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BC Juv Fillies Turf 2022
Oct 9, 2022 9:03:21 GMT -5
Post by tenfurlongs on Oct 9, 2022 9:03:21 GMT -5
REPLAYS:
Curragh, Moyglare Stud Stakes (GI, 7F), Sep. 11th (Meditate)
Chart- www.racingpost.com/results/178/curragh/2022-09-11/816310
Curragh, Weld Park Stakes (GIII, 7F), Sep. 25th (Basil Martini)
Chart- www.racingpost.com/results/178/curragh/2022-09-25/822140
Newmarket, Oh So Sharp Stakes (GIII, 7F), Oct. 7th (Midnight Mile)
Chart- www.racingpost.com/results/38/newmarket/2022-10-07/820673
Dundalk, Star Appeal Stakes (Listed, 7F AW), Sep. 30th (Spirit Gal)
Chart- www.racingpost.com/results/1138/dundalk-aw/2022-09-30/822429
Naas, Irish EBF Maiden (6F), Sep. 15th (Spirit Gal)
Chart- www.racingpost.com/results/192/naas/2022-09-15/821148
Woodbine, Natalma Stakes (GI, 8F), Sep. 17th (Last Call, Cairo Consort, G Laurie)
Chart- www.equibase.com/premium/eqbPDFChartPlus.cfm?RACE=10&BorP=P&TID=WO&CTRY=CAN&DT=09/17/2022&DAY=D&STYLE=EQB
Belmont @ Aqueduct, Miss Grillo Stakes (GIII, 8.5F), Oct. 1st (Pleasant Passage, Free Look, Be Your Best)
Chart- www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/BAQ100122USA8.pdf
Keeneland, Jessamine Stakes (GII, 8.5F), Oct. 7th (Delight, Knockyoursocksoff)
Chart- www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/KEE100722USA8.pdf
Santa Anita, Surfer Girl Stakes (GIII, 8F), Oct. 9th (Comanche Country)
Chart- www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/SA100922USA5.pdf
Top 2yo turf fillies from UK/IRE-
Basil Martini- www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/4274040/basil-martini/form
Meditate- www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/4245939/meditate/form
Midnight Mile- www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/4449783/midnight-mile/form
Spirit Gal- www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/4493112/spirit-gal/form
Top 2yo turf fillies in US/CAN-
Be Your Best- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10773308®istry=T&rbt=TB
Cairo Consort- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10758611®istry=T
Comanche Country- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10818107®istry=T&rbt=TB
Delight- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10791468®istry=T&rbt=TB
Free Look- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10784270®istry=T
G Laurie- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10816206®istry=T
Knockyoursocksoff- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10805245®istry=T&rbt=TB
Last Call- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10738110®istry=T&rbt=TB
Pleasant Passage- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10745015®istry=T&rbt=TB
Xigera- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10815847®istry=T
Early speed: Meditate, Spirit Gal, Xigera
Closer: Comanche Country, G Laurie, Knockyoursocksoff
Form analysis:
Basil Martini- Slowly improving filly ran well without winning in first four starts, broke through last time in GIII stakes at Curragh. She doesn't have 'American' speed, and I'm not sure that a mile will bring forth any more talent. Grade- C
Trainer Joseph O'Brien (after the Curragh win):
“(Jockey) Declan (McDonogh) said she really felt good today. She generally is quick away and leads. It was a really tough performance. She’s a progressive filly and has held her form very well all the way through. For the last furlong and a half you were wondering what was going to come and get her but she just kept finding. I’d say that is probably it for this season. She is a Group winner now and is a nice filly to look forward to next spring.”
Be Your Best- Broke maiden by 3+ lengths at first asking at Saratoga, then returned in the P.G. Johnson at the end of the meet and won by almost four, striding out at the finish. In her last effort, the Miss Grillo at B@A, she sat a good trip behind a dawdling pace but didn't seem to handle the yielding ground well, not showing the same acceleration at the finish. She was two lengths behind Free Look, which she had beaten by three in her maiden victory. Many of the American/Canadian entrants in this race look very similar to each other, so if she gets good-firm ground and a decent PP, I would upgrade her chances. I am interested in this one and think you could get a good price off her third-place finish last time. Grade- B
Owner Mike Ryan:
“We were very impressed with her maiden win four weeks ago at Saratoga. She trained with a lot of promise this winter in Ocala with Karl Keegan,” Ryan said. “We had never had her on the grass before her maiden. She hadn't worked back on the grass. She just trained on the main track at Saratoga, and she always trained like a good horse. Her performance was very exciting and super impressive. She had to be patient and wait for her time to get the split up the fence...But once she found some daylight, she accelerated pretty impressively." Be Your Best's sire Muhaarar did his best running as a sprinter, but Ryan recalled a conversation with internationally acclaimed trainer John Gosden, who said one can expect his progeny to get a distance of ground. “He said, 'I think they want more ground. People are expecting them to be sprinters, but I think they want to go long,'” Ryan said. “John Gosden was absolutely correct and she's really rewarded us big time. So, I told Horacio that she was bred for the grass. Muhaarar was a champion sprinter in Europe so I had no doubt she would handle the turf, which she did in her first start.”
