Wicked Whisper Tops Fort Springs

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Wicked Whisper Tops Fort Springs
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Wicked Whisper (outside) outduels Ain't No Elmers to take the Miss Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course

A year ago, Wicked Whisper finished fifth as one of the favorites in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita Park. The chestnut daughter of Liam's Map  had been undefeated up to that point, following an eye-catching Saratoga Race Course debut win with a front-running tally in the Frizette Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park. However, Wicked Whisper appeared to struggle with the 1 1/16-mile distance, faltering late after contending the early pace.

Owned by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong, Wicked Whisper tops the field for the $125,000 Qatar Fort Springs Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the Breeder's Cup Championship undercard Nov. 7 at Keeneland. The Steve Asmussen trainee returned from an eight-month lay-off in the Beaumont Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select (G3) to finish a non-threatening fourth before losing a half-length decision to Fly On Angel in the Aug. 28 Charles Town Oaks (G3). Last out, Wicked Whisper sprinted the Fort Springs six-furlong distance in annexing the Miss Preakness Stakes (G3) Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course, defeating the opposing Ain't No Elmers.

The Bill Mott-trained Miss T Too enters the Fort Springs off a dominating Sept. 4 allowance win in which she blitzed the six panels in 1:08 1/5. The speedy Into Mischief  filly tries stakes company for the second time here after finishing fifth when stretching out for the Indiana Oaks (G3) two starts back July 8 at Indiana Grand. Miss T Too drilled a bullet half-mile in :46 4/5 (1/162) Oct. 31 at Churchill Downs.

Trainer Bob Baffert ships in $600,000 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase Merneith to contest the Fort Springs from his Santa Anita base. The American Pharoah  filly splashed home to her maiden win Apr. 19 at Oaklawn Park before checking in third behind Swiss Skydiver and Speech in the June 6 Santa Anita Oaks (G2). Following a pair of losses in allowance optional claiming events, Merneith returned to top form when shortening up to six furlongs, cruising to a convincing 3 1/4-length score in an Oct. 11 Santa Anita allowance optional claimer.

Ain't No Elmers, Anna's Fast, Artie's Princess, Fair Maiden, Boerne, Rising Seas, Motivated Seller, and Regal Beauty complete the field.


Entries: Qatar Fort Springs S.

Keeneland, Saturday, November 07, 2020, Race 3

  • STK
  • 6f
  • Dirt
  • $125,000
  • 3 yo Fillies
  • 11:20 AM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Ain't No Elmers (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Adam Beschizza 120 W. Bret Calhoun 10/1
2 2Anna's Fast (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose L. Ortiz 118 Wesley A. Ward 10/1
3 3Artie's Princess (ON) Flavien Prat 120 Wesley A. Ward 5/1
4 4Wicked Whisper (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Ricardo Santana, Jr. 120 Steven M. Asmussen 5/1
5 5Miss T Too (KY) John R. Velazquez 120 William I. Mott 5/1
6 6Fair Maiden (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 118 Eoin G. Harty 8/1
7 7Merneith (KY) Luis Saez 118 Bob Baffert 3/1
8 8Boerne (TX) Javier Castellano 118 Juan Carlos Avila 12/1
9 9Rising Seas (KY) Gerardo Corrales 118 Ben Colebrook 20/1
10 10Motivated Seller (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Chad C. Brown 4/1
11 11Regal Beauty (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 W. Bret Calhoun 20/1