Just The Judge Earns E. P. Taylor Verdict
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Favored Just The Judge, invading from Great Britain, appears headed for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) after powering through the Woodbine stretch to prevail in the $500,000 E. P. Taylor Stakes (Can-IT) Oct. 19.
Just The Judge galloped toward the rear of the pack before forcing her way between horses in upper stretch and coming home over a good Woodbine turf course under a head of steam for jockey Jamie Spencer. Just The Judge took the lead from Deceptive Vision in the final furlong and held off another European invader, Odeliz, in the last strides by half a length.
The classic-winning Irish-bred 4-year-old daughter of Lawman runs for Qatar Racing and the Sangster family, and is trained by Charles Hills. The dark bay filly was the 8-5 favorite in the field eight fillies and mares while completing the 1 1/4-mile distance in 2:03.47.
Hills said prior to the race that if Just The Judge performed well in the E. P. Taylor that a quick turnaround for the Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita Park Nov. 1 would be likely.
Scheduled to be sold at the end of the year, Just The Judge made her North American debut Aug. 16 in the Beverly D. Stakes (gr. IT) at Arlington International Race Course, finishing third while just one length behind the victorious Euro Charline.
Odeliz finished second Sunday, with Deceptive Vision third.
Just The Judge's victory gave British interests a sweep of the three graded grass stakes at Woodbine, following wins by Hillstar in the $1 million Pattison Canadian International (Can-IT) and Caspar Netscher in the $300,000 Nearctic Stakes (Can-IIT).
Wall of Sound, another British shipper making her initial North American start, sped the front at the start, setting a moderate pace while opening up a daylight advantage over Eyeful, to the inside, and Royal Fury. Just The Judge, meanwhile, got a way slowly from post 3 and settled toward the rear of the pack in sixth. Wall of Sound, leading by one to two lengths, posted opening fractions of :24.51, :50.88, and 1:16.41. She reached the quarter pole still in front in 1:40.57 but under heavy pressure from local hope Deceptive Vision.
Just The Judge, needing room in upper stretch, forced her way through a small opening between horses and quickly found her best stride to overtake Deceptive Vision, who had taken over from Wall of Sound in the lane. But the fast-closing Odeliz challenged as they approached the wire, with Just The Judge drifting out in the final yards under urging from Spencer while gamely holding off the determined Odeliz.
It was another huge win for the soon-to-retire Spencer, who last month piloted Trade Storm to victory in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Can-IT).
"Obviously the race was very unsatisfactory because I had to go to 'Plan B' from the start because she kind of jumped awkwardly from the gate," said Spencer. "You can't panic then, you have to take a different route. (I) was in amongst horses from probably five (furlongs) out to about the three-eighths pole and it was very, very tight where I was. Then she had to make a little bit of room for herself early in the stretch.
"I was trying to not give her too hard of a race because obviously this is basically a stepping stone to the Breeders' Cup. So the plan was just to win here and ship on down. She's won but I'd prefer if it had gone a little bit smoother."
Odeliz, a multiple group-placed filly in England and Ireland, finished two lengths clear of Canadian Stakes (Can-II) winner Deceptive Vision, with Wall of Sound in fourth. Then came Eyeful (the only 3-year-old in the field), Angel Terrace, Royal Fury, and Meri Shika.
Just The Judge captured the Etihad Airways Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-I) in May 2013 at the Curragh, three weeks after finishing second by half a length to Sky Lantern in the QIPCO One Thousand Guineas at Newmarket. She had been winless in four prior starts in 2014 with three third-place efforts in succession culminating with the Beverly D. in her most recent try.
She won for the fifth time in a 13-race career while extending her career bankroll to $893,611.
Carrying 124 pounds in the weight-for-age event, Just The Judge paid $5.20, $3.30, and $2.30. Third choice Odeliz, at 4-1, returned $4.20 and $2.60, and was part of a $16.50 exacta. Deceptive Vision paid $2.40 to show.
Just The Judge, bred by Joan Keaney-Dempsey out of the Rainbow Quest mare Faraday Light, is a half sister to group III winner High Heeled, who finished third in the 2009 Investec Epsom Oaks (Eng-I). She was the first classic winner for Lawman, a 10-year-old son of Invincible Spirit standing in Ireland at Ballylinch Stud.