Jockey Florent Geroux hustled Aunt Pearl out of the gate to secure the early lead, then cruised to an easy 2 1/2-length victory in Saturday's $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland, covering one mile on good turf in 1:35.71 and paying $7.20 as the betting favorite.
The Juvenile Fillies Turf was the fourth of five Future Stars Friday races for 2-year-olds that kicked off the two-day Breeders' Cup world championships at the Lexington, Ky., track.
Aidan O'Brien-trained Mother Earth finished second, with another European-based runner, Miss Amulet, third. She was followed by Campanelle, the Wesley Ward-trained filly who won the Group 2 Queen Mary at Ascot and Group 1 Prix Morny in Deauville.
Aunt Pearl, trained by Brad Cox, is a 2-year-old Irish-bred filly by Lope de Vega out of Matauri Pearl, by Hurricane Run. She was bred by Ecurie Des Charmes and Ballylinch Stud and races for the partnership of Michal Dubb, Madaket Stables, Peter Deutsch, Michael Kisber, The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stable.
Geroux, one of the best front-end jockeys in the sport, was intent on putting Aunt Pearl on the lead, and the opening quarter mile in :22.55 suggested he might be asking the filly to go too fast too early. But he managed to slow things down, getting the second quarter mile in :24.75 for a half-mile time of :47.30. The third quarter was slower still – :24.91 – for an opening six furlong time in 1:12.21.
Despite those progressively slower fractions, no one was gaining on Aunt Pearl, who cruised past the furlong pole in 1:23.84 en route to her final time of 1:35.71 Her final quarter mile was :23.50.
Aunt Pearl debuted at Churchill Downs on Sept. 1, winning a mile maiden race by five lengths, then came back five weeks later to win the G2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland by 2 1/2 lengths in similar front-running fashion.
The Juvenile Fillies Turf was the fourth Breeders' Cup winner for Cox, a 40-year-old native of Louisville, Ky. For Geroux, it was the sixth Breeders' Cup win for Geroux, a native of France who won the Juvenile Fillies Turf with Catch a Glimpse in 2015.
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