Breeders’ Cup Spotlight | Juv. Fillies Turf

None of that, however, should obscure what Friday’s 10 races at Keeneland really are: an excellent card of highly competitive racing.

Ireland’s champion trainer also has a runner in the Dirt Mile in War Envoy, who does at least have a pedigree that suggests he will be at home on the surface.

The main concern, of course, is how all this weather will affect the Breeders’ Cup races. The Distaff was also known as the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic between 2008 and 2012. She won the Jessamine Stakes here at Keeneland despite racing wide and should benefit from a lively pace.

I can’t leave off Got Lucky even though her post isn’t ideal. You also have Yahilwa in post #10 who will be gunning it from the outside. While she might not win, she could potentially finish in the exotics at a big price. The Beverly D was really a turning point in her season this year.

Selections: 1. I’m a Chatterbox; 2. And her mother is in town for the races as well. He’s got enough speed to grab the lead early or stay within striking range throughout … tough not to like him. As a result, I have no strong feelings in here. There are no European horses in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, but Moore rides Wesley Ward’s The Great War (10), while Dettori partners stablemate Undrafted (three).

I’m a Chatterbox is another filly I really enjoy. Lea, who many thought would contest the Turf Mile, is inconsistent but capable of a big effort.

Champion mare Beholder won this race in 2013 but was sidelined past year with a lung infection.

Watch Stephanie’s Kitten go through her paces at a rain-soaked Keeneland on Wednesday. He’s finished second behind that runner in his previous three starts.

Legatissimo has been the best filly of a very strong crop for much of 2015 and she will take all the beating in the Filly and Mare Turf. A trip to Dubai early this year may have compromised his form upon his return, but I feel his most recent second, beaten a half-length, returning to the grass in the Woodbine Mile was a wake-up race and gives him the grass-to-dirt betting angle. She won her debut at Saint-Cloud in soft going, and you have to respect the owner/trainer combination of Wertheimer & Frere/Freddie Head, who teamed up to win three straight Breeders’ Cup Miles with Goldikova. In the Pick-4, I could see going fairly deep in here. Keeneland ran the wiring needed for the cameras in the Rice Road barns, so Breeders’ Cup paid for the cameras themselves, although they will be removed at the end of the event. I was hoping to avoid picking a favorite in a race this deep, but Make Believe looks like a solid choice. La Verdad appeals in the Filly and Mare Sprint while Liam’s Map is a standout in the Dirt Mile. Also, don’t overlook Mondialiste, who should relish the wet course. He’s also running Exxagerator, who was second in the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland on October 3 in his first start around two turns. On Thursday, tickets are available on site at the Keeneland Ticket Office. He’s unproven around two turns, but is bred to handle the distance of the Juvenile and should be in the mix regardless of whether the track is fast or sloppy. In addition to the aforementioned 3-year-olds, Grade 1 winners Got Lucky, Sheer Drama, Stopchargingmaria, and Wedding Toast all have good chances and will be decent prices. Iroquois runner-up Rated R Superstar came back to run third in the Breeders’ Futurity, suggesting that the Iroquois field was strong, and Unbridled Outlaw has been training well at Churchill. I think he’s sitting on a big race.

Air traffic appears to be busiest on the Thursday before the Breeders’ Cup – which takes place Friday and Saturday – and is expected to pick up again Sunday, as visitors leave town. I have had concerns in the past that he might not be as good going twelve furlongs, but his record-breaking run in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic has lessened by concern. Remarkably, he seems to be better than ever this year at the age of seven, and this might be the year that he finally delivers at the highest level of the sport. At 4-5 on the morning line, I think it’s worth taking a shot against him.

The Kimpton handler was one of the few European trainers relishing the prevailing conditions at the racecourse after heavy rain hit the Lexington area. “Both”, she said. “Both, to be honest to win either of them”.