The Jessamine at Keeneland on Wednesday wraps up the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series of races. (Photo credit: Keeneland ).
The last of 81 Breeders’ Cup Challenge races will be decided on Wednesday with a full field of 14 two-year-old fillies go 1 1/16 miles on the Keeneland turf in the $150,000 JP Morgan Chase Jessamine (G3).
The race winner earns a fee-expenses paid trip to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita.
The Christophe Clement trained Lull is the 3-1 morning line favorite but a case could be made for a half dozen in the field to get to the winner’s circle.
The Clement trainee is coming off a victory in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies in her last outing on Sept. 3. Brian Hernandez Jr. gets the call and will break from the four post.
La Coronel is the second choice on the morning line at 7-2 and takes on winners for the first time for trainer Mark Casse with Florent Geroux in the irons breaking from the two post.
The race has not yet produced a winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but that year the race figures to be wide open.
Among the main contenders is Natalma (G1) winner Victory to Victory, Miss Grillo (G3) winner New Money Honey and what looks to be a strong group that is heading here from across the pond.
Let’s head out to Keeneland for Wednesday’s featured race:
Keeneland Race 7 The JP Morgan Chase Jessamine Post time 4:24 ET
2 La Coronel 7-2
4 Lull 3-1
7 Lipstick City 10-1
9 Majestic Bonnie 10-1
La Coronel faces winners for the first time here after a good looking maiden score in her turf debut at Saratoga on Sept. 5 in her third career start. The runner up in that race was New Money Honey, who came back to win the Miss Grillo (G3) in her next outing on Oct. 2 at Belmont Park for the Chad Brown barn. The third place finisher Starr Bear came back with a sharp maiden win in her next start at Belmont Park on Sept. 25. The Mark Casse barn has been sending out live runners at the meeting and this fill still looks as if she has a ton of upside. She was a $375,000 Ocala purchase by Colonel John out of a stakes placed Chester House mare that has dropped three other winners including a pair of turf winners.
Lull showed some promise in her debut breaking her maiden at Belmont Park and then clipped heels and fell last out in the Bolton Landing. She recovered nicely to win the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies in her last outing at seven furlongs. She goes two turns for the first time here for the Christophe Clement barn that is 19% winners moving runners from sprint to route. She has plenty of pedigree to the extra ground, by War Front out of a Tiznow mare.
Lipstick City was outrun in the early going in her debut and came with a strong late rally while wide to get up late and break her maiden in her debut at Belmont Park going a mile. She was kind of chilly on the tote going off at nearly 13-1 in a 12 horse field with her stablemate Cosi Bella checking in 10th at 5-1. Three have come out of that race to run back including one winner. Brown won this race in 2013 with Kitten Kaboodle.
Wagering:
WIN: la Coronel to win at 3-1 or better.
EXACTA: 2,4 / 2,4,7,9
TRIFECTA: 2,4 / 2,4,7,9 / 2,4,6,7,9,12
Michael’s Breeders’ Cup Reports includes his selections, analysis, fair odds line, and wagering recommendations for every race during the two-day Breeders’ Cup from Santa Anita on Nov. 4-5.
The Breeders’ Cup offers 13 championship races over two days, bringing together the best top horses, trainers, and jockeys from around the world, this year to compete at Santa Anita.
