Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf: With 25 pre-entries, many left on sidelines
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The $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita drew a predictably oversubscribed field when pre-entries were taken Monday.
There are five European group stakes winners, seven North American stakes winners, and two American stakes-placed runners in the selected field of 14 for the one-mile race.
The 11 fillies on the also-eligible list include Go With Gusto, who was third in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes against males at Woodbine in September; Brocknardini, who won the Selima Stakes on Sept. 30 at Laurel; and Crown Imperial, who has earned $406,825, the most among domestic hopefuls.
The most glaring absence from the pre-entries is Opera Singer, winner of the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp Racecourse on Oct. 1 in Paris, France’s leading race for 2-year-old fillies. She was mentioned as a contender by trainer Aidan O’Brien earlier this month.
O’Brien said on Wednesday that Opera Singer was deserving of a “long, nice winter break” after her recent win.
“She had a busy enough season here,” O’Brien said. “After her last piece of work, she worked well and it was a little quiet after.”
O’Brien has pre-entered Content, winner of the Group 3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes at a mile on soft turf at The Curragh on Oct. 7 in Ireland for her second win in six career starts and first stakes win.
The other leading foreign-based runners include Porta Fortuna, who won the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at six furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse on Sept. 30 in Britain; Carla’s Way, who won the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes at seven furlongs by a convincing 2 1/4 lengths on Sept. 29 at Newmarket; and Les Pavots, a two-time stakes winner in France who was third in the Prix Marcel Boussac.
There will be plenty of support for American fillies such as She Feels Pretty, who trounced 12 rivals by 4 1/4 lengths in the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes on Sept. 16 at Woodbine; Buchu, the exciting winner of the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes by 3 3/4 lengths at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Keeneland in her stakes debut Oct. 6; and Hard to Justify, winner of the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes in her stakes debut at the Belmont at Aqueduct meeting on Oct. 4.
Meanwhile, the waiting game has started for the owners and trainers of runners on the also-eligible list. They will be scanning developments in coming days for defections from the original 14 fillies selected.
Entries will be taken Monday. While the field will be limited to 14 starters, as many as four other fillies can be entered as also-eligibles. The scenario does little to appease George Weaver, who trains Brocknardini.
Go With Gusto, Pharoah’s Wine, Crown Imperial, Jody’s Pride, and Brocknardini are the first five fillies on the also-eligible list of the pre-entries listed in that order. There would need to be significant changes in coming days to allow a filly such as Brocknardini to start.
“We’d like to have a chance to run in the Breeders’ Cup,” Weaver said earlier this week. “I thought she won pretty easily at Laurel. I like her chances. I think she fits well with the Americans.”
Now all Brocknardini needs is a chance.
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