Juvenile Fillies Turf to Test Watsdachances

Owners Michael Kisber and Bradley Thoroughbreds hope for a quick return on investment when their 2-year-old filly Watsdachances starts as one of the favorites in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT) on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita Park.

Bred in Ireland, 2-year-old Watsdachances was purchased privately by her current owners after she won a maiden race in her second career start at Navan. Shipped to the U.S., the Diamond Green filly responded with stakes victories in the P. G. Johnson at Saratoga Race Course and the Miss Grillo (gr. III) at Belmont Park. After winning those two 1 1/16-mile turf races, she will cut back to one mile in the Juvenile Fillies Turf when she breaks from near the middle of the full field of 14 with two also-eligibles.

"Peter Bradley found this filly in Europe and was adamant about buying her," said trainer Chad Brown, who won the 2008 Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita with Maram. "He put a group together including Michael Kisber and some of the other partners. They all put a lot of work into it, too, trying to find these horses, and they found a real good one here."

While Breeders' Cup race conditions prohibit Salix in this year's five juvenile races, Watsdachances, unlike most U.S.-based juveniles in Breeders' Cup races, has experience racing without the diuretic. She made her first two starts in Europe, including her maiden win, racing without Salix.

To secure her first grade I victory, Watsdachances will have to defeat a group I winner shipping in from Europe in Sky Lantern, who will stretch out to one mile after taking the seven-furlong Moyglare Stud Stakes (Ire-I) on September 9 at the Curragh. Conditioned by three-time British champion trainer Richard Hannon, the daughter of Red Clubs has finished first or second in four stakes starts.

Shipping in from Canada, Gary Barber's and Stoneway Farm's Spring Venture will make her U.S. debut after rolling to victories in her first three career starts at Woodbine. Trainer Mark Casse, a four-time Sovereign Award winner as Canada's top conditioner, has unleashed several talented juveniles this season. He plans to start two other 2-year-olds in Breeders' Cup races: Dynamic Sky in the Juvenile (gr. I) and Spring in the Air in the Juvenile Fillies (gr. I). He recently won the Iroquois Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill Downs with Uncaptured  .

"She just wants to go," Casse said after Spring Venture breezed five furlongs in 1:01.20 on Oct. 26 at Churchill. "That will be (jockey) Patrick's (Husbands) biggest challenge: getting her to relax."