Sunset Glow stands above the rest

Sunset Glow has to be considered the leader among the North American-based horses pointing to the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 31. Trained by Wesley Ward, she is coming off a win in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Aug. 30, and the way she won the seven-furlong race on Polytrack suggests that she won’t have any trouble stretching out to a mile.

Sunset Glow waited for room on the turn, split horses, and finished full of run to edge Her Emmynency by a neck. Her Emmynency is also being pointed to the Juvenile Fillies Turf by trainer Michael Stidham.

As good as her race in the Debutante was, it was Sunset Glow’s performance in the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Ascot that makes her the one to beat. She set the pace in the six-furlong race that drew 21 horses and held on well to finish second behind Cursory Glance, who came back to win the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh. The Moyglare is a Win and You’re In race, but the connections of Cursory Glance said she will be turned out for the year.

Ward said he probably will train Sunset Glow into the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and he was pleased with her five-furlong work on turf around the dogs at Keeneland on Tuesday.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2014: See DRF’s top contenders

“It was a sensational work for her,” he said. “I think she could have beaten Cursory Glance at Ascot, but it was a tiring track after they watered it heavily. If the race had been in North America, it probably would have been moved off the turf.”

Ward said Sunset Glow is also being considered for the Juvenile Fillies.

There are a couple of important races this weekend that should help sort out which horses will be serious contenders in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

The Group 2 Shadwell Rockfel at Newmarket on Friday is a Win and You’re In race. It looks like nine horses will start, including the Godolphin filly Lucida, who finished second in the Moyglare. European-based horses have won the last two renewals of the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Last year, Chriselliam used the Shadwell Fillies Mile at Newmarket as her final prep.

The Grade 3, $200,000 Miss Grillo at Belmont on Sunday won’t earn the winner an expenses-paid berth, but the 1 1/16-mile race was used as the final BC prep by Maram for the inaugural running in 2008 and by Tapitsfly the following year.

Maram was trained by Chad Brown, who reportedly will enter Lady Eli and Partisan Politics in the Miss Grillo.