Sweet Reason will be the morning line favorite for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) based on posting up a division-high 98 Beyer figure while rolling to a 5 1/4-length victory in the seven-furlong Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) Sept. 1 at Saratoga Race Course.
Ten 2-year-old fillies will go in the Juvenile Fillies and Sweet Reason drew post 9. She will be ridden by Alex Solis in the $2 million race at 1 1/16-miles at Santa Anita Park.
The Juvenile Fillies is the first Breeders' Cup race of the Nov. 2 card and has a 12:05 p.m. PDT post.
Sweet Reason, trained by Leah Gyarmati for Jeff Treadway's Treadway Racing Stable, is by Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) winner Street Sense out of stakes-placed and grade III-producer Livermore Leslie. She was a $185,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase. She was made the 5-2 morning line favorite.
After winning her first two starts, Sweet Reason failed to catch New York-bred Artemis Agrotera while second in the 1 1/16-mile Frizette Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park Oct. 6. Artemis Agrotera, who will break from the rail, is the 3-1 second choice on the morning line.
Chester and Mary Broman's homebred Artemis Agrotera, a daughter of Roman Ruler stands 16.2 hands tall and became a grade I winner one race after crushing state-breds at Saratoga by 11 3/4 lengths in a six-furlong maiden race.
Artemis Agrotera drilled a half-mile in :46 3/5 Oct. 18 at Belmont, then got five furlongs in 1:01 3/5 Oct. 27 in preparation for her cross-country trip. She'll break from the rail under Jose Lezcano.
"I feel like we're bringing over a very live horse," trainer Mike Hushion said. "I am a little worried about her getting a bit too anxious before the race because she can be very high strung, but she's trained great since the Frizette. Her work (Oct. 27) was perfect."
Both New Yorkers look formidable despite having to ship across the continent.
Locals may hold a slight edge in the Juvenile Fillies. Secret Compass, a filly by Discreet Cat racing for Scott and Joe Ford's Westrock Stables, just got up to edge front-running She's a Tiger in the Chandelier Stakes (gr. I), Santa Anita's Juvenile Fillies prep race Sept. 28. Secret Compass, bred in Kentucky by Liberation Farm and Pam and Jim Robinson's Brandywine Farm, was a $425,000 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. March 2-year-old purchase and is trained by Bob Baffert. Secret Compass is a 6-1 shot on the morning line, along iwth She's a Tiger.
She's a Tiger, by Tale of the Cat , was sharp sprinting earlier this year, taking the six-furlong Landaluce Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park in July and the seven-furlong Del Mar Debutante (gr. I) Aug. 31. Stretching to two turns for the Chandelier, she opened up a sizable lead on the turn and was just caught on the line. She drew the outside 10 post and will have Gary Stevens up.
Reddam Racing's Concave, an impressive winner of Del Mar's Sorrento Stakes (gr. III) in early August, was third behind She's a Tiger in the Debutante last time out. By hot first-year sire Colonel John, the Ontario-bred filly has yet to race on dirt and has not been out in nine weeks. She will break from post 6 under Mario Gutierrez and is a 15-1 outsider in the Juvenile Fillies.
The cream of the Kentucky crop comes in the form of Untapable, a Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred daughter of Tapit who made her way to Southern California off a win in Churchill Downs' Pocahontas Stakes (gr. II). Out of the Prized mare Fun House, she is closely related to last year's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) winner Tapizar . Rose Napravnik returns aboard and they will break from post seven. The Steve Asmussen-trained filly is the 5-1 third choice.
Scandalous Act comes to sunny Southern California from sunny South Florida as a 8-1 player on the morning line. Gil Campbell's homebred daughter of Act of Duty—Seductive Lady, by Langfuhr has had little competition in winning four of five starts at Calder and cruised to 5 3/4 lengths Oct. 12 in the $300,000 My Dear Girl Stakes, the finale of the Florida Stallion Series. Scandalous Act drew post 8. Eduardo Nunez has the return call.
Florida-breds have had their day in the sun in the Juvenile Fillies: winners are Twilight Ridge (1985), Brave Raj ('86), Meadow Star ('90), and Awesome Feather ('10).
| Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) Nov 2 12:05 PM PT | ||||
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
| 1 | Artemis Agrotera | Jose Lezcano | Michael E. Hushion | 3-1 |
| 2 | Rosalind | Joel Rosario | Kenneth G. McPeek | 8-1 |
| 3 | Designer Legs | Joe Talamo | Dallas Stewart | 30-1 |
| 4 | Secret Compass | John Velasquez | Bob Baffert | 6-1 |
| 5 | Ria Antonia | Javier Castellano | Jeremiah C. Englehart | 30-1 |
| 6 | Concave | Mario Gutierrez | Doug F. O'Neill | 15-1 |
| 7 | Untapable | Rosie Napravnik | Steven M. Asmussen | 5-1 |
| 8 | Scandalous Act | Edwardo Nunez | Kathleen M. O'Connell | 8-1 |
| 9 | Sweet Reason | Alex Solis | Leah Gyarmati | 5-2 |
| 10 | She's a Tiger | Gary Stevens | Jeffrey L. Bonde | 6-1 |
A quick clip of Sweet Reason workring at Santa Anita:
