Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Ria Antonia's owner has big plans

ARCADIA, Calif. - Early Sunday morning, before heading to the airport to catch a flight back home to upstate New York, trainer Jeremiah Englehart was still savoring the victory by Ria Antonia in Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, not ready to look too far ahead in the filly’s future.

That’s okay; his owner was already doing that for him.

While Englehart said he was thinking of keeping Ria Antonia in New York for the winter and possibly taking the Princess of Sylmar path to the Kentucky Oaks - i.e. the races for 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct - Ron Paolucci, the co-owner of the filly, had more grandiose ideas.

“My goal is the first Saturday in May,” Paolucci said, obviously referring to the Kentucky Derby. “She’s a big filly, the further she goes, the better she’s going to be. I think the fillies were better than the boys.”

Ria Antonia has already faced males twice, beating a field of maidens at Woodbine by six lengths and finishing fourth in the $125,000 Swynford Stakes, also at Woodbine.

The fillies were faster than the boys as the final time of the Juvenile Fillies was 1:43.02, .50 seconds faster than New Year’s Day’s ran in winning the $2 million Juvenile later on the card. However, Ria Antonia was assigned a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 81, seven points less than New Year’s Day.

Ria Antonia finished a nose behind She’s a Tiger in the Juvenile Fillies, but she was placed first by the stewards, who disqualified She’s a Tiger after she drifted out and bumped with Ria Antonia nearing the wire.

The win was the second in five starts for Ria Antonia, a daughter of Rockport Harbor who Paolucci and partner Christopher Dunn purchased privately following her third career start. Though 25 of the previous 29 winners of the Juvenile Fillies have won an Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old filly, it remains to be seen if Ria Antonia wins one.

“I’m enjoying the win if she happens to win an Eclipse Award from it that’s great,” Englehart said. “I’m really enjoying it with my wife Robin. We’ve been through a lot in this business. It’s really special she was here for this.”

Englehart and Paolucci did agree that Ria Antonia would get some time off, whether that’s at Englehart’s barn at Belmont Park or an on a farm in Ocala, Fla., has not yet been determined.

Paolucci said he was approached after the Juvenile Fillies by officials from Sunland Park who wanted to extend an invitation to the Sunland Park Oaks. Paolucci said he wanted an invitation to the Sunland Park Derby, so Ria Antonia would be able get qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby.

“They thought I was crazy coming to this race,” Paolucci said. “They’ll think I’m crazier to go to that race.”

Meanwhile, Jeff Bonde, the trainer of She’s a Tiger, was still trying to deal with the disqualification of his filly from first in the Juvenile Fillies.

“I’ve been on the racetrack since I was 16. I’m 59 now and that’s the biggest heartbreak I’ve ever experienced,” Bonde said.

Bonde said he believes She’s a Tiger, with a win the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante, a head loss in the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes and a disqualification in the Juvenile Fillies, has done enough to be crowned champion.

“I feel like my filly has done the most of everyone else,” Bonde said. “Her form is better than the rest of them.”

Bonde did say that She’s a Tiger would not run again this year.