Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf: Hard to Justify to enjoy winter's rest

ARCADIA, Calif. - Hard to Justify gave trainer Chad Brown a record sixth win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita on Friday, holding off a sustained threat to win by a half-length.

Hard to Justify, unbeaten in three starts, will have a wintertime rest with a return to racing likely in the spring at Gulfstream Park or Keeneland.

Judging from Brown’s first five winners in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, major things can be expected of Hard to Justify in coming years.

Brown won the inaugural running of the Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita in 2008 with Maram, who later won two minor stakes. In her career, Maram achieved the least of Brown’s first five winners in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Lady Eli won the 2014 Juvenile Fillies Turf and was the champion turf female in 2017. She retired with eight stakes wins and earnings of more than $2.95 million.

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New Money Honey, who won the 2016 Juvenile Fillies Turf and the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks the following July, was the first of three consecutive wins in the race for Brown.

Rushing Fall, the winner of the 2017 Juvenile Fillies Turf, later won five additional Grade 1 stakes and was named the champion turf female of 2020. Newspaperofrecord won the 2018 Juvenile Fillies Turf and won the Grade 1 Just a Game Stakes at Belmont Park in 2020, her most prestigious win after her juvenile season.

All six winners had their third career starts in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

While Brown is a veteran of the Juvenile Fillies Turf, owner Brian Wise of Virginia secured his first trophy on Friday.

Wise, a healthcare technology company executive, paid $190,000 for Hard to Justify at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. It was not long after the filly went into training that Wise began hearing positive reports from Brown.

“She’s very smart and she always trained well,” Wise said. “She never did the wrong thing.”

Hard to Justify overcame significant trouble to win her debut in a maiden race at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Saratoga on July 22.

“She showed that she was very advanced for her age, mentally and in physical toughness," Brown said. “She made a couple of runs to get up.”

In her stakes debut in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf at the Belmont at Aqueduct meeting on Oct. 4, Hard to Justify raced near the front throughout and won by a half-length.

On Friday, Hard to Justify broke from post 12 in a field of 14. To secure position, Brown and jockey Flavien Prat decided to urge Hard to Justify near the front in the opening furlongs.

“When she drew wide, it was disappointing,” Brown said. “I said, ‘I don’t mind using some fuel early to clear.’ She did that.

“My only concern was at the three-eighths mile marker. When they started to stack up, I thought maybe that post would do her in, but I knew she had some fight and could use that last bit of energy.

“She had plenty, more than I thought.”

Hard to Justify held off a late threat from Porta Fortuna and She Feels Pretty to win by a half-length. Porta Fortuna finished a head in front of She Feels Pretty.

Wise and his family spent part of Saturday morning visiting Hard to Justify in the stables.

“She looked great and was munching on her hay,” he said. “She was happy and calm.”

The accomplishment of a first-ever Breeders’ Cup win was slowly sinking in.

“You’re sort of in disbelief, but she did what she did in her other races,” Wise said. “ She was challenged in the stretch and she found another gear.”

After a winter rest, Hard to Justify will understandably be the subject of high expectations next spring. The same occurred with many of her predecessors and was, well, justified.

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