Lady Eli gives Brown another good shot at Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
ARCADIA, Calif. – With a win and two seconds in four tries in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, trainer Chad Brown believes he has an idea of what makes a horse competitive in the one-mile turf race.
In Lady Eli – one of four entrants Brown has in the sixth running of the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf on Friday at Santa Anita – Brown feels he has one with the right attributes to be successful.
“She’s got good tactical speed if you need it, and she can turn it on if you need it,” Brown said. “She’s really everything you’re looking for in a horse going a mile on the turf at Santa Anita, in my opinion.”
Brown won the inaugural Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2008 at Santa Anita with Maram. The last two years, when the Breeders’ Cup also was held here, Brown finished second with Watsdachances (2012) and Testa Rossi (2013). All three horses won Belmont Park’s Grade 3 Miss Grillo Stakes, the same race that Lady Eli won last month. In fact, the Miss Grillo has produced a first- or second-place finisher in five of the six runnings of the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
:: Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf analysis
For the second straight year, Brown has entered four in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Last year, he ran second, sixth, 11th, and 12th behind Chriselliam, who became the first European-based runner to win this race.
Brown’s other entrants are Partisan Politics, the winner of the P.G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga; Tammy the Torpedo, third in the Miss Grillo; and Sivoliere, a recent addition to the barn after winning three of five starts in France.
Favorites are winless in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Sunset Glow was made the lukewarm 7-2 morning-line favorite. Sunset Glow, trained by Wesley Ward, won two stakes over Del Mar’s synthetic track. Ward, who has four morning-line favorites in this year’s Breeders’ Cup, is winless with 16 starters in the series.
:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2014: Post positions, comments, and odds
Europe is represented by Osaila, a listed stakes winner last out at Newmarket, and Qualify, a winner of a Group 3 race at The Curragh.
KEY CONTENDERS
Lady Eli (Beyers: 78-72)
◗ She overcame significant traffic trouble to win her debut at Saratoga with an eye-catching burst of speed in the stretch. The narrow margin of victory does not do the performance justice.
◗ She displayed a similar electric turn of foot when seizing control in midstretch of the Miss Grillo, a race in which she was taken in hand late by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.
Sunset Glow (Beyers: 83-90)
◗ Trainer Ward called her his best 2-year-old filly.
◗ Shin issues delayed her start until May, which threw off her schedule to make it to the Royal Ascot meeting. Sunset Glow did get there and ran a terrific second to Cursory Glance, who in her most recent start won the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh last month.
◗ She was given a two-month freshening by design coming off a neck victory in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante, where she beat next-out stakes winner Her Emmynency.
“The only bit of a hiccup could be her distance limitations,” Ward said. “I don’t know how far she’ll run. Hopefully, she’ll dig down in her soul, and she can win it. She ran a tough seven-eighths at Del Mar. This is a mile on grass. It should be just as easy, if not easier. If she’s going to do it, she’s going to do it Friday.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT:No. 3 Sunset Glow. Trainer Wesley Ward is 14-0-0-1 over the past five years going sprint to route in graded stakes. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Osaila (No Beyers)
◗ Since running fifth in the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Ascot, Osaila has won three of four starts, including the Tattersalls Trophy Stakes four weeks ago at Newmarket.
◗ That race was at seven furlongs, and her connections believe she will appreciate the additional furlong and will love firm turf.
Qualify (No Beyers)
◗ Irish-bred filly showed a strong turn of foot in winning the Group 3 Weld Park Stakes going seven furlongs on firm turf at The Curragh on Sept. 28.
◗ She could not sustain her run when she struck the front early in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and finished sixth, two lengths behind fifth-place finisher Osaila.
◗ She must overcome post 14.
Partisan Politics (Last 3 Beyers: 68-75-68)
◗ She appeared to resist restraint when caught behind horses and a slow pace while finishing fourth behind Lady Eli in the Miss Grillo.
◗ She split decisions with fellow Juvenile Fillies Turf contender Rainha Da Bateria at Saratoga, beating her in the P.G. Johnson Stakes after losing to her by a head in a maiden race.
Rainha Da Bateria (Last 3 Beyers: 68-65-68)
◗ Showed a strong turn of foot when rallying from last in the Grade 3 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland while racing on Lasix for the first time.
◗ She had an extremely wide trip when fourth to Partisan Politics in the P.G. Johnson Stakes.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 Isabella Sings. Trainer Todd Pletcher is 52-1-2-9 with a $0.13 ROI over past five years in Grade 1 stakes on the turf. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Sivoliere. Trainer Chad Brown is 4-2-0-1 with a $5.52 ROI over the past five years with 2-year-old shippers getting Lasix for the first time. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan