Tommy Jo will attempt to nail down a championship in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, which drew nine pre-entries for its Oct. 31 renewal at Del Mar.
“We just want her to settle and get a good trip, and hopefully, she can take care of business,” trainer Todd Pletcher said.
Tommy Jo is one of two Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners who were pre-entered in the 1 1/16-mile race Monday, with the other being Explora. They have been on separate coasts, with Tommy Jo taking the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga and Explora capturing the Grade 2 Oak Leaf at Santa Anita.
Others pre-entered were Bottle of Rouge, winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante; Iron Orchard, winner of the Grade 1 Frizette at Aqueduct; La Wally and La Ville Lumiere, a respective second and third in the Oak Leaf; and Meaning and Super Corredora, who come off maiden special weight wins.
Percy’s Bar, who also is pre-entered, exits the Grade 1 Alcibiades on Oct. 3 at Keeneland. She finished first in the race but was placed second for “bearing out in the stretch and impeding the progress of Tommy Jo.”
“Obviously the Breeders’ Cup, the horses that are in it, [the winner] will most likely be the champion,” said Ben Colebrook, trainer of Percy’s Bar. “Hopefully, everybody gets there in one piece and we can settle it on the track.”
Final entries for the Juvenile Fillies are due next Monday.
Tommy Jo has been regarded by many as the division’s leader for much of the year. She was a 3 1/4-length debut winner July 26 at Saratoga, while earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 85. Tommy Jo matched the number when winning the Spinaway by 6 1/2 lengths over Percy’s Bar. From there, Tommy Jo made her two-turn debut in the 1 1/16-mile Alcibiades and was an odds-on favorite when finishing 2 3/4 lengths behind Percy’s Bar. Tommy Jo earned a Beyer of 75.
“I thought she was a little bit keen in the first turn and finally settled in down the backside and made a pretty good run at that filly,” Pletcher said. “They had a pretty good bumping exchange, and you know, I thought it was a good effort. I think that it should hopefully move her forward because I feel like she’s a little better than the way she ran that day.”
Tommy Jo has since been training at Saratoga.
“She had a half-mile breeze that she went in 48 flat last week,” Pletcher said Monday. “She’ll come back with a similar breeze Thursday or Friday. We’re just trying to keep her happy.”
Tommy Jo is a Spendthrift Farm homebred by Into Mischief. Her dam, Mother Mother, was a two-time stakes winner who captured the Rags to Riches at a mile in 2018 at Churchill Downs. She also placed in a trio of Grade 1 races, the Del Mar Debutante, the Starlet, and the La Brea.
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Tommy Jo is the top earner among those pre-entered in the Juvenile Fillies with a bankroll of $617,963.
“She’s a beautiful filly, a big, strong filly, and she likes her job,” Pletcher said.
He’s hopeful Tommy Jo will adapt to the main track at Del Mar.
“I would think she would like the surface,” he said. “She’s been a very straightforward filly from Day One. She enjoys training. She’s very forward, and hopefully that two-turn experience under her belt will propel her forward to an effort similar to what she did in the Spinaway.”
John Velazquez has the mount on Tommy Jo. She is scheduled to fly to Southern California on Sunday.
Pletcher pre-entered eight runners in Breeders’ Cup races, including four in the Classic, one in the Juvenile, and two in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
“We’re very pleased with group we have,” he said. “I think we’re well represented. We have a huge respect for how difficult these races are to win, but we feel like we’re bringing some horses that legitimately fit.”
And perhaps a future champion in Tommy Jo.
◗ Iron Orchard has been offered at auction five times throughout her life and last week brought $2.5 million in a Fasig-Tipton digital sale that has led to KatieRich Stables being listed as her new ownership ahead of the Breeders’ Cup.
◗ La Ville Lumiere on Monday also was pre-entered in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. That race is her first preference. She was one of 16 pre-entered and while she was not selected into the field, she is first on the preference list in a race in which the selected True Love has the Juvenile Turf Sprint listed as her first preference.
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