Rogue Romance to go in BC Juvenile

Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes winner Rogue Romance, pre-entered in both the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Juvenile Turf, will run in the Juvenile, said Martin O'Dowd, an adviser to owner Catesby Clay.

Although the Juvenile was listed as his first preference at the time pre-entries were made Monday, his connections still had been giving thought to running in the Juvenile Turf, given that Rogue Romance was proven on grass, where all three of his starts, and two of his wins, have come.

In the end, after conferring with trainer Ken McPeek and jockey Julien Leparoux, they opted to for the higher-risk, higher reward option of the prestigious Juvenile, which offers double the purse at $2 million, and whose winner is typically voted 2-year-old champion.

Rogue Romance, a son of Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones, will be a longshot in the Juvenile, in contrast to the Juvenile Turf, where he would have been among the favorites.

O'Dowd said several factors weighed into the decision, including the encouragement by Leparoux and McPeek, whom feel he can handle the dirt, and the longer 1 1/16-mile distance of the Juvenile.

A further concern about the one-mile Juvenile Turf was "with 14 horses there could be traffic problems," said O'Dowd.

A field of 10 or fewer is expected for the Juvenile, though the race is loaded with quality, led by Boys At Tosconova and Uncle Mo.

Rogue Romance will work Saturday at Keeneland before coming to Churchill early next week, O'Dowd said.

With Rogue Romance now a confirmed Juvenile starter, first alternate Typhoon Slew, the fourth-place finisher in the Breeders' Futurity, is assured a spot in the Juvenile Turf field. Another alternate, Rough Sailing, is also expected to get into the Juvenile Turf, provided the connections of Biondetti run him in the Juvenile, the first preference of the two races listed by them when his pre-entry was made.

Leparoux will ride Typhoon Slew in the Juvenile Turf, trainer Mike Maker said.