Smith will ride Coasted in BC Juvenile Fillies Turf

ARCADIA, Calif. - Coasted, a Labor Day weekend stakes winner at Saratoga, will have Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith aboard for the first time in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita on Friday.

Trainer Leah Gyarmati said the decision was finalized on Sunday. Jose Lezcano had been riding Coasted, who is by Tizway.

“I consider that to be a huge improvement,” Gyarmati said.

Lezcano rode Coasted in her first four starts, including a maiden race win on turf at Saratoga on Aug. 7, a win in the P.G. Johnson Stakes there on Sept. 1, and a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont Park on Oct. 2.

Smith is winless in four mounts in the eight-year history of the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Coasted, who races for Jeff Treadway, was beaten 4 1/4 lengths by New Money Honey in the Miss Grillo Stakes on a yielding turf course that Gyarmati said the filly did not prefer. Santa Anita’s turf course has been firm through the current meeting. No substantial rain is expected before Friday’s race.

The BC Juvenile Fillies Turf is a highly competitive race, led by the stakes winners Intricately, La Coronel, Miss Southern Miss, New Money Honey, Spain Burg, and Victory to Victory.

The race is expected to have a full field of 14 from 21 pre-entries. With Honors, who was selected to be part of the field, is scheduled to start in the Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 5. Promise to Be True, the winner of a Group 3 race in Ireland in July, was third in the Group 1 Criterium International for colts and fillies at Saint-Cloud Racecourse in Paris on Sunday and is not expected to be sent to California.

Their absences leave places for Madam Dancealot, a Group 3 winner in England last month, and Happy Mesa, who was second in the Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 10, from the list of also-eligible pre-entrants.

La Force, third in the Surfer Girl, would gain a berth if there is a defection before entries are taken on Monday.

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