Backstory about owner/breeder/bloodstock agent Mike Ryan: www.saratogian.com/2022/09/02/nyra-be-your-best-a-golden-opportunity-for-mike-ryan
Cairo Consort- Deciding on how strong you think this year's running of the GI Natalma Stakes at Woodbine will be important, as the first three finishers are entered here. Cairo Consort won two in a row sprinting, including a win over Last Call, but finished behind that one first time going a route of ground. Improving filly, but I think the other two from the Natalma have more upside. Grade- C
Trainer Nathan Squires:
“She’s got a great mind,” Squires said. “There lots of horses with talent, maybe just as talented as her, but they don’t have the mind to go along with that. All she cares about is running and eating. That’s it. Nothing bothers her, absolutely nothing. That’s a great attribute for any athlete. I think she had an unlucky trip (in the Natalma),” said Squires. “I’m not going to take anything away from the winner, but she got stopped four times. There was no pace or anything and she got sort of boxed in on the inside for most of the race. It was no one’s fault, just bad racing luck. At the 3/8ths pole where she was, she needed a helicopter to get her out of there.” As the Breeders’ Cup gets closer, Squires is tempering his excitement. He has secured Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, a winner of 15 Breeders’ Cup races, to ride Cairo Consort.
Comanche Country- Daughter of Highland Reel has basically run the exact same race three times in a row, winning stakes the last two, without improving much over that maiden win. Sat a perfect rail trip behind another solid pace in the Surfer Girl, tipped out in the stretch and just got by at the line. Just don't see any oomph from this one. Nice horse, but will likely be up against it in this field. Grade- C
Trainer Phil D'Amato:
“I think confidence is going to play a big part in this. She’s won three in a row. She knows her job. All of those things play a part and hopefully she can make the next step. If we’re lucky to get a firm turf, that will help the cause,” D’Amato said. “She needs to take one more step and she’ll definitely be with the main contenders in there.”
Delight- Jonathan Thomas trains this $400K daughter of Mendelssohn for Augustin Stable. Course & distance win last out when no one else wanted the lead in the Jessamine, so excellent front-running jockey Luis Saez took control from his inside draw and really slowed down the pace (49 3/5). Watch the replay, the rest of the field is bunched up behind him, like jets at JFK. No surprise that she won from that position, but the way she did it was very impressive, just striding away from the field with disdain. Improving filly could be getting good at just the right time. Grade- B
Jockey Luis Saez:
“It was pretty easy (to get her to relax on the front end),” Saez said of the ride. “The plan was to follow somebody and have a target for the lead, but she broke so well and did it on her own. She controlled the pace and relaxed beautiful. When she came to the top of the stretch, it was all about her. She (accelerated) pretty fast (at the top of the stretch). She had a big turn of foot and I didn't really have to do anything – just keep going on with her and she did it.”
Free Look- Improving Tapit filly from Klaravich/Chad Brown was third behind Be Your Best on debut, then won a MSW at the Spa before splitting Pleasant Passage and Be Your Best in the Miss Grillo over yielding turf. That race had no pace and very little positional changing, they just ran around there in the same order, I learned little from the 'race.' Meh. Grade- C
Trainer Chad Brown (after the Miss Grillo):
“It was a real good effort. Obviously it was an easy pace in front of us, but we didn’t have any excuse. We had dead aim the whole way. I’m real happy with the filly’s effort. I’ll probably go on to the next one [Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf] if she comes out of this OK. Now that I have five weeks in between races, a little bit more time would benefit her.”
G Laurie- Won a slow MSW at Colonial Downs on debut, then had a troubled trip when Manny Franco couldn't find a hole in the Natalma. She did finish well once in the clear, but it was too late. I'm thinking she will be better as a 3yo, and may not be up to this in only her third start. Grade- C
No quotes.
