It's been "Ladies Week" at the Brendan Walsh barn this week at Del Mar as the Kentucky-based conditioner aims for his first victory in the Breeders' Cup with a trio of accomplished fillies.
A native of County Cork, Ireland, Walsh will send out 2-year-old filly Imaginationthelady in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) Oct. 31 and on Nov. 1 he'll have a pair of runners in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) in 3-year-old filly Clicquot and 4-year-old filly Gin Gin.
All three of Walsh's runners enter off of recent graded stakes wins.
Imaginationthelady will try to extend her perfect career start to three races in the 1-mile Juvenile Fillies Turf. She debuted with a victory going a mile at Kentucky Downs and enters off a clear victory in the Jessamine Stakes (G2T) Oct. 3 at Keeneland. The daughter of Not This Time was guided to victory by Frankie Dettori in the Jessamine and he returns to ride Friday.
Clicquot enters off of four straight wins, most recently claiming her first grade 1 score in the Cotillion Stakes (G1) Sept. 20 at Parx Racing. Gin Gin, a Calumet Farm homebred, also claimed her first grade 1 victory in her previous start, an upset, front-end score in the Spinster Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, where the daughter of Hightail defeated reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna. and Distaff rival Nitrogen.
"It's great that they're all entered off of wins and the two Distaff horses enter off of grade 1 wins," Walsh said. "It's fantastic and they've been doing great out here. We like their draws and they're coming in 100% so we'll see what happens."
