Hard to Find a Favorite in Turfway BC

So contentious is Saturday's Turfway Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. III) that the morning line has five of the seven entrants at odds of between 5-2 and 5-1. The 1 1/16 miles Turfway Breeders' Cup is one of five stakes on the Kentucky Cup card at the northern Kentucky track.

The 5-2 choice is Robert Lothenbach's 5-year-old bay mare Mayo on the Side, who shook up the older filly and mare division earlier this year by knocking off Azeri in the Humana Distaff Handicap (gr. I) on Kentucky Derby day. She's winless since, but ran fourth in graded company twice and was second in the one-mile HBPA Stakes at Ellis Park.

Trained by Carl Nafzger, the homebred daughter of French Deputy will be making her Turfway debut.

Others pegged close to the favorite are Angela's Love (3-1), La Reason (7-2), Susan's Angel (4-1), and Miss Fortunate (5-1). Hippogator (10-1) and Our Josephina (15-1) are the outsiders in the cast.

Angela's Love, a 4-year-old daughter of Not for Love, was a rousing 4 3/4 length winner of the Gardenia Handicap (gr. III) over Miss Fortunate at Ellis Park Aug. 7. She got the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.54 under regular rider Mark Guidry. Owned by Bill and Vicki Poston, the Maryland-bred won the Fairway Fun Stakes over this track in late March. She was bred by Dr. George and Kimberly Harmening and William Campbell. The dark bay filly sports six wins from 11 starts.

La Reason is coming off a fifth-place finish behind Azeri, Sightseek, Storm Flag Flying, and Mayo on the Side in the Go for Wand Handicap (gr. I) at Saratoga in her first start at that level. Earlier in the summer she was 22-1 winner of the Molly Pitcher Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II) at Monmouth Park. Trained by David Vance, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Labeeb has a 6-2-3 slate from 20 career starts. She has one second and one third in a pair of local starts.

The D. Wayne Lukas-trained Susan's Angel was sixth after setting the early pace in the 1 1/4-mile Alabama Stakes (gr. I) at the Spa last time out. The daughter of Cape Town was second behind Class Above in the Bourbonette Breeders' Cup Stakes at Turfway in March while still a maiden. She is owned by S. Angel Stable and was bred in Kentucky by Captain W. and Mrs. K.C. Jakeman.

Miss Fortunate, owned by Lyon Stables, won the HBPA Stakes over Mayo on the Side on July 10. Trained by Bill Mott, the 4-year-old daughter of the late Deputy Minister has a 5-4-1 mark from 14 starts. Her runner-up effort in the Gardenia was her first against graded stakes fillies.

Turfway Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. III), 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/16 miles, $175,000 ($75,000 Breeders' Cup Fund), Turfway Park, Saturday, Sept. 18, approx. post time 6:15 p.m.
PP -- Horse -- Jockey -- ML
1 -- Miss Fortunate -- Shane Sellers -- 5-1
2 -- Mayo on the Side -- Robby Albarado -- 5-2
3 -- Angela's Love -- Mark Guidry -- 3-1
4 -- Our Josephina -- John Velazquez -- 15-1
5 -- La Reason -- Pat Day -- 7-2
6 -- Susan's Angel -- Rafael Bejarano -- 4-1
7 -- Hippogator -- Russell Baze -- 10-1