Knockyoursocksoff- Deep-closing daughter of Kitten's Joy was a distant second behind Delight in the Jessamine, would need to improve substantially to compete here. Grade- D
No quotes.
Last Call- Got the win in the Natalma (as a maiden) with an early, wide move into the stretch, never losing momentum unlike the runners-up. Blinkers-off seemed to help her settle last time, and she would be better suited as a finisher IMO, she came home the last half in 47-flat. Trainer Attard has handled her well through three starts, I think Donato Lanni has found a $30K bargain for his posse. Grade- B
Trainer Kevin Attard:
“We put the blinkers on early because she just wasn’t showing a whole lot in the beginning, and then the lightbulb kind of kicked on and she just started working more impressive each time,” said Attard. “And we were obviously a little disappointed in her last start, but we thought she was a little rank, she wouldn’t relax and settle so we’ve taken the blinkers off. I think just now with a couple races of experience under her belt and obviously her pedigree leans to more distance she put it all together today.”
Meditate- Career record 6/4-2-0. Won the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, then the GII Debutante at the Curragh going 7F. Last two were second-place finishes behind Lezoo and Tahiyra in GI company. Progressive filly is second in the ratings for the 2023 Irish 1000 Guineas. Still must prove that she can see out the mile, but she oozes class. Default favorite in this bunch. Grade- A
Good luck getting a meaningful quote from O'Brien the Elder...lol.
Midnight Mile- Two wins in two starts, the latest a GIII 7F event at Newmarket where she lacked room until a seam opened late and she blasted through for the victory. Not sure she's ready for this, but the talent is visible and I wouldn't leave her off my tickets. Grade- C
Trainer Richard Fahey:
"She’s a filly we’ve always loved and she’s been huge prices both times she has run. I was shocked by how big a price she was when she won at Doncaster first time. She’s a late-maturing filly that’s taken time. From very early on I was extremely sweet on her, I thought an awful lot of her, I’ve given her plenty of time. She won her maiden and then I was very keen to go for black type and I thought she did it extremely well the other day, she would’ve been a very unlucky loser. I think that race will put her 100 per cent right, she was a little bit green in areas at Newmarket but she picked up well and she’s a progressive filly who we like a lot. It was pure talent that got her out of trouble. She goes there a fresh filly with just two races under her belt. She did a piece of work last week (Wednesday, October 19) and it was very good, but we’ll just see what sort of form she’s in and we’ll give the dice a roll and see what happens."
Pleasant Passage- Irad stole the Miss Grillo aboard this Shug filly, she's supposed to be a quality animal with the breeding and connections, but I think she'll be overbet off that stakes win. Grade- C
Trainer Shug McGaughey:
“She had been training good. Her first race was good and I thought she learned quite a bit in there,” said McGaughey. “She broke good and nobody seemed to want the lead [in the Miss Grillo], so Irad took advantage of it. She’s doing real good. Depending on the weather, we’re planning on breezing her here on the turf on Saturday. If not, we’ll probably do it on Sunday. She’ll get most of her work done here.”
Spirit Gal- This one is very interesting to me. Owned by Charles Fipke (the diamond mine guy), she is by top-class producer Invincible Spirit out of a Galileo mare. Progressive filly won a good maiden race in her third start, at Naas, then stretched out to 7F on the AW track at Dundalk to nab a Listed Stakes. There she beat a well-fancied Aidan O'Brien colt, Cairo, which went on to win a GIII in his next start, and is entered in the BC Juv Turf. Lots of upside for this one if she can stay the mile. Grade- B
Trainer WP Browne:
“It’s a great thrill. I didn’t know if she was that class, but she won well. She has plenty of speed, but settles in front. (Jockey) Seamie (Heffernan) knows her well. And knowing the man who owns her, the Breeders' Cup could be the dream.”
Great read about Irish trainer Willie Browne (his farm is adjacent to the Coolmore operation in Co. Tipperary): www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/browne-reflects-on-pioneering-career/
Xigera- Trainer Philip Bauer seemed to win nearly every race he entered at Saratoga this summer, but he's mainly a 'dirt' trainer, so this son of Nyquist surprised by enjoying the grass, running second on debut (beating subsequent Jessamine winner Delight) and then breaking her maiden handily three weeks hence. They tried her on dirt in the Alcibiades (GI) last time, but she faded to fourth (placed third on DQ) after pressing the early pace. Hard one to figure, but she'll add to the early pace at least. Grade- C
No quotes.
