BC Juvenile Fillies Turf (Grade 1)- $1,000.000 Purse
CD- For Fillies Two Years Old
One Mile on the Turf
November 2, 2018

It’s BC Friday, and the greatest horses in the virtual racing world have come to CD in hopes of attaining glory over both of these two days. We get it started off with the 11th running of the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf, as these fine two year old fillies will be running a mile on the grass. When we looked at the equivalent race for males, it was pretty clear that as much as we may want to look at these horses as being on the verge of doing great things as three year olds and beyond, that it is actually more commonplace for that not to happen. The race is more about success about the present, then looking to the future.

Looking at the 2017 Juvenile Fillies Turf, the race winner, Quakerce, has had a fine three year old season, but there is no doubting that trainer Sir Daniel Martin was hoping for more then what she was attained. Second place runner Crown Of Light has picked up a couple wins as well, but none were graded. Estero Farms hit gold with Quiver Pond, though, who ran third here. She’ll be one of the favorites in the Fillies and Mares Turf on Saturday. As a whole, the females have outperformed their male counterparts as three year olds, but Quiver Pond is the only major star that has emerged from the pack. Daliterri Girl, after a good win last week, might be bouncing back to that level, though so can’t completely leave her out. So, here we are. A big two year old race, and trainers hoping the next Quiver Pond, and not the next Skeleton Abra, is in their barn. Let’s look through the field!

#1- Diluted (Aer Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- The trainer had a couple of good post draws for the juvenile turf races, as like Clutch, Diluted will also be starting on the rail. In her young career, she has two victories in four starts, and most recently she finished second in the Grade 1 Natalma at WO. That is a race you are going to hear be referenced quite a bit over the course of this preview. She worked sharply up at WO last week, and appears ready to have a big run here today.

#2- Na Pali (Smokey Stover, ridden by L H Colon)- Speaking of the Natalma, here is the one horse that was able to defeat Diluted. The win in the Natalma also saw L H Colon in the saddle, and that continues here today. That is also true for Diluted’s rider, P Lopez, by the way. Na Pali was five lengths out after four furlongs, and came on well in the stretch to earn her win. Worth a note that she caught and passed Diluted at a stage of the race where that one was also running her best.

#3- Artifical (Mb Stables, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- These Juvenile turf races were a thorn in the side to Mb’s record setting day at the BC last year. The trainer has not won this race yet in his career, and will have two opportunities to do so this year. She showed promise while running on the main track, but that did not stop the trainer for moving her to the grass for a turf debut at the Grade 2 Jessamine at KEE after just twelve days of rest. On a track listed good, she came from off the pace to be second. Often, that second race on short rest is not a problem, it’s the third race, like this one.

#4- Mademoiselle (Axeman, ridden by R Bejarano)- At the beginning of August, this filly made her first grass appearance while having a $70.000 maiden claiming tag on her. No one picked her up for that, and the trainer has to be thrilled with that, as not only did she win that race by five, she has continued to shine. Had a strong run at the OT Juvenile Fillies Turf, running third and getting her photo with the winner; which was followed up by running second in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo at BEL. Has shown a liking for coming from well off the pace.

#5- Boaty McBoatface (Estero Farms, ridden by Alan Garcia)- Has one victory in four career starts, coming against PA-breds. The trainer acquired her in private sales after that race, and has since appeared in a pair of ungraded stakes at MTH. Both times, she hit the board. Speed figures for those races just do not stand out at me, and simply don’t seem like they will get it done here. Turned in a couple of good works in preparation for this race, so there is reason to be excited about potential improvement. Capable, though hard to bet on.

#6- Influential Tech (The Sidley Stud, ridden by R J Albarado)- Two wins in five starts for this one, with one of them being a triumph at SAR in the $100.000 Johnson Stakes. That is the horse that needs to show up today. The race that came after that was the Miss Grillo at BEL, and she failed to beat any of her rivals. Maybe it was just a bad couple of races for the trainer when you consider London Techno at the Pilgrim over on the male side. Work times are unimpressive, as several are working in the 1:35’s, and she can’t escape the 1:36’s. But as always, there could be reasons for that.

