We are less then 2 weeks away from the 30th Breeders' Cup! As I posted this weekend I will be previewing the races on certain days. One thing that I did forget was the 2 Juvenile Turf races, those will be previewed on Weds (Female) and Thurs (Male). Today however, it's the two dirt races for the Juveniles, as the road for the 2014 Derby and Oaks begins!
Juvenile Fillies
The last 3 winners of this race (Awesome Feather, My Miss Aurelia and Beholder) have won at least G1 race at 3. So the pressure is on these girls to keep up that streak for this year. The two big ones are She's a Tiger and Sweet Reason, both are G1 winners who where gallant seconds in their final preps for the race. Sweet Reason has the upperhand as her sire won the Juvenile in 2006, but She's a Tiger has gone the Juvenile Fillies distance and has experience over the surface. My Conquestadory is undefeated, but those two starts where on turf and poly. While she is more likely for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, both of her wins where Win and You're In races and her debut was against males. It's good to have options. Secret Compass and Artemis Agrotera the two fillies who defeated She's a Tiger and Sweet Reason also have big chances in the race.
Dark Horse: Fascinating- She's still a maiden, but she has finished right behind She's a Tiger in the two G1 races in California. Don't forget, her big brother Bodemeister almost won the Derby and Preakness last year only to get caught by I'll Have Another both times. Plus her sire already has a BCJF winner in Aurelia who came back to finish second in the Distaff (then the Ladies Classic) last year to Royal Delta.
Juvenile
Maybe it's because I really haven't been following 2yo's that much this year, but I find that the Juvenile picture for this race is a bit cloudy. I do know that Bond Holder and Havana both won the big Juvenile races on the West and East Coast respectively. Strong Mandate won the Hopeful, but ran poorly against Havana in his last. We Miss Artie's sire won the Mile on turf, but his broodmare sire won the Derby, the runner up to him in the Breeders' Futurity Smarty's Echo should enjoy the surface change from poly to dirt. His sire's only US G1 winner to date won in California.
Dark Horse: New Year's Day- Although he has yet to try dirt, the change in surface shouldn't be a problem for him. His dam could have been the horse to get close to Rachel Alexandra in the 2009 Oaks had she not been scratched and his sire has success in this race with Street Sense, plus he is the sire of one of the most beloved horses of all time in Zenyatta.
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