Top selection(s)- Meditate
Contenders- Be Your Best, Delight, Last Call, Spirit Gal
Must use underneath- Midnight Mile
Got an opinion, post it here!
TW
Curragh, Moyglare Stud Stakes (GI, 7F), Sep. 11th (Meditate)
Chart- www.racingpost.com/results/178/curragh/2022-09-11/816310
Curragh, Weld Park Stakes (GIII, 7F), Sep. 25th (Basil Martini)
Chart- www.racingpost.com/results/178/curragh/2022-09-25/822140
Newmarket, Oh So Sharp Stakes (GIII, 7F), Oct. 7th (Midnight Mile)
Chart- www.racingpost.com/results/38/newmarket/2022-10-07/820673
Dundalk, Star Appeal Stakes (Listed, 7F AW), Sep. 30th (Spirit Gal)
Chart- www.racingpost.com/results/1138/dundalk-aw/2022-09-30/822429
Naas, Irish EBF Maiden (6F), Sep. 15th (Spirit Gal)
Chart- www.racingpost.com/results/192/naas/2022-09-15/821148
Woodbine, Natalma Stakes (GI, 8F), Sep. 17th (Last Call, Cairo Consort, G Laurie)
Chart- www.equibase.com/premium/eqbPDFChartPlus.cfm?RACE=10&BorP=P&TID=WO&CTRY=CAN&DT=09/17/2022&DAY=D&STYLE=EQB
Belmont @ Aqueduct, Miss Grillo Stakes (GIII, 8.5F), Oct. 1st (Pleasant Passage, Free Look, Be Your Best)
Chart- www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/BAQ100122USA8.pdf
Keeneland, Jessamine Stakes (GII, 8.5F), Oct. 7th (Delight, Knockyoursocksoff)
Chart- www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/KEE100722USA8.pdf
Santa Anita, Surfer Girl Stakes (GIII, 8F), Oct. 9th (Comanche Country)
Chart- www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/SA100922USA5.pdf
Top 2yo turf fillies from UK/IRE-
Basil Martini- www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/4274040/basil-martini/form
Meditate- www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/4245939/meditate/form
Midnight Mile- www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/4449783/midnight-mile/form
Spirit Gal- www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/4493112/spirit-gal/form
Top 2yo turf fillies in US/CAN-
Be Your Best- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10773308®istry=T&rbt=TB
Cairo Consort- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10758611®istry=T
Comanche Country- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10818107®istry=T&rbt=TB
Delight- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10791468®istry=T&rbt=TB
Free Look- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10784270®istry=T
G Laurie- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10816206®istry=T
Knockyoursocksoff- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10805245®istry=T&rbt=TB
Last Call- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10738110®istry=T&rbt=TB
Pleasant Passage- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10745015®istry=T&rbt=TB
Xigera- www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=10815847®istry=T
Early speed: Meditate, Spirit Gal, Xigera
Closer: Comanche Country, G Laurie, Knockyoursocksoff
Form analysis:
Basil Martini- Slowly improving filly ran well without winning in first four starts, broke through last time in GIII stakes at Curragh. She doesn't have 'American' speed, and I'm not sure that a mile will bring forth any more talent. Grade- C
Trainer Joseph O'Brien (after the Curragh win):
“(Jockey) Declan (McDonogh) said she really felt good today. She generally is quick away and leads. It was a really tough performance. She’s a progressive filly and has held her form very well all the way through. For the last furlong and a half you were wondering what was going to come and get her but she just kept finding. I’d say that is probably it for this season. She is a Group winner now and is a nice filly to look forward to next spring.”
Be Your Best- Broke maiden by 3+ lengths at first asking at Saratoga, then returned in the P.G. Johnson at the end of the meet and won by almost four, striding out at the finish. In her last effort, the Miss Grillo at B@A, she sat a good trip behind a dawdling pace but didn't seem to handle the yielding ground well, not showing the same acceleration at the finish. She was two lengths behind Free Look, which she had beaten by three in her maiden victory. Many of the American/Canadian entrants in this race look very similar to each other, so if she gets good-firm ground and a decent PP, I would upgrade her chances. I am interested in this one and think you could get a good price off her third-place finish last time. Grade- B
Owner Mike Ryan:
“We were very impressed with her maiden win four weeks ago at Saratoga. She trained with a lot of promise this winter in Ocala with Karl Keegan,” Ryan said. “We had never had her on the grass before her maiden. She hadn't worked back on the grass. She just trained on the main track at Saratoga, and she always trained like a good horse. Her performance was very exciting and super impressive. She had to be patient and wait for her time to get the split up the fence...But once she found some daylight, she accelerated pretty impressively." Be Your Best's sire Muhaarar did his best running as a sprinter, but Ryan recalled a conversation with internationally acclaimed trainer John Gosden, who said one can expect his progeny to get a distance of ground. “He said, 'I think they want more ground. People are expecting them to be sprinters, but I think they want to go long,'” Ryan said. “John Gosden was absolutely correct and she's really rewarded us big time. So, I told Horacio that she was bred for the grass. Muhaarar was a champion sprinter in Europe so I had no doubt she would handle the turf, which she did in her first start.”
