Legatissimo Ready for Filly & Mare Turf

This year's edition Oct. 31 at Keeneland mirrors the race's history, with ample foreign participation and cases to be made for either an international or domestic product making it to the winner's circle.

 

The likely favorite is the Irish-bred Legatissimo, who will be making her first North American start Oct. 31 in the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf, to be run at 1 3/16 miles at Keeneland. The 3-year-old Legatissimo, by Danehill Dancer, drew post 3 and enters off impressive daylight victories in the Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes (Ire-I) at a flat mile and in the Nassau Stakes (Eng-I) at 10 furlongs. She lost her previous two starts, both in group I company, by two noses after winning the May 3 QIPCO 1000 Guineas (Eng-I).

 

Owned by a Coolmore syndicate and trained by David Wachman, Legatissimo has excelled over every track condition except the bog she ran in at Leopardstown last April, and is proven at all distances from eight to 12 furlongs. She will also be in with a lighter impost than what she is used to.

 

Foreign-breds who are already proven Stateside include Secret Gesture, Photo Call, and Dacita. The English-bred Secret Gesture got home first in the Aug. 15 Beverly D. Stakes (gr. IT) but was disqualified to third for drifting out and causing interference. She is a group II winner in England and will be making her second start in the Filly & Mare Turf, having finished fifth, beaten just two lengths, last year. She will start from the outside 12 post. Irish-bred Photo Call has been racing in the U.S. for a year now, and won her Stateside debut at Keeneland last October in allowance company. Her best two races here were her last two, victories in the Violet Stakes (gr. IIIT) and the Rodeo Drive Stakes (gr. IT).

 

 

Chilean champion Dacita was brought north by Bradley Thoroughbreds and took the Ballston Spa Stakes (gr. IIT) in her first U.S. start. She is a three-time group I winner in Chile and is now conditioned by Chad Brown, who won this race a year ago for Bradley and partners with Dayatthespa.

 

 

As for the domestics, Hard Not to Like has captured two grade I contests this season, the Diana and Gamely, although she tailed off in the Rodeo Drive. She will begin from the rail. Stephanie's Kitten ended a three-race skid with a game victory in the Flower Bowl Invitational (gr. IT) last out. The 6-year-old, who drew the 11 post, has a deep Breeders' Cup history, having won the Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IIT) back in 2011 and running second last year in the Filly & Mare Turf with a huge late bid that fell 1 1/4 lengths short. Sentiero Italia has won a pair of grade II races in New York this season and moved late in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (gr. IT) at Keeneland to gain third. She drew inside in post 2. 

 

With a distinct lack of early speed among most of the participants, Secret Gesture might prove difficult to pass here. Whatever the outcome, the Filly & Mare Turf again lends international intrigue to the World Championships.