Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint: With Tamara back in a big way, Mandella mulls splitting sprinters
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Richard Mandella’s chances in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint grew even stronger last weekend, leading him back to the drawing board as the championship event draws closer. The trainer has been preparing Kopion, the likely favorite, for the race since August, but with Tamara back in the fold, he said that he will cross-enter Kopion in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint to give himself the option of splitting the contenders.
Returning from a layoff of nearly 11 months, Tamara made her 4-year-old debut last Saturday and earned a commanding 3 3/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Chillingworth at Santa Anita. A Grade 1 winner as a juvenile, she has only raced twice since the end of 2023, but rust did not play a factor in an improved effort off the shelf.
“She ran as we had hoped,” Mandella said. “She ran so good as a 2-year-old, with all the things and time that went by, you never know if they’re going to come back quite the same, but she sure looked good to me.”
The Chillingworth is an ideal prep for the Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 1, and Mandella said that Tamara is up to the task. His confidence in the rapidly improving filly has led him to consider a new plan for Kopion. Both runners are owned by Spendthrift Farm, and with another live contender suddenly pointing to the race, Mandella said that it might be the perfect opportunity to test Kopion against the boys in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, which has a purse of $2 million, twice that of the Filly and Mare Sprint.
Kopion has not run since Aug. 2, and Mandella has always intended to enter her in the Filly and Mare Sprint without another prep. If she continues along that path, she will be a towering figure against other females, even after two runner-up finishes over the summer.
“Her sprints are top-notch, and I would say that bad luck has cost her the last two races,” Mandella said. “I’m going to cross-enter her [in the Sprint against the colts] in case I want to separate them and give that a try.”
In four starts this year, the 4-year-old filly has earned three Beyer Speed Figures higher than 107. The 110 she earned winning the Grade 2 Santa Monica in February is higher than that earned by any sprinter, male or female, pointing to the Breeders’ Cup this year.
Though she came up short in her last two races, one of them going two turns in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch, she remains undefeated in four starts at the Filly and Mare Sprint’s seven-furlong distance. All four victories were in graded stakes company. Mandella has another contender with Tamara returning, but Kopion’s ability is what ultimately gives Mandella another option in November.
◗ Trainer Bill Mott also had a pair to consider for the Filly and Mare Sprint, but the trainer said Monday that he does not intend to enter either horse. Ragtime, a 3-year-old filly, is being considered for the Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland on Oct. 18, while 5-year-old mare Scylla may instead point to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff after a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Spinster.