Backstory about owner/breeder/bloodstock agent Mike Ryan: www.saratogian.com/2022/09/02/nyra-be-your-best-a-golden-opportunity-for-mike-ryan
Cairo Consort- Deciding on how strong you think this year's running of the GI Natalma Stakes at Woodbine will be important, as the first three finishers are entered here. Cairo Consort won two in a row sprinting, including a win over Last Call, but finished behind that one first time going a route of ground. Improving filly, but I think the other two from the Natalma have more upside. Grade- C
Trainer Nathan Squires:
“She’s got a great mind,” Squires said. “There lots of horses with talent, maybe just as talented as her, but they don’t have the mind to go along with that. All she cares about is running and eating. That’s it. Nothing bothers her, absolutely nothing. That’s a great attribute for any athlete. I think she had an unlucky trip (in the Natalma),” said Squires. “I’m not going to take anything away from the winner, but she got stopped four times. There was no pace or anything and she got sort of boxed in on the inside for most of the race. It was no one’s fault, just bad racing luck. At the 3/8ths pole where she was, she needed a helicopter to get her out of there.” As the Breeders’ Cup gets closer, Squires is tempering his excitement. He has secured Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, a winner of 15 Breeders’ Cup races, to ride Cairo Consort.
Comanche Country- Daughter of Highland Reel has basically run the exact same race three times in a row, winning stakes the last two, without improving much over that maiden win. Sat a perfect rail trip behind another solid pace in the Surfer Girl, tipped out in the stretch and just got by at the line. Just don't see any oomph from this one. Nice horse, but will likely be up against it in this field. Grade- C
Trainer Phil D'Amato:
“I think confidence is going to play a big part in this. She’s won three in a row. She knows her job. All of those things play a part and hopefully she can make the next step. If we’re lucky to get a firm turf, that will help the cause,” D’Amato said. “She needs to take one more step and she’ll definitely be with the main contenders in there.”
Delight- Jonathan Thomas trains this $400K daughter of Mendelssohn for Augustin Stable. Course & distance win last out when no one else wanted the lead in the Jessamine, so excellent front-running jockey Luis Saez took control from his inside draw and really slowed down the pace (49 3/5). Watch the replay, the rest of the field is bunched up behind him, like jets at JFK. No surprise that she won from that position, but the way she did it was very impressive, just striding away from the field with disdain. Improving filly could be getting good at just the right time. Grade- B
Jockey Luis Saez:
“It was pretty easy (to get her to relax on the front end),” Saez said of the ride. “The plan was to follow somebody and have a target for the lead, but she broke so well and did it on her own. She controlled the pace and relaxed beautiful. When she came to the top of the stretch, it was all about her. She (accelerated) pretty fast (at the top of the stretch). She had a big turn of foot and I didn't really have to do anything – just keep going on with her and she did it.”
Free Look- Improving Tapit filly from Klaravich/Chad Brown was third behind Be Your Best on debut, then won a MSW at the Spa before splitting Pleasant Passage and Be Your Best in the Miss Grillo over yielding turf. That race had no pace and very little positional changing, they just ran around there in the same order, I learned little from the 'race.' Meh. Grade- C
Trainer Chad Brown (after the Miss Grillo):
“It was a real good effort. Obviously it was an easy pace in front of us, but we didn’t have any excuse. We had dead aim the whole way. I’m real happy with the filly’s effort. I’ll probably go on to the next one [Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf] if she comes out of this OK. Now that I have five weeks in between races, a little bit more time would benefit her.”
G Laurie- Won a slow MSW at Colonial Downs on debut, then had a troubled trip when Manny Franco couldn't find a hole in the Natalma. She did finish well once in the clear, but it was too late. I'm thinking she will be better as a 3yo, and may not be up to this in only her third start. Grade- C
No quotes.
Knockyoursocksoff- Deep-closing daughter of Kitten's Joy was a distant second behind Delight in the Jessamine, would need to improve substantially to compete here. Grade- D
No quotes.
