BC Juvenile Fillies (KYO) (Grade 1)- $2,000.000 Purse
KEE- For FIllies Two Years Old
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
November 6, 2020
It is the most exciting weekend in virtual racing, as the 2020 BC is upon us. The action begins on Friday, with several races showcasing two year olds. Here, we will look at the juvenile fillies, and fourteen of them will go to post, and hope to take home the winners share of this large purse. Looking over the past last of winners, we see a good assortment of names, ranging from those who probably peaked around this time of year, to others who had successful three year old campaigns, and one who is continuing to dominate even now. Two of the last four winners of this race, Snow Peak and Relax, went on to win horse of the year honors later on, but neither made a big impact on the KYO trail. Another winner in that time frame, La Terrifiant, may be the favorite in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf, which goes on Saturday. Several of those who ran in this race here have already produced foals of their own, making La Terrifiant’s achievement stand out even more. No one knows what the future will hold, and being in this race may be an even bigger deal then the KYO, since it pays a lot more. Let’s meet the field!
#1- Ms Joyce (RNP Stables, ridden by J Bisono)- She has won three of her seven career starts, with a win in the Grade 2 Adirondack at SAR being the main result that got her here. She has proven herself as a sprinter, but you have to ask if she really wants to be going long. Her last two races have been at least a mile, including the Grade 1 Frizette, where she was distant eighth. I’ll look her way more on a shorter distance, but here, I have some doubts in regards to it being too long for her.
#2- Uplifting (Fractious, ridden by A Beschizza)- Second place finishes can get you into this race as well, and that is the road that Uplifting took after winning on debut. Second in the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes at DMR in August is the highlight of her past performances. Her last start saw her go to the grass here at KEE in the Jessamine, but the bid to get into the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf came up short. She is still here, but another that I can’t get that excited about.
#3- Dirty Storm (Arindel, ridden by M Franco)- Placed second in the Grade 1 Spinaway at SAR, and I do like the way in which she won that race, and it gives me hope that she will like to go longer. Though, there is not much else there to get excited about, with off the board finishes in two races, including the Grade 1 Alcibiades, a race that sends several here. Hopefully the trainer has been able to identify why that flat performance happened.
#4- Not A Big Deal (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- When I covered this horse in the DMR Debutante, a race that Mb Stables has now won five times in a row, I was very impressed with this filly. Now, chew on this: two of the other horses that are part of his streak in that race are Snow Peak and Relax. They’ve won this race as well, so Mb certainly knows how to get horses to run well here. Not a Big Deal has won five of six, so you can see the similarities between her and those two other past winners. The trainer will worry about extending her career longer when that time comes. It is about the here and now, and there is no reason to think that the Not A Big Deal won’t be a major contender, if not the horse to beat, in this race. She will be my pick.
#5- Big Challenge (Waldo, ridden by R M Hernandez)- This is a horse that might be on the brink of pulling off a big win, as evidenced by finishing third in both the DMR Debutante and the Grade 1 Frizette. I am intrigued by the Frizette, given she was a pace setter from an outside post, so perhaps this better post makes a big impact for her. Probably a player in this one to get a piece of the purse, but I don’t think she can pull off a win here. After all, she has only won once in her career to this point.
#6- Round House (Pan Farms, ridden by J J Hernandez)- After breaking her maiden in her third career start, the trainer showed confidence in her by entering her in the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes at SA, and he was rewarded with a second place finish. That result would be all that was needed to get her into this field. While I do believe that she is one to watch for the KYO trail, as I think she’ll like these distances, it’s tougher to pick her in a field of this caliber right now.
#7- Hot Summer (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by E Jaramillo)- In six starts, this filly has been gradually brought along, doing what the trainer has asked her to do in high quality fields, hitting the board each time. Only once has that resulted in a win, but her third place finishes in both the Pocahontas at CD and the Alcibiades right here make her appealing and show that she is one to watch for the future. That future, however, could be here and now, as she may have something for Not A Big Deal, and one I am excited about.
#8- Feral Impact (Mb Stables, ridden by D Davis)- Naturally, we can’t expect Mb Stables to just go for the winners portion of this purse, and Feral Impact looks like she may be impactful in this field as well. She would win the Grade 3 Pocahontas in September, but then ran a strong second in the Alcibiades right after, and that is a big race to look at in this field. I also like the way that she won those races, and she will certainly be one to watch as a three year old. First, she’ll try to make a statement here.
#9- Golden Bay (Our Athletes, ridden by D Van Dyke)- If we just looked at her first four races, then there is plenty to like, especially the fact that she ran second to Not A Big Deal in the DMR Debutante in a photo finish. But there is another race, and that is the concern. What happened in the Grade 1 Frizette? Why did she drop out of it so badly late? Can we throw that out? If you can, then there is plenty to like. But it is hard to do that here, with so many good contenders. I won’t be picking her, but if she does win, I won’t be surprised, either.
#10- Ma Party (Chili King Stables, ridden by J R Leparoux)- Picked up in private sales for $250.000 from guess who? (Yes, Martyparty!) That was only after one race, and it has been a chili party for her afterwards with two wins in four starts with the trainer, but the best result is her second place finish in the Grade 1 Frizette. Came from well off the pace to do that, and if you look at the race prior, she went wire to wire in an optional claimer, so you have to like her versatility. I like her, but I like a lot of these, too.
#11- Rose Thorn (Mb Stables, ridden by S Ryan)- Entry three from Mb Stables, and another one that picked up a graded victory on the way to the race. For Rose Thorn, that was the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes at SA in late September. She’s had needed rest since then, since that race was on just three weeks of it. Overall, she has three wins in four starts since Mb Stables picked her up in private sales for $75.000.
#12- Secret Eyes (Gdp Inc, ridden by Ru Fuentes)- There are a few in here who came out of the Grade 1 Frizette, which comes as no surprise, but now we can look at the one who won that race. Secret Eyes had no difficulty running near the front from the start in that race, and staying in position to hang on in the stretch. It was a victory that followed up a triumph in the $150.000 Seeking The Ante at AQU for NY-breds, and she has won three of five overall. The post draw did not do her any wonders, and we’ll see how her running style fares with it.
#13- Foregone Conclusion (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- This filly by Que Niagra has won once in her six starts, and has been a little inconsistent since moving up into the stake level. Getting her here was a third place run in the Spinaway, plus she is working quite well coming into this. While there is no reason to think that she can’t be a player here, I can’t get excited about her in this race.
#14- Naples (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Here is a filly that expects to appear in the winners circle after she races, with three wins in three starts. After winning on debut, she went to WO and won the $100.000 My Dear, and then followed that up by winning the Grade 1 Spinaway at SAR. She took October off, which most of the runners in here did not, and we’ll see if that is a good thing here. The problem here, of course, is this post. We’ve seen horses win from the outside, so it is not impossible, and while Naples has never been a field of this size, she is used to having a bunch start towards her inside.
Prediction: 4-7-14-8
— NS
Categories: BC 2018-20, Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES, THE BREEDERS CUP
