Juvenile Fillies Turf: My Conquestadory may opt for richer race and championship

The field for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf went a long way toward solidification this past week when some key preps were held on both coasts, and one in the middle of the country. Favorites have sorted themselves out, though one of the best of the division - if not the best - is so good right now that she may be pointed for the richer $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies to try to win a divisional title.

Conquest Stable’s homebred My Conquestadory proved once more - and she’s only made two career starts - that she is a very, very good filly by overcoming traffic problems to post a professional, 1 3/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Polytrack at Keeneland. In her debut, she had beaten colts in the Grade 2 Summer Stakes at Woodbine at a mile on turf. Going into the Alcibiades, trainer Mark Casse had said he was pointing her for the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf, but afterward indicated he wanted to keep his options open.

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“We came here,” trainer Mark Casse said, “because I said I wanted to get her some experience – didn’t know we were going to get that much experience, but I’m glad to have it.”

The daughter of Artie Schiller will stable at Churchill Downs and train over the dirt track there, and Casse said he will see how she handles the surface before making a decision on which Breeders’ Cup race she will enter. She won a free pass since the Alcibiades is a Win and You’re In Breeders’ Cup Challenge race.

In the Grade 3 Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont on Oct. 6, a WAYI race, Chad Brown saddled the winner of the race for the third time, as French-bred Testa Rossi posted a nose victory over Sky Painter in the 1 1/16-mile race on firm turf after making a big, sweeping move on the turn though tiring late. Testa Rossi, 5-1, was making her U.S. debut, having been purchased privately by James Covello, Thomas Coleman, and DMZ Racing Stable. The daughter of Dr Fong had won her past three races, after losing her first two starts, in France.

Brown also saddled the Miss Grillo favorite, Granny Mc’s Kitten, but the filly could only finish fourth. Brown said she had missed a work and had not been herself prior to the Miss Grillo.

"Testa Rossi's works were good - they weren't great - but you know what? She's a good-looking horse, she's got good form and every week she seems to be improving,” said Brown, who won the Miss Grillo last year with Watsdachances and the 2008 edition with eventual Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Maram. “I have a bunch of these fillies and I picked the two I thought would give me the best chance to win, and she was one of them."

Sky Painter, second in the Miss Grillo, came running late and narrowly missed while making her second career start. The daughter of Street Cry had won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race at Saratoga in her debut.

In the Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita, home site of the Breeders’ Cup, Irish-bred Clenor reaffirmed her status as the best in the West by posting a three-quarter-length victory over Nesso in the one-mile turf event. Clenor, trained by Doug O’Neill, is undefeated in three starts in the U.S. after losing her first three in her native country and will be a tough customer in the Juvenile Fillies Turf on her home grounds.

Clenor raced a bit closer to the pace than previously, since her rider, Rafael Bejarano, said he was concerned the turf course was favoring speed horses that day, and the filly responded by racing in sixth early before making her move on the turn and coming four wide into the stretch.

“The speed was holding all day, so I didn’t want to be too far back,” Bejarano said. “I tried to stay closer to the speed and get her comfortable. She didn’t show me the big kick that she normally does, but she still ran well.”

Nesso, on the lead in her first two starts, showed another dimension by coming from off the pace in the Surfer Girl, opening up a clear lead at the eighth pole before being run down by Clenor. She is expected to run back in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Colonel Joan was a rallying third in the Surfer Girl. The Colonel John filly is a maiden after three starts, but the stakes was her first start on turf. She had finished second to Miss Machiavelli in a maiden race last time out on Polytrack. Miss Machiavelli had a number of traffic problems in the Surfer Girl when finishing fifth.

On Oct. 9, the Grade 3 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland at 1 1/16 miles on turf is a WAYI for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and that will be the last major prep in setting the field for the Nov. 1 Juvenile Fillies Turf.