Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf: Unbeaten Lake Victoria escapes trouble, then kicks clear
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DEL MAR, Calif. - The incident that forced Lake Victoria to be checked approaching the first turn of Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf left the world-famous trainer Aidan O’Brien in a momentary panic.
“I was thinking of going home,” he said.
The concern was short-lived.
After jockey Ryan Moore positioned Lake Victoria on the inside on the backstretch, the heavily favored Irish filly gradually moved closer to the front. With a three-wide move, Lake Victoria took the lead in the final furlong and pulled away to win by a convincing 1 1/2 lengths.
“I was very happy Ryan was on her after the first turn,” O’Brien said. “I knew if it was possible to get through, he was going to work it out.
“He gave her the time, didn’t he?”
Moore’s patient ride gave Lake Victoria her third consecutive win in a Group 1 or Grade 1 race. She won Group 1 sprints in Ireland and Britain in September in advance of the trip to California.
Lake Victoria ($3.40) ran a mile in 1:34.28, extending her unbeaten streak to five races, including four stakes. Lake Victoria earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 85.
Owned by the Coolmore syndicate, Lake Victoria started from the inside post in a big field of 14 in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Moore rode Lake Victoria away from the gate in an aggressive manner to maintain position in the opening furlong.
“She jumped very well,” Moore said. “It seemed like there were quite a lot that wanted to lead. I wanted to get her comfortable, but there wasn’t much space.”
Lake Victoria was checked briefly when 16-1 Scythian drifted to the inside when she appeared to be bothered by a rival. Lake Victoria recovered quickly and was seventh through the first half-mile, racing in pursuit of 9-2 Thought Process, who set early fractions of 22.25 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 45.37 for a half-mile.
Lake Victoria trailed by about four lengths with a half-mile remaining. She was fifth with a quarter-mile remaining when Moore found room to move the filly outside entering the stretch. The race was essentially over with more than a sixteenth of a mile remaining.
“We thought she was very good and she is,” O’Brien said. “She’s very classy, isn’t she?”
May Day Ready (13-1) closed from 12th to be closest to the front at the finish under jockey Frankie Dettori.
“She was slow away,” Dettori said.
While Dettori was encouraged by May Day Ready’s progress, she was no match for the winner.
“I was two [horses] behind Ryan,” Dettori said. “He had too much pace for me. She’s the best filly in Europe. I can’t complain.”
Nitrogen (43-1) caught the eye with an impressive rally in the stretch to finish third, passing eight rivals to finish 2 1/2 lengths behind Lake Victoria. Nitrogen, a maiden after three races, was expected to challenge for the lead, but was at the back of the field early.
“She probably wasn’t going to beat the winner,” said Mark Casse, who trains Nitrogen for D. J. Stable. “She’s a homebred. It was a big performance.”
Fiery Lucy, a 46-1 outsider, finished fourth, and was followed by Kilwin, Vixen, Correto, Totally Justified, Thought Process, Anshoda, Heavens Gate, Scythian, Virgin Colada, and Abientot.
Several fillies had troubled trips, notably Vixen, who had a wide trip and lost by 4 1/2 lengths, and Totally Justified, who raced in traffic on the turn and was beaten 5 1/2 lengths.
By Frankel, Lake Victoria has earned $1,043,427. After winning a maiden race in her debut at the Curragh on June 28, Lake Victoria won her stakes debut in the Group 2 Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse in Britain on Aug. 10.
In two starts in September, Lake Victoria rapidly rose to the top of the European 2-year-old filly division, winning the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at seven furlongs on Sept. 15 and scoring a comprehensive three-length win in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at six furlongs on Sept. 28.
The versatility she showed by winning those races at different distances made the decision to start in California easier. Moore, for one, argued for her to be sent to Del Mar and skip the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket on Oct. 11.
“She had very good form coming into this race,” Moore said. “All she needed was normal racing luck, and we just about managed that. She proved to be much the best.
“There was no doubt that she would suit a mile here. It was a matter of getting around.”
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