#7- Ice Cream Truck (First Street Stables, ridden by K J Desormeaux)- She’ll be a favorite of any of the kids who might be in the virtual grandstands for this race. Their virtual parents might want to listen to them, as she rings in a good resume for the race with three wins in five starts, including a win (in a dead heat) at the OT Juvenile Fillies Turf, that was followed up with a third place showing at the Grade 2 Miss Grillo. She’s another who likes to come from off the pace, and this is starting to concern me as there may be too many in the field looking to do that, and it will be all about who has the better lane.

#8- Summer Beauty (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by M Franco)- This filly by No Returns would love to see a dry race track again, as since breaking her maiden, she has raced only on off tracks. On soft turf, she won the $60.000 Happy Ticket at LAD, though not against the type of crowd she sees here. She would see that level of competition at the Grade 2 Jessamine, where she finished in the middle of the field, after being passed by a few in the stretch. Wish I could have seen her more on dry tracks to get a better feel for her.

#9- Call Craze (Alydar Stables, ridden by D Saenz)- A very consistent filly that has always been in the money in each of the six races she has run in, and I would expect her to have an excellent chance to continue that trend. In August at the Spa, she would run second to Influential Tech in the Johnson Stakes, and went to the Miss Grillo after that. Against several rivals that she sees here again, Call Craze scored the win at BEL. She seemed to run in a position just off the lead for the early portion, and that could have her sitting pretty in a field that has several closers in it.

#10- French Box (Threshold, ridden by J R Leparoux)- This is one of those won ran in the Grade 1 Natalma at WO, and in it, French Box would be third. It’s a pretty small sample size on her, with only three races and just one stake to hazard a guess on how she might like to run, but a good guess would be it will be to come from off the pace, as she did at WO. There are going to be a lot employing that strategy in this race, so it will be all about who gets the better trip and the better lane.

#11- Warmed Up (Mb Stables, ridden by F Pennington)- The trainer looks to pick up his first win in this stake, and to do so, he calls on the services of F Pennington. In terms of a route race on the grass, there is no one greater then this marvel of the virtual jockey world. Warmed Up has a fitting name for right now, because her career looks like it is doing just that. Has two wins in three starts, one of which was the Surfer Girl Stakes at SA last month. If she doesn’t get it done today, she looks like one to watch for next season.

#12- Yummy Eggs (Drabfantasy, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- A winning exacta of her and Ice Cream Truck would be about the only time they’d look good together, I suppose. She has spent more then half of her career running against NM-breds, the preferred state of breeding, it seems, for Drabfantasy. She’s won twice, and the lone attempt at a mile or more was at the $75.000 Sorority Stakes, which was one of the wins. Yummy Eggs hasn’t really been up against this level of competition yet, but the works are good, and she may very well step up.

#13- Grand Dragonville (Smokey Stover, ridden by J R Velazquez)- The trainer has two in this field, and while I think Grand Dragonville is an appealing horse, Smokey Stover is probably happy this one got the outside post and Na Pali got the inside one, if it had to line up that way for him. Broke his maiden very modestly on debut, but followed that up with a third place showing at the Jessamine. The problem for her is going to be the outside push. She seems as though she would prefer to sit just off the lead, and she has one to her outside who is probably going right to the front (because that’s how she runs, not for any other reason). There are a lot of closers in here. Pace management is crucial for her.

#14- Cest And Me (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J K Court)- Oh, this is simply a fascinating horse for this field. As this preview went on, you probably noticed the theme of horses who, in their biggest race, came from off the pace to get that result. Now, we have Cest And Me, who has won her last three races, all of which are by going wire to wire. There are good races there, too, including the OT Juvenile Fillies Turf, and then the Jessamine. She’ll probably even get the fabled, outside push. When you watch her go to the lead, just remember, this is how she gets it done, and no other reason. Can she hold off the field? Going to be fun to watch, folks. I think Call Craze is her biggest concern, though.

Prediction: 9-14-2-11

— NS

Categories: BC 2018-20, Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES, THE BREEDERS CUP