Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

All who witnessed the Doncaster debut success of Carla's Way (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}--Sulaalaat {GB}, by New Approach {Ire})) already knew that she was a talented performer, but Shaikh Duaij Al Khalifa's imposing chestnut had to show it where it matters and she duly delivered in Friday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Rockfel S. at Newmarket. Gifted an ideal lead, a strong pace and fast conditions in this seven-furlong "Win and You're In" for the $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, the Crisfords' 7-2 shot was not for catching once James...

Lady Eli had a sensational career that got rolling with a Breeders' Cup win at two and culminated with an Eclipse for champion turf female at five. In between, she fought a life-threatening battle with laminitis and captured the hearts of racing fans. She delivered her third foal, an Into Mischief colt, Mar. 6 at Coolmore America and was bred back to Justify. "The Breeders' Cup is the ultimate race test of champions to define and prove yourself against the ultimate competition," said Hill 'n' Dale's John Sikura, who now...

LEXINGTON, KY--Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) scored the first of two victories for the Coolmore team, Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore Friday, charging home to a decisive score in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Favored at 2-1, Meditate bounded away from the stalls to establish position, settling in the three path near the back of the pack as 18-1 shot Spirit Gal (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) carved out an opening quarter in :23.19 and a half in :47.60. Meditate crept up a bit on the outside to sit...

Bobby Flay has always been content to settle for a bit of slow cooking when it comes to his Thoroughbred breeding program, but this particular project probably took a little longer than even the patient chef and restaurateur expected. Flay purchased the yearling filly White Hot (Ire) for 1,250,000 guineas at the 2014 Tattersalls October sale on the advice of his late bloodstock agent James Delahooke. Eight years later, he figures to be paid back, with interest, when her Breeders' Cup-winning daughter Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aug}) sells with Elite...

The GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf looks like a tough spot for Xigera (Nyquist). She's 8-1 in the morning line, drew the 13 post, is facing a strong group of European challengers and her only win came in a maiden race. But she's not out of this, not as hot as her stable is. In their ninth year in the sport and after an inauspicious start, Richard and Tammy Rigney's Rigney Racing is enjoying a dream season. With seven wins, they were the leading owner at the spring meet...

Keeneland opens its highly anticipated fall meet Friday with a trio of graded stakes that each provide the winners with a spot in the gate for the Breeders' Cup World Championships to be held in Lexington the first weekend of November. The highlight of the day will be the GI Darley Alcibiades S., a qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Ken McPeek and Brad Cox have taken turns the last few years, each winning two of the last four, and McPeek has the morning-line favorite in last-out GIII...

Having been scratched from the GIII Soaring Softly S. last weekend, 'TDN Rising Star' Haughty (Empire Maker) was re-routed for Friday's $150,000 Penn Oaks at Penn National and may have been a touch ring-rusty, but proved far too classy for her four overmatched rivals. A bit hesitant to load and on edge waiting for the gates to spring, the 2-5 chalk was tugging for her head as they raced under the wire with a circuit of the soft-rated turf course to travel as 60-1 outsider and turf debutante Irie Empress...

Bobby Flay homebred Pizza Bianca, heroine of last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, punched her ticket to Royal Ascot in style here. In an impressive 2021 campaign, Pizza Bianca broke her maiden over the Saratoga grass on debut July 22 at Saratoga and jumped right into Grade I company, finishing second behind Wild Beauty (Frankel {GB}) in Woodbine's GI Natalma S. Sept. 19. That set her up for a run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar, where she posted a half-length victory at 9-1....

Still riding high from a scintillating victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with fast-finishing Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), celebrity chef, restaurateur and owner/breeder Bobby Flay joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Tuesday afternoon. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Flay appreciated the significance of winning on racing's biggest stage with a homebred, teased a potential Royal Ascot trip with Pizza Bianca and discussed how he would approach racing's marketing challenges and more. Flay made a huge splash at...

Riding high from a scintillating victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with his homebred Pizza Bianca, celebrity chef, restaurateur and owner/breeder Bobby Flay joined the TDN Writers' Room.

NEWMARKET, UK--There's grey, cloud-stuffed sky hanging over Newmarket as the mild autumn is bustled along by an impatient winter. Exactly a week ago, it felt like spring was still in the air in Paris as a sun-dappled day saw second-season trainer James Ferguson announce his presence in the international stage with a first Group 1 winner. The diminutive El Bodegon (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) passed almost literally under the noses of observers on the paddock rails who mostly had eyes for his bigger, stronger rivals, but the little colt has the...

When trainer George Leonard III began training horses in 1991, his stable was represented by two winners that earned a grand total of just over $5,000 combined. The conditioner's 15th winner of 2021, California Angel (California Chrome), earned a check better than 20 times that amount in Wednesday's GII JP Morgan Chase Jessamine S. at Keeneland, coming with a strong finishing kick over the top of rivals to give Leonard III his first stakes victory of any variety while securing a fees-paid berth into the field for the GI Breeders'...