Juvenile Filly Bested Elders On Arc Day; Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint A Possibility

The Platinum Queen became the first 2-year-old since 1978 to win the Prix de l'Abbaye (G1) on Sunday, besting her elder rivals by a short neck in the five-furlong contest at Longchamp in Paris, France. Now, the daughter of Cotai Glory could be headed to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Trainer Richard Fahey wrote in his column on sportinglife.com: “I've never trained a quicker 2-year-old.

“The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint over five-and-a-half furlongs would be on my mind. It would be around a bend. We've only got one turn on the gallops at home but it's left-handed and she's been round it plenty of times without a problem. We won't know until the day, but she has an inclination to go left and I don't think the track at Keeneland will be a problem.”

Hollie Doyle was aboard for The Platinum Queen's triumph, marking the first female jockey to win the Group 1 contest.

“The filly always gives her all and it is a huge success for (ownership syndicate) Middleham Park Racing,” Doyle told Longchamp media. “I was gutted to have been beaten on Nashwa (in the day's previous race), but then thirty minutes later I was delighted to have won on this filly.”

The Platinum Queen, bought for £57,000 (about US$64,500) at the Tattersalls breeze-up in April, ran for the first time two months later and won at Ripon. She couldn't keep up at Royal Ascot in the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) but won again three weeks later at York, then at Goodwood before finishing second against her elders in the Nunthorpe Stakes (G1). Beaten by a short head then at Doncaster in the Flying Childer Stakes (G2), she did not miss the mark again at Longchamp.

The Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines was a “Win And You're In” for the US$1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1), which is restricted to runners 3-years-old and older. The Platinum Queen's connections are permitted to transfer the waived entry fees for her to start in another Breeders' Cup Juvenile race based upon the requisite conditions.