Post 2 for F&M Turf Favorite Stacelita

Martin Schwartz' Stacelita, a two-time grade I winner this year, was made the 2-1 favorite for the Nov. 4 Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT). The 1 3/8-mile race drew a field of 12 and is worth $2 million.

The French-bred daughter of Monsun, winner of the Beverly D. Stakes (gr. IT) and Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes (gr. IT) in back-to-back efforts, drew post 2. The 5-year-old mare was a group I winner in France last summer.

“I’m really happy with the post,” said trainer Chad Brown. “I’m never really concerned about the odds, but I’m happy with the post. She drew inside in the Beverly D. also and got a nice trip. Hopefully we’ll get a similar trip.”

Brown hopes he has a similar result with what he experienced with Maram, his first Breeders’ Cup runner, who won the Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita in 2009.

The second and third choices on the morning line are both European-based runners that were only separated by a nose after 10 furlongs last time out: Nahrain (7-2) and Announce (9-2). Unbeaten Nahrain races for Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid al Maktoum, and advanced quickly to win the group I Qatar Prix de l’Opera (Fr-I) on Arc day at Longchamp as a 3-year-old in just her fourth start. Juddmonte Farms’ homebred Announce was beaten a nose in the Prix de l’Opera after taking the group I Darley Prix Jean Romanet going 1 ¼ miles at Deauville.

Trainer Graham Motion has a pair for the Filly & Mare Turf in Flaxman Holdings’ Aruna (6-1) and Shared Account (30-1).

Aruna was originally penciled in to make her dirt debut in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (gr. I) following an impressive score on the Polytrack in Keeneland’s Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (gr. I), but will now stay on turf where she has a 5-3-1 slate from 11 starts in France and the U.S.

Sagamore Farm’s Shared Account was the 46-1 winner of this race last year, coming up the hedge to top Midday, who returns in this year’s Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. IT).

“I’m happy with both fillies’ posts,” Motion said.

Shared Account has made only two starts this year, a fourth-place finish May 21 in the Gallorette Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Pimilco and a sixth-place effort Sept. 18 in Woodbine’s Canadian Stakes (Can-IIT).

On defending champion Shared Account’s 30-1 odds, he said: “I’m not at all surprised. I figured she would be. I think it’s fair enough, but it doesn’t affect the way I feel about her. I’m very comfortable running her, as I did last year.”

At the draw Oct. 31 at Churchill Downs was Mersad Metanovic, stable manager for trainer Jeff Bonde, who will send out 30-1 shot Cambina in the Filly & Mare Turf. The 3-year-old daughter of Hawk Wing—Await, by Peintre Celebre, was a dead-heat winner of the American Oaks (gr. IT) this summer at Hollywood Park but finished behind Filly & Mare entrants Dubawi Heights and Harmonius in the Oct. 1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes (gr. IT) at Santa Anita.

Cambina races for George Schmitt, Jason Cline, and Charles Cline. She drew post 4.

“For Cambina, the post is perfect,” said Metanovic. “It will let her save ground and roll hard late, which is the way she runs. We’ve got Garrett (Gomez) and that’s a huge plus. He’s won three races with her, so he knows her style really well.”