Aidan O'Brien and his Coolmore masters aren't messing around. They have suffered through a 1-for-17 record in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), a race tailor-made for their all conquering supply of the best young horses money and breeding can buy. So, to make certain the trophy for the 17th running of the million-dollar event goes home to Ireland, they are shipping their biggest possible gun in search of the Nov. 1 prize.
Lake Victoria, a daughter of Frankel , is one of three fillies trained by O'Brien to make the selected list of 14 from 21 pre-entries in the race, and by far the most accomplished. She has won all four of her races, including group 1 events in England and Ireland, running best at the end each time. Her dam is the brilliant Quiet Reflection, who mopped up on males in a pair of group 1 British sprints, giving her a blended pedigree that puts the mile at Del Mar in her sweet spot.
Now all she has to do is turn left.
After racing over nothing but straightaways at The Curragh and Newmarket, those two hairpin turns around the seven-furlong Del Mar course could be the only thing that beats Lake Victoria. If that happens, there will be a host of domestic challengers ready to pounce, including Thought Process, a daughter of Collected who has separated herself from the California pack with back-to-back grass wins at one mile, including the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes Sept. 7.
"She's won on (the Del Mar) turf course twice, which certainly doesn't hurt," said Phil D'Amato, who trains Thought Process for the partnership of Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables, and the estate of Brereton C. Jones. The filly also took the Surfer Girl Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park.
"She also has great tactical speed and turn of foot, which are unique qualities," D'Amato added. "Usually, you have one or the other."
Keeneland's Jessamine Stakes (G2T) is sending the three fillies who hit the line under a blanket there Oct. 4: winner May Day Ready, Totally Justified, and Destino d'Oro. Scythian and Virgin Colada, the one-two finishers in the Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) at Aqueduct Racetrack Oct. 6, have made the field, along with Vixen, second to the sidelined And One More Time in the Natalma Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine Sept. 14.
Toss into that group Kilwin, a daughter of Twirling Candy trained by Rusty Arnold, who closed like a scalded cat to win the listed Untapable Stakes at Kentucky Downs Sept. 8. The pot was a million dollars.
Accompanying Lake Victoria in the O'Brien band will be Heavens Gate, by Churchill, who took the Park Stakes (G3) at The Curragh Sept. 29. The two O'Brien fillies have never met, at least not in the afternoon.
Breeders' Cup announced on X that the third O'Brien pre-entry, Bubbling, was withdrawn as well as fellow European Celandine, allowing Tracy Farmer's Abientot and Calumet Farm's Correto to move into the main field. The Mark Casse-trained Abientot finished third behind Kilwin two starts back in the Untapable, but rebounded with a rallying last-out win in the Matron Stakes (G3T) at Aqueduct. Correto, trained by Graham Motion, finished third in the Miss Grillo Stakes.
Del Mar, Friday, November 1, 2024, Race 8Entries: John Deere Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Lake Victoria (IRE) Ryan L. Moore 122 Aidan P. O'Brien 8/5 2 2Nitrogen (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Mark E. Casse 15/1 3 3Correto (KY) Jorge Ruiz 122 H. Graham Motion 30/1 4 4Scythian (NY) Junior Alvarado 122 William I. Mott 12/1 5 5Totally Justified (KY) Manuel Franco 122 George R. Arnold II 20/1 6 6Virgin Colada (KY) Flavien Prat 122 Chad C. Brown 20/1 7 7Thought Process (KY) Hector Isaac Berrios 122 Philip D'Amato 5/2 8 8Heavens Gate (IRE) Wayne Lordan 122 Aidan P. O'Brien 12/1 9 9Kilwin (KY) Jose Lezcano 122 George R. Arnold II 20/1 10 10Abientot (KY) Dylan Davis 122 Mark E. Casse 30/1 11 11Fiery Lucy (GB) Gary Carroll 122 Gavin Cromwell 30/1 12 12May Day Ready (KY) Lanfranco Dettori 122 Joseph R. Lee 20/1 13 13Vixen (KY) John R. Velazquez 122 Mark E. Casse 15/1 14 14Anshoda (IRE) Joel Rosario 122 David Loughnane 30/1 15 15Supa Speed (LA) Juan J. Hernandez 122 John W. Sadler 30/1 16 16Tigerish (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 122 Richard Baltas 30/1 17 17Acquitted (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Richard E. Mandella 30/1
