Totally Justified at Home on Turf in Jessamine Stakes

Bregman Family Racing's juvenile stakes winner Totally Justified  was destined to run on the grass as a Justify   daughter out of Outstanding, a group 1-placed Galileo stakes winner, but the tumultuous history of Churchill Downs' turf course this year prevented the opportunity to try.

After placing third in a muddy one-mile maiden race on the dirt at Ellis Park, trainer Rusty Arnold thought he might get a chance to get Totally Justified on the grass during Kentucky Downs' meet, but the competition for the maiden races is stiff. Owner Alex Bregman told Arnold he didn't mind trying a turf stakes in New York, and that decision led to the filly's first win and first stakes victory in the Aug. 28 P.G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

Now Totally Justified is one of two highweights entered in the Oct. 4 Jessamine Stakes (G2T) on opening day of the Keeneland fall meet. The filly has been assigned 120 pounds for the 1 1/16-mile race, a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T). The other highweight is KatieRich Stables' May Day Ready , by Tapit  , who comes into the Jessamine off a 1 3/4-length win in the Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Kentucky Downs.

Arnold had considered the Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T), also a Breeders' Cup Challenge for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and feels he dodged a bullet. The Miss Grillo got rescheduled due to heavy rain from Sept. 29 to Oct. 6 during the Belmont at the Big A meet.

"If you're at home and it rains, it is not a big deal," he said. "But when you put them on a van for 15 hours and then get rained off, you don't get to run, then you have a big trip back—a lot of bad things can happen," he said. "We had both races circled, but Keeneland is my home and really it made more sense to run here. I'm confident she is going to run well. This is a solid prep. You just have to have a good trip."

The field of 12 includes one other stakes winner, a Maclean's Music   daughter named Shezafunkydrummer  who won the 5 1/2-furlong Prairie Gold Lassie Stakes at Prairie Meadows in July and comes into the Jessamine off a second Sept. 8 in the Untapable Stakes at Kentucky Downs. She will be carrying 118 pounds because her stakes win was at less than a mile. Patricia's Hope races Shezafunkydrummer with trainer Larry Rivelli.

Italian Soiree  is not a stakes winner but she won her debut in July at Aqueduct Racetrack by 5 1/4 lengths and followed with a second in the Adirondack Stakes (G3) to The Queens M G , who is entered in the Frizette Stakes (G1) Aqueduct. Italian Soiree, by Uncle Mo  , was fourth last out in the mile Natalma Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine, her first start on grass. The filly is owned by Hit The Bid Racing, Morplay Racing, and Randall Hartley. She is trained by John Terranova.

The Jessamine is race 8 with an approximate post time of 4:44 p.m. ET.