Horse Wagering

2007 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies

Hall of fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has dominated the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, winning this race five times, and he pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Juvenile Fillies history when he won the 1999 running with Cash Run, who returned $67.00 for a $2 wager.

Bob Baffert has just one win in the race, Silverbulletday taking the 1998 running. However, he will send out two very live fillies this year in Indian Blessing and Cry and Catch Me.

In recent years, the Juvenile Fillies winner has figured. In fact, the favorite has won the last five runnings of the race, and eight of the last eleven.

The last chalk to go down occurred in 2001 where You was sent off at 4/5 and checked in fourth. Tempera pulled off the upset, returning $25.80 for the victory.

Winning the race makes it just about automatic that the filly will win year-end honors. 20 of the 23 winners of the race have gone on to win the Eclipse Award for outstanding two year old filly.

Here is a look at the top contenders for this year's Juvenile:

Indian Blessing: The Bob Baffert trainee ran huge in her debut, breaking her maiden at Saratoga. She followed that up with a very impressive score in the Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont Park going a one turn mile. She has not been tested in her two starts and had clear leads turning for home in both of her outings. The only knocks are the lack of a two turn race and the potential she is going to be a short price.

Cry and Catch Me: This filly is also trained by Baffert, and she has done her running on the left coast. All three of her starts have come on synthetic surfaces. She was second in her debut at Hollywood Park over the cushion track, broke her maiden in her second career start at Del Mar, and was a game winner in her stakes debut, taking the G1 Oak Leaf by a nose. She does not look as flashy as her stablemate and her figures are lower, but at least she does have a race around two turns under her belt.

A to the Croft: This filly has not won a race since she broke her maiden in her debut, but she was a solid second last out in the Grade 1 Alcibiades behind the highly regraded Country Star, a Bobby Frankel filly that will sit out Breeders' Cup Day according to her trainer. A to the Croft is trained by Ken McPeek and likely will be ridden by Kent Desormeux. It is preferable for a Juvenile winner to have a stakes win on her resume, but this filly looks better with each start and she appears to still have plenty of upside. She may offer good value in the race.

Proud Spell: Hard Spun trainer Larry Jones will send out this undefeated filly. She made her first two career starts at Delaware Park, breaking her maiden and then winning a small stake at the slots rich track. She showed she belonged with the big girls in her last start when she won the Grade 2 Matron at Belmont Park on September 15. She has not been beyond seven furlongs in her career and will be going two turns for the first time, but gives every indication she can handle the stretch out to a route.