Donna Veloce Works In Preparation For The Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies
Photo Credit Eclipse Sportswire / Breeders’ Cup Photos ©
Updated notes from Santa Anita on the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies
Bast – Baomo Corp’s Uncle Mo filly prepped for the Juvenile Fillies with a win by a neck in the Chandelier Stakes on Sept. 27, her first try in a race around two turns.
The Chandelier score pushed her record to 2-0-1 and helped make her the co-second choice at 7-2 on the morning line. She will leave with Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez from post six in the field of nine.
“She’s a nice filly. She’s fast,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “In her last race, she struggled a little bit to win. When she came back she was blowing pretty good. She got a little tired. Sometimes you can get away with two turns this early in the season – they’re fast, they’ve got quality and will hold on – and later on they all catch up with you.
“I think we’re all in the same boat, all those fillies. Nobody knows with the two turns. That’s a big factor. The favorite is Donna Veloce. She’s really fast, but you don’t know what they’re going to do when they come around that second turn. It’s amazing. Some of them it hits them right between the eyes, that distance, that second turn. We have an edge there because we’ve already done it. That’s a big thing.”
Bast galloped 1 3/8m Thursday under exercise rider Manny Avila.
Donna Veloce – “It’s interesting how we got her,” trainer Simon Callaghan said of his prized 2yo filly Donna Veloce, the morning-line favorite for Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. “An independent blood stock agent, Ben McElroy, had unsuccessfully bid on her at a yearling sale last year on behalf of another client. So, Ben obviously had an eye on her and when she was entered in this winter’s Fasig-Tipton Florida Select Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, we discussed her and watched her breeze. That led to our making the successful bid ($800,000),” Callaghan noted. “We have very high aspirations for her.”
In an ironic twist, the sale price was identical to that of stablemate Bellafina at the same sale in 2018.
Thursday Donna Veloce galloped a mile under regular exercise rider Ivan DeSilvo.
Wicked Whisper – Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s Steve Asmussen-trained Wicked Whisper will put her undefeated record to the test Friday when she starts as one of the favorites in the Juvenile Fillies. The chestnut Kentucky-bred filly left Barn 59 Thursday morning with Angel Garcia in the saddle and galloped a little more than a lap of Santa Anita Park’s main track.
“Today she galloped,” Asmussen said. “She’s an extremely talented filly and was a big yearling purchase with a big pedigree. She has a gorgeous look and she’s two-for-two. Obviously, there’s a lot on the line Friday with her and championship honors will be decided. She’s a very important filly.”
A front-running winner last out in the Frizette at Belmont, the $500,000 daughter of Liam’s Map will break from post seven of nine with Joel Rosario in her first try around two turns and beyond one mile.
“She’s all class – just a very classy, kind filly,” Asmussen said. “She manages (her speed) really well and I don’t want to take anything away from her. Hopefully she stands up right, as she’s not been a tremendous first-jump horse, but obviously she’s overcome that.”
Longines Turf updates here.
