The $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf featured a full field of 12 two-year-old fillies going 1 mile around the Santa Anita turf course. Lillie Langtry, winner of the Tattersalls Timeform Fillies 800 Stakes at Newmarket and the Debutante at Leopardstown, was sent off as the 3-2 choice over two horses each at 6-1. Rose Catherine exits a maiden victory by 8 3/4 lengths on the turf at Belmont Park, while Junia Tepzia arrived undefeated in her 2 starts in Italy, a maiden and the Premio Coolmore in Milan.
Tapitsfly gets the lead in the stretch
Jockey Javier Castellano sent Rose Catherine to the lead and she set an uncontested pace of 22.95, 47.02, and 1:10.33 while as many as 1 1/2 lengths in front of 10-1 Tapitsfly who stalked her in second the whole way. John Murtagh kept Lillie Langtry back in 7th early, about 6 lengths off the leaders. Rose Catherine stubbornly continued to lead to mid-stretch but Tapitsfly was gaining with every stride. Tapitsfly gained the lead inside the 1/16 pole to get the win by 1/2 a length in 1:34.25. It was a long 3 1/4 lengths back to late-running 7-1 House of Grace third, while Lillie Langtry failed to rally, finishing 8th beaten 6 3/4 lengths at the line.
Tapitsfly wins the Juvenile Fillies Turf over Rose Catherine
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show
10 Tapitsfly Albarado 21.60 8.60 6.00
4 Rose Catherine Castellano 6.80 5.80
7 House of Grace Luzzi 5.00
Winning Time: 1:34.25
$1 Exacta 10-4 76.20
$1 Trifecta 10-4-7 479.40
$1 Superfecta 10-4-7-91 7,358.00
Right: The trophy presentation with owner-breeder Frank L. Jones Jr. on the left and trainer Dale Romans in the center. Romans said, "No one deserves to win a race like this more than Mr. Jones. He's been in the business a long time and has had horses for over 30 years. My father (Jerry Romans) trained for him before me. It's just a great win for him and for me too. I thought we had a great trip. I thought that if she got her nose in front, she wouldn't stop. That other filly (Rose Catherine) ran a great race, but my filly hung on."
Left: Tapitsfly in the post parade.
Right: Tapitsfly parades with her flowers. Her jockey Robby Albarado said, "It was a great trip, she broke well, she put herself in position. I just wanted to clear most of them into the first turn so I wouldn't get packed out too wide. She's awful quick leaving the gate. She got herself into position and the first time I pressed, she went on. She came home nice. She's a little fighter, I'll tell you that. She's a true grass horse for sure. The only time I rode her on the grass she was at her most impressive. The last time she didn't handle the Belmont course that well, it was a little muddy and a little sticky, but she worked very nice this week so we had a good indication that she'd run good."
Left: Tapitsfly heads back to the barn after the race.
Right: Second place finisher Rose Catherine in the post parade. Her jockey Javier Castellano said, "She was running so easy for me. Her ears were up. When I asked her, she took off. We just got beat, but I'm so, so happy with the way she ran." Her trainer Todd Pletcher added, "She ran great. We thought we'd be on lead. I thought Javier (Castellano) did a great job. She settled nicely and got a good second quarter. The other filly just stalked us the whole way and was a half better."
Left: Third place finisher House of Grace in the post parade. Her jockey Mike Luzzi said, "She's a true turf horse. I had to save all the ground and let her go at them late. The speed just didn't come back to us. She'll live to fight another day." Her trainer Ken McPeek added, "I thought she ran well. It was a turf course that obviously favored speed because the horses that were one and two early ended up that way. Mike (Luzzi) did a good job sneaking her up through the rail. For a closer in a field where speed held, she ran good."
Right: Eighth place finisher and beaten favorite Lillie Langtry heads out of the tunnel onto the track before the race. Her jockey John Murtagh said, "I had a bit of a bump turning into the straight. About halfway down the straight I got pushed out a bit, but I think I was done at the time. I'm not sure if she handled the course. She didn't turn well. She's a big rangy filly." Her trainer Aidan O'Brien added, "Johnny (Murtagh) said the race was a little bit rough. He never got a happy run. I think he got a little bit of a bump early. We'll bring her home and train her for the classics at home."
2011 Breeders' Cup Entries and Post Positions - Final entries were taken and post positions drawn on Monday for the 15 races on November 4-5 at Churchill Downs. Lots of info about the Breeders' Cup, each race, and links to profiles for all the horses with post positions, morning line odds, and free past performances.
Thursday Breeders' Cup Workout Photos - Photos and comments for 35 of the Breeders' Cup horses out on the track Thursday morning at Churchill Downs, including Goldikova who actually galloped, Drosselmeyer, and Gio Ponti. Very few repeats from previous days.
Wednesday Breeders' Cup Workout Photos - Photos and comments for 57 of the Breeders' Cup horses out on the track Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs, including Havre de Grace, juvenile Speightscity who had a bullet work, and Game on Dude. All different horses from Tuesday!
Tuesday Breeders' Cup Workout Photos - Photos and comments for 41 of the Breeders' Cup horses out on the track Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs, including Mile favorite Goldikova, Turf favorite Sarafina, and Juvenile favorite Union Rags.
Review: Crushing the Cup 2011 - by Jim Mazur and Peter Mallett. An invaluable tool for trying to unlock the mysteries of handicapping the Breeders' Cup races at Churchill Downs updated for 2011.
Breeders' Cup 360 - 'The Bettor's Inside Source' for all things Breeders' Cup handicapping
The Breeders' Cup Championship Day - The official page for the Breeders' Cup championship races. Just about anything you need to know about it: results, video clips, and race calls for past years, and eventually nominations, entries, and results.
European News - the latest on the Euro contenders from Sporting Life
Saturday Breeders' Cup Results - Goldikova became the first horse to win three Breeders' Cup races with her victory in the Mile. Zenyatta came up a head short in her quest for a 20th consecutive win when she was unable to catch Blame in the Classic. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 8 races here.
Friday Breeders' Cup Results - Unrivaled Belle held off the late close of Blind Luck to win the first Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic run at night. Also on the card, Shared Account won the Filly and Mare Turf, Awesome Feather won the Juvenile Fillies, Dubai Majesty won the Filly and Mare Sprint, More Than Real won the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and Eldaafer won the Marathon. Get the results, charts, and photos here.
Send this page to a friend - know someone who would like to see this page? Click here to send them the URL.
Left: Tapitsfly in the post parade.
Left: Third place finisher House of Grace in the post parade. Her jockey Mike Luzzi said, "She's a true turf horse. I had to save all the ground and let her go at them late. The speed just didn't come back to us. She'll live to fight another day." Her trainer Ken McPeek added, "I thought she ran well. It was a turf course that obviously favored speed because the horses that were one and two early ended up that way. Mike (Luzzi) did a good job sneaking her up through the rail. For a closer in a field where speed held, she ran good."
