Her Emmynency switches surfaces, eyes BC Juvenile Fillies Turf

Trainer Michael Stidham is hoping that a strong performance by Her Emmynency in the $100,000 Surfer Girl at Santa Anita on Sunday will stamp her as a serious contender in the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Oct. 31.

Her Emmynency is coming off a second-place finish behind Sunset Glow on Polytrack in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante, in which she was ridden by Joe Talamo. She will be making her first start on turf in the one-mile Surfer Girl. The daughter of Successful Appeal is out of Chic Dancer, who won the Grade 3 Modesty Handicap on turf, so she has the pedigree to handle the surface switch.

According to DRF ’s Brad Free, she was very impressive in her four-furlong work Sept. 20 on the Santa Anita turf course. It was the first time she had been on grass. Stidham said her five-furlong work around the dogs in 1:01 last Sunday might have been even better.

With Talamo aboard, she worked in company with Istanford, a 3-year-old filly trained by Stidham who scored front-running wins on turf in the Grade 3 Arlington Classic in May and the Grade 2 San Clemente at Del Mar on Aug. 15.

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“Istanford is a pretty aggressive filly, so we broke Her Emmynency off just in front of her,” said Stidham. “She never let Istanford get past her, and Joe thinks she handles the turf better than Polytrack. We’re pretty excited about running her on turf.”

There also are a couple of Win and You’re In races in the next week. First up is the Group 1 Prix Marcell Boussac at Longchamp on Sunday. Flotilla finished fourth in the Marcel Boussac prior to winning the Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2012. According to the Racing Post, 16 horses have been entered in the one-mile race.

Next Wednesday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland should have a good-sized field as well. Trainer Chad Brown could have four horses running in the Juvenile Fillies Turf if Fila Primera runs well in the 1 1/16-mile Jessamine. Fila Primera won her debut in a one-mile maiden special weight race on turf Sept. 7 at Belmont. One of the horses she beat, Margaret Reay, came back to finish second in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo last Sunday.

Brown also is pointing Lady Eli, Tammy the Torpedo, and Partisan Politics, who finished first, third, and fourth in the Miss Grillo, to the Juvenile Fillies Turf. The win by Lady Eli in the one-mile race earned her an expenses-paid berth in the race.