In Italian, Rougir Enter Filly & Mare Turf off Big Wins

After leading every step to post back-to-back grade 1 victories, the connections of In Italian  figure to have little trouble picking out their 4-year-old Dubawi  filly, who enters the $2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) Nov. 5 at Keeneland in top form.

Campaigned by Peter Brant and trained by Chad Brown—who will be looking for his fifth Filly & Mare Turf victory—In Italian enters the 1 3/16-mile test for off a front-running score Oct. 8 on the Keeneland course. She enjoyed a clear advantage at every point of call under Joel Rosario on her way to a one-length victory in the one-mile First Lady Stakes Presented by UK HealthCare (G1T).

While the Filly & Mare Turf will be the longest test to date for In Italian, she looked well within her comfort zone in a front-end score in the 1 1/8-mile Diana Stakes (G1T) July 16 at Saratoga Race Course. Brown said fully discovering that front-end style has helped.

"I think she's just progressed all year. She's gotten stronger and faster," Brown said. "She's clearly identified her preferred style is going to the front and she's a dangerous horse. When you have a horse with a lot of speed and they can carry it, they're hard to beat because they're always in front of you. And she just keeps going. She's one of those rare horses."

It's a running style—not as common among top turf runners—that can put pressure on the other riders in the race.

"You're at their mercy," Brown said of top front-runners like In Italian. "If you take a shot at them early, you're probably going to fade. And if you wait too long, then they're gone. They're rare horses to have as a trainer."

As Brown runners dominated top races for female turf runners this year, he'll also send out Rougir , a 4-year-old daughter of Territories  campaigned by Brant and Michael Tabor who won the E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine on the same day that In Italian won the First Lady. Rounding out a trio of race starters for the four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer is Brant's Virginia Joy , who punched her ticket with a victory in the Flower Bowl Stakes (G2T) Sept. 3 at Saratoga. 

ANGST: Brown Dominates Turf Races for Fillies, Mares (Again)

Before arriving in Brown's stable, Rougir won a group 1 in Europe and her North American debut saw her place seventh in the 2021 Filly & Mare Turf. Her next start saw her draw off in the stretch to a three-length score in the Beaugay Stakes (G3T) May 14 at Belmont Park. After that race, Brown said the next three starts were disappointing, although Rougir trained well throughout the summer. But after her E.P. Taylor win, where she overcame a rough trip to surge past five rivals in the stretch to secure the narrow victory, things are looking up.

"That was her best race of the year," Brown said. "She seems to be coming into this race good. She's come in here and had a couple of easy works. Maybe she's a fall horse."

Brown notes Virginia Joy's versatility in running style could help her in this top field.

Awaiting the Brown trio and other United States-based runners will be some powerful international runners in a race that has seen three straight winners from overseas after Japan's Loves Only You  won last year at Del Mar.

The second- and third-place runners from the Oct. 2 Prix de l'Opera de Longines (G1) have made the trip off that race at about 1 1/4 miles. Runner-up Nashwa , a 3-year-old daughter of Frankel , entered that test at Longchamp off back-to-back group 1 wins: the Qatar Nassau Stakes (G1) at Goodwood and the Prix de Diane de Longines (G1) at Chantilly. Nashwa is trained by John Gosden, a five-time Breeders' Cup winner looking for his first Filly & Mare Turf score.

Third-place Prix de l'Opera runner Above the Curve  in May won the St. Mark's Basilica Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary (G1) at Longchamp. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah   is trained by Joseph O'Brien. 

American Pharoah, who captured the 2015 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland and ranks 11th on the general sires list through Oct. 27, is looking for his second Breeders' Cup winner as a stallion, following Four Wheel Drive  in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T).

Here’s the field for the @BreedersCup Filly & Mare Turf on Saturday at #Keeneland! pic.twitter.com/prKxuuC3Eh

— Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) October 31, 2022

Entries: Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T)

Keeneland, Saturday, November 05, 2022, Race 6

• Grade IT
• 1 3/16m
• Turf
• $2,000,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 1:50 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Lady Speightspeare (KY)	Luis Saez	124	Roger L. Attfield	20/1
2	2Going to Vegas (KY)	Umberto Rispoli	124	Philip D'Amato	20/1
3	3Nashwa (GB)	Hollie Doyle	120	John H. M. Gosden	5/2
4	4Above the Curve (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	Joseph Patrick O'Brien	9/2
5	5Tuesday (IRE)	Ryan L. Moore	120	Aidan P. O'Brien	8/1
6	6Mise En Scene (GB)	Cieren Fallon	120	James Ferguson	30/1
7	7Toy (IRE)	Wayne Lordan	120	Aidan P. O'Brien	20/1
8	8Family Way (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	124	Brendan P. Walsh	20/1
9	9Rougir (FR)	Flavien Prat	124	Chad C. Brown	12/1
10	10Virginia Joy (GER)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Chad C. Brown	10/1
11	11In Italian (GB)	Joel Rosario	124	Chad C. Brown	7/2
12	12Moira (ON)	Lanfranco Dettori	120	Kevin Attard	10/1