Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Preview

Just like the Juvenile Turf (G1), Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) drew a full field of 14 plus one listed on the also-eligible list. The one-mile grass affair looks to be pretty competitive and includes four overseas runners.

1: CATCH A GLIMPSE (5-1) comes from the ever successful Mark Casse barn and could finally give her trainer a first Breeders’ Cup win. The chestnut lass is two-for-two on turf, having been unplaced in her debut in an off-the-turf contest at Saratoga before heading to Casse’s Woodbine base to break her maiden in an allowance on August 22 going seven furlongs. She stretched out to the Juvenile Fillies Turf distance of a mile last out in the Natalma S. (Can-G2) and wired the 10-strong field that day by an easy five lengths. Florent Geroux was aboard for the Natalma and the hot-riding jockey retains the mount on Friday.

2: ALICE SPRINGS (6-1) is one of the international contingent and enters the race for trainer Aidan O’Brien. The chestnut miss has gone 6-2-1-1 thus far in her career, but among her unplaced efforts is a 1 1/4-length fourth-placing in the Cheveley Park S. (Eng-G1) at Newmarket on September 26. She returned to take a rich Tattersalls-alum restricted race by four lengths on October 3, and will be getting Lasix for the first time on Friday. All in all, a pretty attractive wager under Ryan Moore.

3: ILLUMINATE (9-2) was runner-up in the Cheveley Park S. (Eng-G1) at Newmarket, finishing a half-length behind the winner while just a head and three parts of a length in front of Alice Springs. The Richard Hannon pupil suffered her first loss in that contest after taking, among other things, the Duchess of Cambridge S. (Eng-G2) and Albany S. (Eng-G3). That latter race came during the Royal Ascot meeting in June, so the Irish-bred bay is no stranger to the excitement surrounding huge days and she gets Frankie Dettori back in the irons.

Longshot: THRILLED (12-1) was only a nose runner-up in the Miss Grillo S. (G3) at Belmont Park on September 27, with winner Tin Type Gal getting the win after hooking Thrilled in the shadow of the wire. Thrilled brought a second in the P.G. Johnson S. into the Miss Grillo, and could pop up once again in the lane at Keeneland.

Catch a Glimpse photo courtesy of WEG/Michael Burns Photography