Breeders' Cup Spotlight: Filly & Mare Sprint
By Anthony Stabile
VegasInsider.com
The Filly & Mare Sprint
6 furlongs; $1 million; 3up(f&m); 4:25pm Friday
The History
You’re witnessing it. This will be the inaugural running of the event.
The Best
With the speedy La Traviata opting to tackle the boys in the Sprint and coming off a pair of G1 wins in the Prioress and the Test, Dream Rush figures to be a heavy favorite while ushering in a new era in Breeders’ Cup history. In eight career starts, she’s won six times and finished second twice. She’s two for three with a second at the distance for trainer Rick Violette and has the deadliest asset one could have in a sprint and that’s speed.
Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. and his charge Oprah Winney have taken an interesting route to this, using the Schenectady, a New York-bred stakes race on September 9th, as her final tune-up. An easy winner that day, she’ll actually be looking for her third consecutive win having scored in the Regret at Monmouth off a brief layoff two back. Earlier this season, she won the G2 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel.
The only other filly to have won at Monmouth in the field is Wild Gams, who owns two wins and a second from four starts over the course. She won the G3 TCA over the Keeneland Polytrack in her last start. Maryfield became the only other G1 winner in the field by upsetting the Ballerina in her last start. She defeated Oprah Winney in the G2 Distaff at Aqueduct earlier this year.
The Rest
Baroness Thatcher is a G3 winner that’s finished second or third behind Dream Rush, Wild Gams and Maryfield in her last three. Jazzy won her dirt debut in the G2 Gallant Bloom most recently after winning four of nine turf starts. G2 winner Miraculous Miss won six of her first seven starts but is winless in her last six. Miss Macy Sue won the G3 Winning Colors at Churchill this season and is five for 6 overall in 2007. Rahiyah ships in from Europe and will be making her dirt debut after winning just one of eight on the turf. Shaggy Mane is winless in three starts since taking the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Sprint at Gulfstream to start the year.
The Scenario
Dream Rush and Shaggy Mane figure to be going hammer-and-tong on the front end as Oprah Winney and Baroness Thatcher sit in the catbird seat in behind the lead. Wild Gams, Maryfield, Miss Macy Sue and Rahiyah should be somewhere in the middle of the pack while Jazzy and Miraculous Miss will be camped out towards the rear.
The Strategy
Not the best betting race to start Breeders’ Cup 24 with. On paper, Dream Rush looks awful tough to beat but she’ll probably be a prohibitive favorite. If you’re looking to start the weekend with a bomb, this doesn’t appear to be the race for you.
The Bomb
If you’re one of those people that loves betting longshots, try Euro-import Rahiyah. She’s bred for the dirt, did her best running under a mile overseas and should be over 25-1.
Maryfield an upset winner in first Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint
October 26, 2007
OCEANPORT, N.J. (AP) -Maryfield got the new-look Breeders' Cup off to a rousing start on a rainy Friday with an upset in the $1.1 million Filly & Mare Sprint at Monmouth Park.
Claimed last year by trainer Doug O'Neill for $50,000, the 6-year-old mare came flying down the stretch on the outside under Elvis Trujillo and beat Miraculous Miss by a half-length on a sloppy track.
The race was one of three new Breeders' Cup races Friday, with the traditional eight races set for Saturday, topped by the $5 million Classic.
Maryfield is owned by Mark Gorman, James Perry and Nicholas Mestrandrea, an unlikey group of horsemen. Perry is a St. Louis Rams fan, and Trujillo's silks bore the Rams' logo. Mestrandrea is in the catering business, and became interested in owning horses after talking to Gary Stevens on the set of the movie ``Seabiscuit.''
O'Neill won his third Breeders' Cup race, having won the 2006 Sprint with Thor's Echo and the 2005 BC Juvenile with Stevie Wonderboy. Trujillo won with his first Breeders' Cup mount.
``It's incredible, unbelievable,'' O'Neill said. ``Elvis rode it like it was his 20th Breeders' Cup race.''
Maryfield, who came into the race with a 3-for-4 record on a wet track, returned $18, $9 and $6. Miraculous Miss, at 43-1 the longest price in the field, paid $37.40 and $17.20. Miss Macy Sue was third and paid $4.60 to show.
Baroness Thatcher was fourth, followed by Dream Rush, favorite La Traviata, Shaggy Mane, Oprah Winney, Wild Gams and Jazzy.
Winning time for the six furlongs was 1:09.85.
Dream Rush had the lead turning for home before Miraculous Miss passed her on the inside and Maryfield passed them all on the outside.