Chocolate Gelato Heads Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies

Chocolate Gelato  will try to give Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher his first victory in the NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). She is heading into the Nov. 4 race at Keeneland as the 7-2 choice on the morning line following her Frizette Stakes (G1) triumph, and she could become the ninth to win both races. 

Should she complete that feat from post 10 under Irad Ortiz Jr., Chocolate Gelato is almost guaranteed an Eclipse Award as the champion 2-year-old filly. Since the Breeders' Cup began in 1984, eight have captured the Frizette and Juvenile Fillies, and all have been named a year-end champion. Echo Zulu  was the most recent to do it, in 2021, and preceding her were Jaywalk  (2018), My Miss Aurelia  (2011), Indian Blessing  (2007), Storm Flag Flying  (2002), Storm Song  (1996), Flanders  (1994), and Meadow Star  (1990).

All but Jaywalk were favored in the Juvenile Fillies, four of them odds-on, and Chocolate Gelato will also likely go off as the favorite this year. Pletcher trains her for Mike Repole's Repole Stable, connections that are dangerous in any major race. Pletcher and Repole, along with co-owner Donegal Racing, combined to win this year's Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) with Mo Donegal. Pletcher and Repole also have Fearless , who won this year's Brooklyn Stakes (G2).

Second only to Chad Brown in purse earnings this year and a seven-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer, Pletcher will saddle Atomically  in the Juvenile Fillies as well. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners owns Atomically along with Harry Colburn and co-breeder Michael Bernard. Automically, at 12-1 on the morning line, drew post 8 and is to be ridden by Luis Saez.

Ironically, Chocolate Gelato and Atomically have identical records: both ran third upon debut, broke their maidens next out, then won a stakes. Pletcher took over Atomically's training after Eclipse and Colburn bought into her. Previously, Jose Pinchin, whose wife, Tracy, bred the filly with Bernard, trained Atomically and owned her with Bernard.

Vincent Colbert bred Chocolate Gelato, a daughter of Practical Joke  --Special Treat , by Candy Ride  , in Kentucky. Pletcher debuted the filly on opening day of the meet at Saratoga Race Course. Chocolate Gelato went off as the odds-on favorite, raced four wide in the 5 1/2-furlong race, and closed for third.

In her second race, also at Saratoga, Chocolate Gelato dominated, leading from start to finish as the favorite and winning the six-furlong event by 8 1/2 lengths. Chocolate Gelato faced a sloppy track in the Frizette at Aqueduct and shied at the start, but still turned in an excellent performance, again going favored. Fifth of six for the first half-mile, she found room between rivals to begin moving up on the turn, coming outside of the two leaders to take the lead into the stretch and score by a length.

Atomically hails from Florida and is a daughter of Girvin  —Shesunbelievable , by Uncaptured . Under Pinchin's tutelage, she has made all three of her starts at Gulfstream Park. Third in her debut, she won her second race by seven lengths and followed that with a 6 3/4-length triumph in the FTBOA Florida Sire My Dear Girl Stakes, restricted to horses registered for the Florida Sire Stakes program.

And Tell Me Nolies  is the only horse in the field with two graded stakes wins. Based in Southern California and trained by Peter Miller, the filly broke her maiden in her second start and followed that with victories in the TVG Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) and Chandelier Stakes (G1), the latter at Santa Anita. Peter Redekop owns the Kentucky-bred daughter of Arrogate .

Two others are multiple stakes winners, Wonder Wheel  and Vegas Magic . 

Wonder Wheel, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Into Mischief   trained by Mark Casse, drew post position 5 and is listed as the second choice on the morning line at 5-1. She captured the listed Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs and the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. She also finished second in the Spinaway Stakes (G1). Wonder Wheel is the only one in the field with a win over the Keeneland surface.

A Kentucky-bred daughter of Good Magic   trained by Doug O'Neill, Vegas Magic has made all of her starts in California. After succeeding in her debut, she won the Everett Nevin Stakes at Pleasanton and the Sorrento Stakes (G2) at Del Mar. In her most recent effort, Vegas Magic ran fourth in the Del Mar Debutante.

Brown trains Raging Sea , the third choice on the morning line at 6-1. A daughter of Curlin  , Raging Sea drew post 14, with Brown naming Flavien Prat to ride. Prat piloted Raging Sea in her debut Aug. 7 at Saratoga, when she won a seven-furlong maiden race by a neck. When ridden by Jose Ortiz, she prompted Wonder Wheel's pace early in the Alcibiades and finished third, a nose and a neck behind Wonder Wheel and Chop Chop . Raging Sea was subsequently disqualified and placed fourth for interference.

Leave No Trace  defeated Wonder Wheel in the Spinaway and ran third to Chocolate Gelato in the Frizette. Philip Serpe trains the Kentucky-bred daughter of Outwork  .

You're My Girl , a New York-bred by Overanalyze  trained by John Terranova, broke her maiden by 14 1/2 lengths at Saratoga. She finished second to Chocolate Gelato in the Frizette in her second start.

Here’s the field for the @BreedersCup Juvenile Fillies on Future Stars Friday at #Keeneland! pic.twitter.com/5x8ouQsg2v

— Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) October 31, 2022

Entries: NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1)

Keeneland, Friday, November 04, 2022, Race 7

• Grade I
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $2,000,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 3:40 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Vegas Magic (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Doug F. O'Neill	30/1
2	2You're My Girl (NY)	John R. Velazquez	122	John P. Terranova, II	10/1
3	3And Tell Me Nolies (KY)	Ramon A. Vazquez	122	Peter Miller	8/1
4	4Sabra Tuff (LA)	Paco Lopez	122	Dallas Stewart	30/1
5	5Wonder Wheel (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Mark E. Casse	5/1
6	6Alma Rosa (KY)	Jaime Rodriguez	122	Bernardo G. Lopez	30/1
7	7Chop Chop (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Brad H. Cox	4/1
8	8Atomically (FL)	Luis Saez	122	Todd A. Pletcher	12/1
9	9Grand Love (KY)	Florent Geroux	122	Steven M. Asmussen	20/1
10	10Chocolate Gelato (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Todd A. Pletcher	7/2
11	11American Rockette (KY)	Junior Alvarado	122	William I. Mott	20/1
12	12Shoplifter (KY)	Martin Garcia	122	Eddie Kenneally	20/1
13	13Leave No Trace (KY)	Jose Lezcano	122	Philip M. Serpe	20/1
14	14Raging Sea (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Chad C. Brown	8/1