Tempera, Imperial Gesture make Godolphin exacta

ELMONT, N.Y. - When Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin Racing decided to send a string of 2-year-olds to North America last year, it was with the specific purpose of developing horses for the Kentucky Derby.

Heading into 2002, Godolphin has the early favorites for the Kentucky Oaks.

Tempera rallied outside of stablemate Imperial Gesture in deep stretch and outkicked her to the wire by 1 1/2 lengths as Godolphin runners finished one-two in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. It was another 3 1/2 lengths back to Bella Bellucci, who finished a half-length in front of You, the 4-5 favorite.

Sophisticat, Take Charge Lady, Habibti, Jealous Forum, and Shesastonecoldfox completed the order of finish.

It was the first Breeders' Cup victories for trainer Eoin Harty and jockey David Flores. It was the second win for Godolphin, which won the 1999 Turf with Daylami.

"There's a lot of opportunities for fillies," Harty said. "It would have been pretty boring just training colts. The emphasis is on colts because they want to win the Kentucky Derby. There's also a Kentucky Oaks as well."

A homebred daughter of A.P. Indy, Tempera had won two of her first three starts, including the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar in August. Three weeks later, Tempera finished a disappointing third as the 1-2 favorite in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Aug. 26.

Harty decided that he would just train Tempera to the Juvenile Fillies, skipping the Grade 1 Oak Leaf, Southern California's traditional Juvenile Fillies prep.

"I thought she needed the time to settle her down mentally," Harty said.

As expected, Shesastonecoldfox shot out to the front, but she was hounded by Take Charge Lady, and the two were heads apart through fractions of 23.50 and 46.80 seconds. Bella Bellucci tracked along the inside while Imperial Gesture and Tempera were fourth and fifth along the outside down the backstretch.

Bella Bellucci, under Gary Stevens, made the lead 4 1/2 furlongs out, but was soon tackled by Imperial Gesture and Tempera. Imperial Gesture forged to the front at the eighth pole, but could not hold off Tempera.

Tempera covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.49, eclipsing the stakes record of 1:42.11 set by Countess Diana in 1997. She returned $25.80 to win. The exacta paid $768.

Imperial Gesture was sent off at 53-1 in part because Harty said he was planning to run her in Sunday's Tempted instead.

"She's really blossomed here," Harty said. "She's just been super aggressive in the mornings. There's only one Breeders' Cup, we said let's take a shot."

The biggest disappointment in the field was You, the 4-5 favorite, who sat behind the speed duel, but offered nothing in the stretch. She was beaten 5 1/2 lengths.

"She was in tracking position, I was right behind the winner and the horse that finished second," Prado said. "When they kicked it in I tried to follow them, but she stayed right there. The only thing I can say that was different today was that she was a little pumped up in the post parade, and normally she was real quiet."

Harty said that Tempera and Imperial Gesture would leave for California on Tuesday. They would begin a month of quarantine on Nov. 5 before heading back to Dubai to begin their 3-year-old seasons.