion Take Charge Brandi was 61-1 last year.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Ma Can Do It. Trainer Dale Romans is 40-9-2-5 with a $5.08 ROI over the past five years in graded stakes at Keeneland. – Mike Hogan
If there is to be an upset Saturday, the most likely candidates appear to be two fillies who have been chasing the favorites – Tap to It and Land Over Sea. Tap to It, despite being steadied and shuffled back, rallied to win her career debut at Saratoga, then finished second to Rachel’s Valentina in the Spinaway. She too will be coming off an eight-week layoff and never has gone two turns.
Land Over Sea was third to Songbird in the Debutante and second in the Chandelier.
“She’s facing what’ll probably be the shortest price all day in Songbird, who’s such an amazing filly,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. “Land Over Sea seems to be getting a little better with each race, and if she jumps forward, anything can happen.”
Nickname exited Rachel’s Valentina’s maiden score to win next out, then took the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes at Belmont Park. Nemoralia was second in the Frizette in her U.S. debut.