Filly/Mare Sprint: Dettori picks up mount on Judy the Beauty

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Owner-trainer Wesley Ward said that Frankie Dettori will replace Mike Smith as the jockey aboard Judy the Beauty in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

Judy the Beauty, now 6, ran second to Groupie Doll in the 2013 Filly and Mare Sprint with Luis Saez riding and won the 2014 running with Smith up, both at Santa Anita.

“Frankie and I have just been so lucky together I thought I’d give this a try,” said Ward at Keeneland. “He’s got the magic touch, at least for me.”

Dettori has won four races from 15 starters for Ward. In June, Dettori won the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee aboard Undrafted, and Ward said afterward it was the biggest race he has won in his 25-year training career.

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Meanwhile, Ward said he might not be in attendance for a second straight year at the Breeders’ Cup, depending on whether his son, Riley, makes the finals of the state high-school cross-country meet back home in Florida.

“If he’s in it, I’ll be there to watch, in all likelihood,” said Ward. “The qualifier is this weekend.”

Last year, the watch-from-home strategy produced fabulous results for Ward, as his six BC runners at Santa Anita produced two wins, three seconds, and one third.