Tough renewal of Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on tap at Del Mar

Nov 03, 2017 Jennifer Caldwell/Brisnet.com

A field of 13 juvenile fillies has been entered to go 1 1/16 miles on Saturday in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), and the winner of that contest will likely end up being named champion two-year-old filly when the Eclipse Awards rolls around.

Three in particular are worthy of that accolade: Moonshine Memories, Heavenly Love and Separationofpowers. The trio sport Grade 1 victories on their resumes and are looking to put an exclamation mark on their two-year-old campaigns with a win in the Juvenile Fillies.

Moonshine Memories is actually undefeated from three starts thus far, including the Del Mar Debutante (G1) and Santa Anita Park’s Chandelier Stakes (G1). The Simon Callaghan-trained daughter of Malibu Moon broke her maiden at Del Mar on August 19 and returned only three weeks later to take the Del Mar Debutante. Flavien Prat was aboard for that latter score and retains the mount here.

Heavenly Love broke her maiden by five lengths on the turf at Kentucky Downs in her second outing, but trainer Mark Casse sent the Malibu Moon filly to the main track for a go at the Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland a month later. The bay miss responded with a 5 1/2-length triumph under Julien Leparoux, who returns for this ride.

Separationofpowers got her Grade 1 win in the Frizette Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park, and in fact will be making her first start outside of New York here. The Chad Brown trainee broke her maiden by 11 lengths at Saratoga and exited a third-place effort in the seven-furlong Spinaway Stakes (G1) prior to taking the 1 1/16-mile Frizette. Regular rider Jose Ortiz holds the reins Saturday on the filly, who earned a field-best 104 BRIS Speed figure for her Frizette score.

Wonder Gadot is gaining attention off a six-length wire job in the Mazarine Stakes (Can-G3) over Woodbine’s synthetic Tapeta. The Casse pupil opened her career on turf, capturing a Woodbine allowance by four lengths, before finishing third by three parts of a length in the Natalma Stakes (Can-G1), also on the Canadian green. Patrick Husbands has been in the pilot’s seat for all three of Wonder Gadot’s starts thus far and retains the mount here.

Blonde Bomber makes her graded bow in a tough spot for trainer Stanley Gold, but the Fort Larned filly did romp by a combined 11 3/4 lengths in her past pair of efforts. The most recent of those was the Our Dear Peggy Stakes, which was taken off the turf and run on the main track at Gulfstream Park. Blonde Bomber has competed exclusively over that Southern Florida venue since beginning her career in May and gets Jose Lezcano aboard for this first try in California.

Caledonia Road, a Ralph Nicks-trained daughter of Quality Road, broke her maiden by 2 3/4 lengths at Saratoga prior to making her stakes bow in the Frizette. The bay lass filled the second spot that day, earning a 100 BRIS Speed rating, and gets a jockey switch from Junior Alvarado to Mike Smith in this spot.

Maya Malibu will be sporting blinkers for the first time in this one for trainer Graham Motion. The Malibu Moon lass was a six-length maiden winner at Delaware Park in August, returned a month later to miss in the Spinaway by only three parts of a length, and then secured third in the Frizette. Maya Malibu had Separationofpowers 3 1/4 lengths behind in third in the Spinaway, but that filly turned the tables next out in the Frizette. Javier Castellano has the call on Maya Malibu.

Piedi Bianchi finished second in the Del Mar Debutante and third in the Chandelier behind Moonshine Memories, and will attempt to turn the tables on that rival Saturday. The Doug O’Neill charge broke her maiden at Del Mar in her second try on August 12 and brings Mario Gutierrez along for the ride yet again.

Alluring Star will also be looking to derail Moonshine Memories after running second in the Chandelier to that rival. The Bob Baffert trainee wired her maiden debut by 2 1/2 lengths going 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar before making her stakes bow at Santa Anita in the Chandelier, where she led for the opening half-mile. Joe Talamo stays in the saddle.

Princess Warrior broke her maiden at first asking at Churchill Downs before heading to Keeneland for a runner-up effort in the Alcibiades Stakes (G1). Kenny McPeek will give Brian Hernandez Jr. a leg up on the Midshipman filly in this spot.

Gio Game makes her stakes bow in the Juvenile Fillies for Casse after breaking her maiden at Keeneland by nine lengths going 1 1/16 miles on October 6. The Gio Ponti filly began her career at Saratoga, finishing second in an off-the-turf contest on July 27 before running third, but placed second via disqualification, in a turf maiden one month later. Manny Franco will be in the irons for the first time.

Stainless broke her maiden at Gulfstream Park in May, but traveled to Saratoga for her next two starts. However, the Todd Pletcher pupil was well-beaten in both the Schuylerville Stakes (G3), where she finished third, and Adirondack Stakes (G2), fourth under the wire. The Flatter filly rallied from the back of a 14-horse field to get up for second in the Jessamine Stakes (G3) over Keeneland’s soft turf most recently, and has John Velazquez taking back the mount.

Completing the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies field is maiden Tell Your Mama, who switches from trainer Geoff Mulcahy to Bob Hess Jr. here following two losses.