A full field of 14 two-year-old fillies went to post in the $2 million Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), at 1 1/16 miles on the main track. My Miss Aurelia was sent off as the 2-1 favorite, undefeated in 3 starts including the Adirondack (G2) at Saratoga and the Frizette (G1) at Belmont last out. In to challenge her included 7-2 Grace Hall, winner of the Spinaway (G1) at Saratoga and the Blue Hen at Delaware, and 5-1 Weemissfrankie, winner of the Del Mar Debutante (G1) and the Oak Leaf Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita.
My Miss Aurelia leads downs the stretch
Jockey Martin Garcia sent 9-1 Candrea to the lead first time past the stands and she set an opening quarter in 23.20 and half in 47.19 while stalked by My Miss Aurelia. On the far turn, My Miss Aurelia took over the front, through 3/4 in 1:13.08. Grace Hall, 8th early, put in a strong late rally but to no avail as My Miss Aurelia cruised to a 3 length victory in a time of 1:46.00 over the good main track. A long 6 length gap separated Grace Hall from third place finisher 5-1 Weemissfrankie third.
My Miss Aurelia wins the Juvenile Fillies.
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show
9 My Miss Aurelia Nakatani 6.20 4.00 3.00
5 Grace Hall Dominguez 4.60 3.20
11 Weemissfrankie Bejarano 3.60
Winning Time: 1:46.00
$2 Exacta 9-5 24.80
$2 Trifecta 9-5-11 101.20
$2 Superfecta 9-5-11-6 2,255.40
Left: My Miss Aurelia in the winner's circle. Winning jockey Corey Nakatani said, "She broke really well. My main concern was getting her in a good spot so I had options to go outside, or inside, or to the lead. Actually, she put herself in just the right spot. It's great to be connected with Steve and (assistant) Scott (Blasi). They give you a lot of confidence when you ride." Trainer Steve Asmussen added, "She's extremely special. How proud we are that she's a homebred (for Stonestreet Stables), and that George (Bolton) bought into her as a yearling. She's been everybody's pick at every stage, and she came through today with a great race."
Right: My Miss Aurelia returns to the barn after the race. Trainer Steve Asmussen added, "She's extremely special. How proud we are that she's a homebred (for Stonestreet Stables), and that George (Bolton) bought into her as a yearling. She's been everybody's pick at every stage, and she came through today with a great race." Co-owner Barbara Banke, widow of breeder jess Jackson added, "It's been a rough 2011 for me and for my kids, two of whom are here. We decided that maybe it was more like we were just going to declare a year end and go forward. So it looks like we've turned the corner, and this is a good omen of things to come. I'm very happy to have the homebred My Miss Aurelia win this race, and the kids are happy. It means a lot to us."
Left: Second place finisher Grace Hall in the post parade. Her jockey Ramon Dominguez said, "I tried to get to the winner, but she was a little too much for us. She's been doing great, galloping strong. I was very pleased. She ran great. She settled for me, and I had a beautiful trip. I wasn't very far off the pace horse (Candrea), maybe four off the lead, she just couldn't outrun the winner."
Right: Third place finisher Weemissfrankie returns afte the race. Her trainer Peter Eurton said, "It was a little rough on the first turn, but as it turned out, down the backside, we were in good position. But the track appears to be a speed-favoring track, and she didn't get a hold of it well. Being third is no disgrace. I'm very proud of her."
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: My Miss Aurelia in the winner's circle. Winning jockey Corey Nakatani said, "She broke really well. My main concern was getting her in a good spot so I had options to go outside, or inside, or to the lead. Actually, she put herself in just the right spot. It's great to be connected with Steve and (assistant) Scott (Blasi). They give you a lot of confidence when you ride." Trainer Steve Asmussen added, "She's extremely special. How proud we are that she's a homebred (for Stonestreet Stables), and that George (Bolton) bought into her as a yearling. She's been everybody's pick at every stage, and she came through today with a great race."
Left: Second place finisher Grace Hall in the post parade. Her jockey Ramon Dominguez said, "I tried to get to the winner, but she was a little too much for us. She's been doing great, galloping strong. I was very pleased. She ran great. She settled for me, and I had a beautiful trip. I wasn't very far off the pace horse (Candrea), maybe four off the lead, she just couldn't outrun the winner."
