Gamine, Serengeti Empress Meet in Filly & Mare Sprint
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Photo: Skip Dickstein/Tim Lanahan
Gamine wins the Test Stakes at Saratoga Race Course
The speedy fillies Gamine and Serengeti Empress highlight a talented cast in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) Nov. 7 at Keeneland, with the 3-year-old Gamine cutting back to one turn at which she has won by open lengths and the 4-year-old Serengeti Empress making her swan song.
Michael Lund Peterson's Gamine will return to seven furlongs after finishing third in the nine-furlong Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). The Into Mischief filly trained by Bob Baffert previously won the seven-furlong Longines Test Stakes (G1) by seven lengths and dazzled in the one-mile Longines Acorn Stakes (G1) with an 18 3/4-length romp. Both races were won in stakes-record time. Gamine has been on the front end in all five career starts.
"One turn is her game right now, but as she develops later on we'll get the two turns," Baffert said.
While Joel Politi's Serengeti Empress made all in the 2019 Oaks, she will be making her third consecutive start at seven furlongs Saturday. The Alternation daughter wired the Ballerina Handicap (G1)—her first one-turn start in a year—before just getting beat a nose in the Derby City Distaff Stakes Presented by Derby City Gaming (G1).
Trainer Tom Amoss admitted it will be difficult to see his stable star leave his barn for her broodmare career.
"She keeps that first stall right next to the office no matter where we travel," he said. "I'm around her quite a bit. As a matter of fact I'm at the barn right now looking right out at her. As a trainer your thoughts are don't get too attached to them, but that's a rule that's made to be broken. Certainly I broke the rule here. I'm going to miss her a great deal. She'll always be the one.
"I used to say I found her at the sale, she wasn't anybody's top horse, she was about half of what the sale average was that day. But really I think we found each other. From my point of view she put me on the map. I had a reputation as a very good trainer, somebody who was good with claiming-type horses, and to develop her, I think that showed that we could take a horse from scratch."
Lothenbach Stables' Bell's the One will try to chase Serengeti Empress down again after notching her first grade 1 in the Derby City Distaff. The 4-year-old Majesticperfection filly won over this course and distance in the 2019 Lexus Raven Run Stakes (G2). Central Bank Ashland (G1) winner Speech, this fall's Raven Run winner Venetian Harbor, and Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (G2) winner Inthemidstofbiz also have wins on the track. The latter two have also shown they like to race on the front end.
The Filly & Mare Sprint will be the final start for 2019 Ballerina winner Come Dancing, who was fourth in this year's event behind Serengeti Empress and last out won the Honorable Miss Handicap (G2). Graded stakes winners Sconsin and Sally's Curlin complete the field.
Keeneland, Saturday, November 07, 2020, Race 4Entries: Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Speech (FL)
Javier Castellano
122
Michael W. McCarthy
6/1
2
2Gamine (KY)
John R. Velazquez
122
Bob Baffert
7/5
3
3Come Dancing (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
124
Carlos F. Martin
8/1
4
4Inthemidstofbiz (KY)
Emmanuel Esquivel
124
Cipriano Contreras
30/1
5
5Sconsin (KY)
James Graham
122
Gregory D. Foley
20/1
6
6Venetian Harbor (KY)
Manuel Franco
122
Richard Baltas
8/1
7
7Serengeti Empress (KY)
Luis Saez
124
Thomas M. Amoss
3/1
8
8Sally's Curlin (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
124
Dale L. Romans
20/1
9
9Bell's the One (KY)
Corey J. Lanerie
124
Neil L. Pessin
6/1
