Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) parceled up a championship freshman campaign with a stalk-and-pounce victory in Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar, a win that is better than it might appear on paper in the eyes of his trainer Todd Pletcher. "I thought he ran terrific," said Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, striking at the Breeders' Cup for the 16th time. "The race unfolded kind of just as we had anticipated it would with [TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard] Brant (Gun...

Live Oak Plantation's blue-blooded homebred Ultimate Love (Curlin) will put her perfect record on the line in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar Oct. 31. She will look to emulate Sharing (Speightstown), who followed a win in Laurel Park's Selima S. with a 13-1 upset at the 2019 Championships at Santa Anita. "I think she fits and hopefully she's a logical player to give it a try," trainer Mike Trombetta said. Ultimate Love has won her first three career starts--all on grass--by a combined margin of...

The victory by Silent Rule (Street Boss) in Thursday's first race at Thistledown barely registered on the national radar. But it was still a pretty impressive accomplishment: With a 2 3/4-length score against the boys in the $100,000 Honey Jay Stakes for Ohio-breds, the 4-year-old filly from trainer Jay Bernardini's barn is now 10-for-10 lifetime. Silent Rule, who sold for $16,000 as a Keeneland yearling, didn't start racing until Aug. 10 last year, in the second half of her 3-year-old season. But she has now bankrolled $355,456 in purse earnings,...

It was a frustrating few days in the lead-up to the Breeders' Cup meeting for Team Ballydoyle, with the likes of Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) forced to miss the event, not to mention Jan Brueghel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) having to forego an appearance even farther afield in the G1 Melbourne Cup next Tuesday. Their biggest moment comes Saturday with City of Troy (Justify) in the $7-million Classic, but 'TDN Rising Star' Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) was first to strike for the Irish-based...

Siena Farm and WinStar Farm's Mullikin (Violence), perfect in four starts this term and one of the favorites for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, went a half-mile in :47.60 in the company of GII Amsterdam Stakes-winning 'TDN Rising Star' World Record (Gun Runner, :47.80) over the Keeneland main track Friday morning (see below). The 4-year-old colt, who demolished his rivals by 5 3/4 lengths in the GI Forego Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 24, was timed in fractions of :24.40 and :36.20 before galloping out five furlongs in 1:00.60. "That is...

Thought Process turned over a new leaf since switching to a mile on the grass and the Madaket Stables, Little Red Feather Racing and the Estate of Brereton C. Jones runner underscored the point with an emphatic victory in Sunday's GIII Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita. Breaking sharply, the 1-5 favorite soon went to the front, leading the way through a :23.17 quarter mile. Still moving confidently through a :47.69 half, the chestnut cut the corner with authority, drew clear down the lane and crossed the wire an eye-catching...

KatieRich Stables LLC's May Day Ready (Tapit), who proved narrowly best in a three-way photo in Friday's 'Win and You're In' GII Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland, will return to the Belmont Park base of trainer Joe Lee to prepare for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. "I guess we will go back to New York; she trains well over that track," Lee said. "Probably ship in the next few days. She lost the right front shoe, so we are going to take a good look at it here. She...

She Feels Pretty, who took last year's GI Natalma S. at Woodbine before finishing third beaten just a half-length by Hard to Justify (Justify) as the favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, returned to the races Friday with authority in the Hilltop S. at Pimlico. Bet down to 3-5 even off the layoff, the Lael Stables-owned filly--contesting her third straight one-mile race under John Velazquez--broke towards the outside and was happy to sit back off the early pace, letting Roanan Goddess (Leofric) handle the tempo from the...

Bobby Flay's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock--White Hot {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) fetched $3 million from John Stewart at Tuesday's renewal of Fasig-Tipton's November Sale. The 4-year-old filly, consigned by Elite, agent as hip 168, was mated Apr. 20 to four-time leading sire Into Mischief and is believed to be pregnant and carrying her first foal. Pizza Bianca is out of the unraced mare White Hot, who is a half to G1 Epsom Derby winner Pour Moi (Montjeu) and additional MGSW & MG1SP Gagnoa...

Having sired five Northern Hemisphere Grade I/Group 1 winners since June, Coolmore America's outstanding second-crop stallion Justify registered a 'Future Stars Friday' double when Wise Racing LLC's Hard to Justify stuck on grimly to deny game Irish raider Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The $190,000 Keeneland September yearling made it a half-dozen elite-level scorers for the 2018 Triple Crown winner, whose daughter Just F Y I locked up an Eclipse Award with her hard-fought success in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies not 45...

ARCADIA, USA--Bar those who have raced recently in the US, the European horses arrived at Santa Anita on Sunday evening, with their trainers mostly following on over the next few days. One early bird at the track on Sunday morning was Donnacha O'Brien, who is entitled to want to soak up as much of the atmosphere as he can this week as he has brought a Group 1-winning juvenile to be his first runner at the Breeders' Cup. Only Bob Baffert has accrued more prize-money earnings than Donnacha's father Aidan...

"She really engaged and switched gears. From there, I thought she got the job done," understated journeyman Flavien Prat about his mount, 7-1 Hard to Justify (f, 2, Justify-Instant Reflex, by Quality Road), in Wednesday's rescheduled 'Win and You're In' GII Miss Grillo S. at Belmont's Big A meet. The win, her second from two starts, gives Hard to Justify a fees-paid berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf next month at Santa Anita. A big, hearty-looking filly, Hard to Justify broke powerfully and cleanly from the inside...