Regional stars converge in Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies

A compelling intersectional matchup featuring the top fillies from California, Kentucky, and New York is on tap for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita.

Bast, winner of the Del Mar Debutante and Chandelier; British Idiom, who won the Alcibiades; and Wicked Whisper, unbeaten winner of the Frizette, all earned berths in the race via the Win and You’re In program, which also produced Lazy Daisy, winner of the Pocahontas.

They are among 10 2-year-old fillies who were announced on Wednesday as pre-entries in the 1 1/16-mile race, which should decide the division’s Eclipse Award.

Nine are expected to run. Etoile – who has raced twice, both on turf in Europe for trainer Aidan O’Brien – was pre-entered in the Juvenile Fillies as well as the Juvenile Fillies Turf, with the Juvenile Fillies Turf her first preference, so she is expected to go there. A final decision must be made by Monday, when entries are due and posts drawn for all 14 Breeders’ Cup races.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2019: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, and more

The is no change in the prospective field of nine runners from a week ago.

The Juvenile Fillies has had at least 10 runners in 16 of its last 17 editions, the lone time falling below that threshold being in 2012, also at Santa Anita, when eight started.

Bast is the 3-1 favorite on the early line of Daily Racing Form’s David Aragona.

The prospective field, with confirmed riders, is Bast (John Velazquez up), British Idiom (Javier Castellano), Comical, Donna Veloce (Flavien Prat), K P Dreamin (Ruben Fuentes), Lazy Daisy, Perfect Alibi (Irad Ortiz Jr.), Two Sixty (Edgard Zayas), and Wicked Whisper.

Doug O’Neill trains both Comical and Lazy Daisy, both of whom have been ridden by Abel Cedillo in their most recent starts. O’Neill said Cedillo would ride one of them, but no decision would be made until the weekend. O’Neill said he had not decided who would ride the other filly.

Similarly, Steve Asmussen, trainer of Wicked Whisper, on Tuesday said he was not sure who would ride Wicked Whisper. Joel Rosario rode her to victory in the Frizette. Ricardo Santana Jr. rode in her maiden victory at Saratoga.

Wicked Whisper worked five furlongs in company on Wednesday morning at Santa Anita, with DRF’s Mike Welsch clocking her in 1:00.20.

In addition to O’Neill, Mark Casse also has two runners in the race in Perfect Alibi, the Alcibiades runner-up, and Two Sixty, recent winner of the My Dear Girl Stakes at Gulfstream.