Juvenile Fillies

The races just do not get any easier. Thirteen fillies line up in the Juvenile Fillies, and a case can be made for over half of them. I will narrow it down to five.

The first name that jumps out at me in this race is Persistently, who is persistently running well. She has yet to go two turns, but I have no doubts that the Phipps Stable representative will be ready to do it, despite being by a sprinter sire (Smoke Glacken). Her dam is a Deputy Minister mare out of Heavenly Prize, who relished 10 furlongs. Distance-wise, she should be just fine. Also, I cannot find a reason to think she will not do well on synthetics. I think she will be coming at the end, but will fall short to four others that I highly regard.

Pursuit of Glory is a filly from the Coolmore operation that should adore the synthetic surface. In fact, she broke her maiden at Dundalk (Ireland) on polytrack. She is jumping up 2.5 furlongs and dealing with turns (two of them) for the first time in her life, but I think she will be up for the challenge. She is the best-bred filly in the field (big surprise, Coolmore!), by Fusaichi Pegasus, out of Sophisticat, who was a multiple G1 winner on turf, but is by Storm Cat out of the great Serena's Song. Sophisticat also ran into one of the best Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies races ever when she ran a relatively close fifth respectably behind Tempera, Imperial Gesture, Bella Bellucci, and You. ALL either G1 winners or very close to it (Bella Bellucci was perhaps the most highly regarded and was a multiple G2 winner. She also is a full sister to phenomenal Japanese Champion Kurofune). The distance jump will keep Pursuit of Glory from the winner's circle, but it will not keep her out of the money.

You must respect easy breakout performances, and those are just what we got from C.S. Silk and Sky Diva in their respective one-turn mile races in the Arlington-Washington Lassie and Frizette. They were equally as impressive. The nod has to go to Sky Diva, who should take well to synthetics. Being by Pulpit-line sire, Sky Mesa, whose line has done well on the rubbery sand, as well as training over Fair Hill's Tapeta, will serve this filly well. She is the class of the field, already winning around two turns and has a genius, Ramon Dominguez, in the saddle. The filly to beat.

C.S. Silk will be on the lead, but unless she can rate off the tough Be Smart, one must throw her down the ranks. Alas, we come to the big white phenom (and probably favorite), Stardom Bound. This Christopher Paasch filly is going to be coming at the end, but whom will she catch? If Sky Diva runs her race and starts pulling away from C.S. Silk and the leg-weary duo of Be Smart and Pursuit of Glory, I do not think she will be caught.

1. (4) Sky Diva 5-1
2. (10) Stardom Bound 8-5
3. (11) Pursuit of Glory 12-1
4. (8) C.S. Silk 10-1
5. (2) Persistently 12-1