Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita
Las Vegas, NV - The best female grass horses on the planet will be featured in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf this Friday, November 2. Fillies and mares three years old and upward will be featured as they go 1 1/4 miles on Santa Anita's turf track in search of their share of the lofty $2 million purse.
A full field of 12 females have been entered in the Filly & Mare Turf for race 8 on Santa Anita's Friday schedule. Post time is 3:48 PM. Here is a brief look at all of the contenders and what brought them to this lucrative Grade 1 race.
2012 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Race Favorites
The Fugue - British bred fill has placed in her last five starts including two wins over that span. She has three wins, two seconds and a third place finish in seven career starts overseas - the lone poor result coming in just her second start ever.
Marketing Mix - has won six of her last nine starts since switching to turf and four of six in 2012 with one second. Last time out was an easy win in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes to follow a second in the Grade 1 Beverly D Stakes at Arlington August 18. She won in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly to follow another score in the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes after an uncharacteristic fourth in the Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes. Her other win this year was an Allowance at Keenaland. She has been terrific this year and should be in the "Mix" Friday. She hopes to hold the home track advantage against a European invasion.
Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf 2012 | Remaining Field Entries
Ridasiyna - French bred filly has five career starts - all this year with four wins and an uncharacteristically poor fifth two back. She comes off a strong 3 1/2-length victory in the Qatar Prix de l'Opera (Fr-I) at Longchamp Oct. 7.
Nahrain - made North American debut with a superb win in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl September 29 at Belmont after a decent career in Europe. She started her career with four straight wins and had a second in the Grade 1 Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf back in November. Her other 2012 starts were a ninth and eighth and a decent third overseas. Nahrain finished second in this race last year, she showed great form in the Flower Bowl - and could be a factor Friday.
Zagora - Zagora enters having placed in her last four starts and having won four of seven in 2012- the Grade 3 Endeavor, the Grade 3 Hillsborough, the Grade 3 Gallorette and the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga two back. She finished third in the Grade 1 Diana ahead of Hunger Island on July 28 and was a good second last time out in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl behind Nahrain. Trainer Chad Brown has this filly good form indeed.
I'm a Dreamer - made quite a North American debut with a win in the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes over Marketing Mix at Arlington Park on August 18 but followed that with a pedestrian fourth last time out in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational two weeks ago. Before that was an OK career in Europe - four wins a second and three third place finishes in 13 starts. She is just another of the terrific European Invasion for this race and could surprise.
Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf betting at Santa Anita with OffTrackBetting.com
In Lingerie - very impressive Todd Pletcher trained filly has placed in all seven career starts with four wins, two seconds and a third place finish. She won three of her first four starts including the Grade 3 Bourbonette Stakes by six lengths and then followed it up with another impressive score in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on May 18. Her last three starts have been eye-opening as well - an impressive win last time out in the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster followed a second in the Grade 1 Alabama and a third in the Grade 1 American Oaks. In Lingerie is ramping up but runs on turf for the first time Friday.
Lady of Shamrock - is a four time stakes winner who finished a close second in the Honeymoon Handicap on June 9 to My Gi Gi and then bounced back with a terrific wins in the Grade 1 American Oaks July 14 and the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks last time out August 18. Her other wins this year include the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes at Santa Anita on April 7 and the China Doll Stakes. She has won four of her last five - all stakes races and is in peek for the Breeders' Cup despite having been out of action since July.
Up - has spent most of her career in Ireland but does have two North American starts - a fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last November and a sixth in the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes August 18. She returned home after the Beverly D. and reeled off two straight wins before a sixth last time out.
Nereid - has placed in seven of her 11 career starts but has stumbled before a nice second last time out in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive. She had a sixth in the John C. Mabee, a fourth in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine, a sixth in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes as 2-1 favorite and a fourth in the Grade 3 Wilshire before her most recent result. She enters in so-so form but with a little optimism off that second place finish in the Rodeo Drive.
Star Billing - has only three starts in 2012 for trainer John Shirreffs - a disappointing eighth in the Redondo Beach Stakes on June 10 was followed by a very pleasant second in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch and a sixth last time out in the Grade 1 Zenyatta here September 29. She has just one second in three starts this year.
Stormy Lucy - had won three straight races before the Honeymoon Handicap - two Allowance races and the Golden Poppy Stakes at Golden Gate on May 6. She finished a respectable third in the Honeymoon by just a half length and followed that up with a pedestrian fifth in the Grade 1 American Oaks. She has raced two straight Grade 1 races most recently - she was third last time out in the Rodeo Drive after a good second before that in the Del Mar Oaks.