Last Call- Got the win in the Natalma (as a maiden) with an early, wide move into the stretch, never losing momentum unlike the runners-up. Blinkers-off seemed to help her settle last time, and she would be better suited as a finisher IMO, she came home the last half in 47-flat. Trainer Attard has handled her well through three starts, I think Donato Lanni has found a $30K bargain for his posse. Grade- B
Trainer Kevin Attard:
“We put the blinkers on early because she just wasn’t showing a whole lot in the beginning, and then the lightbulb kind of kicked on and she just started working more impressive each time,” said Attard. “And we were obviously a little disappointed in her last start, but we thought she was a little rank, she wouldn’t relax and settle so we’ve taken the blinkers off. I think just now with a couple races of experience under her belt and obviously her pedigree leans to more distance she put it all together today.”
Meditate- Career record 6/4-2-0. Won the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, then the GII Debutante at the Curragh going 7F. Last two were second-place finishes behind Lezoo and Tahiyra in GI company. Progressive filly is second in the ratings for the 2023 Irish 1000 Guineas. Still must prove that she can see out the mile, but she oozes class. Default favorite in this bunch. Grade- A
Good luck getting a meaningful quote from O'Brien the Elder...lol.
Midnight Mile- Two wins in two starts, the latest a GIII 7F event at Newmarket where she lacked room until a seam opened late and she blasted through for the victory. Not sure she's ready for this, but the talent is visible and I wouldn't leave her off my tickets. Grade- C
Trainer Richard Fahey:
"She’s a filly we’ve always loved and she’s been huge prices both times she has run. I was shocked by how big a price she was when she won at Doncaster first time. She’s a late-maturing filly that’s taken time. From very early on I was extremely sweet on her, I thought an awful lot of her, I’ve given her plenty of time. She won her maiden and then I was very keen to go for black type and I thought she did it extremely well the other day, she would’ve been a very unlucky loser. I think that race will put her 100 per cent right, she was a little bit green in areas at Newmarket but she picked up well and she’s a progressive filly who we like a lot. It was pure talent that got her out of trouble. She goes there a fresh filly with just two races under her belt. She did a piece of work last week (Wednesday, October 19) and it was very good, but we’ll just see what sort of form she’s in and we’ll give the dice a roll and see what happens."
Pleasant Passage- Irad stole the Miss Grillo aboard this Shug filly, she's supposed to be a quality animal with the breeding and connections, but I think she'll be overbet off that stakes win. Grade- C
Trainer Shug McGaughey:
“She had been training good. Her first race was good and I thought she learned quite a bit in there,” said McGaughey. “She broke good and nobody seemed to want the lead [in the Miss Grillo], so Irad took advantage of it. She’s doing real good. Depending on the weather, we’re planning on breezing her here on the turf on Saturday. If not, we’ll probably do it on Sunday. She’ll get most of her work done here.”
Spirit Gal- This one is very interesting to me. Owned by Charles Fipke (the diamond mine guy), she is by top-class producer Invincible Spirit out of a Galileo mare. Progressive filly won a good maiden race in her third start, at Naas, then stretched out to 7F on the AW track at Dundalk to nab a Listed Stakes. There she beat a well-fancied Aidan O'Brien colt, Cairo, which went on to win a GIII in his next start, and is entered in the BC Juv Turf. Lots of upside for this one if she can stay the mile. Grade- B
Trainer WP Browne:
“It’s a great thrill. I didn’t know if she was that class, but she won well. She has plenty of speed, but settles in front. (Jockey) Seamie (Heffernan) knows her well. And knowing the man who owns her, the Breeders' Cup could be the dream.”
Great read about Irish trainer Willie Browne (his farm is adjacent to the Coolmore operation in Co. Tipperary): www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/browne-reflects-on-pioneering-career/
Xigera- Trainer Philip Bauer seemed to win nearly every race he entered at Saratoga this summer, but he's mainly a 'dirt' trainer, so this son of Nyquist surprised by enjoying the grass, running second on debut (beating subsequent Jessamine winner Delight) and then breaking her maiden handily three weeks hence. They tried her on dirt in the Alcibiades (GI) last time, but she faded to fourth (placed third on DQ) after pressing the early pace. Hard one to figure, but she'll add to the early pace at least. Grade- C
No quotes.
Top selection(s)- Meditate
Contenders- Be Your Best, Delight, Last Call, Spirit Gal
Must use underneath- Midnight Mile
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TW
