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Letruska Tough to Beat in Spinster

With the retirement of both Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) and Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), Letruska (Super Saver) stands head and shoulders above the older mare division and is currently ranked second behind only Knicks Go (Paynter) among all runners in the country on the latest NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. She'll look to put her raw brilliance on display over her home track Sunday in Keeneland's GI Juddmonte Spinster S., a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff.

The powerful 5-year-old bay beat both Monomoy Girl and Swiss Skydiver fair and square in the GI Apple Blossom H. in April when she started a four-race graded win streak that included the Aug. 28 GI Personal Ensign S. in her last out. She's been training like a beast, bulleting in eight of her last nine works, including in her most recent five-panel move at Keeneland Oct. 2 in :59 flat (1/55). She does her best work from the lead, then simply runs her competition off their feet. The former Mexican star has now won seven graded stakes in the U.S., including her last two at the Spinster's nine-furlong distance and three Grade Is. Letruksa is a head shy of being unbeaten on the year in six starts and has already won three”Win and You're In” races this season. She'll look to make it four in the Spinster.

Of the competition, Bonny South (Munnings) gave Letruska a scare in the Personal Ensign, getting within a half-length when she unleashed a strong closing kick. The blaze-faced chestnut also finished behind the likely champ in the GI Ogden Phipps S. Bonny South has just one win on the year, but it was here at Keeneland in the GIII Doubledogdare S. during the Spring Meet, so the track won't be an issue.

Grade I winner Dunbar Road (Quality Road) hasn't won this year, but she got a 100 Beyer when fourth behind Letruska in the Personal Ensign and shipped in from Belmont when she could have stayed at the same distance–albeit over one turn–in Sunday's GII Beldame S. Multiple graded winner Envoutante (Uncle Mo) and listed winner Crystal Ball (Malibu Moon) are both Grade I-placed, but each would need a career-best effort to come close to Letruska.

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Leading Lady Letruska Tops Field Of Seven For ‘Win And You’re In’ Spinster

St. George Stable's Letruska, who has firmly established herself as the leading mare in the land, heads a field of seven fillies and mares entered Thursday for Sunday's 66th running of the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) at Keeneland.

Scheduled as the ninth race on Sunday's 10-race program, the Juddmonte Spinster is a Breeders' Cup Challenge race with the winner receiving a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) to be run Nov. 6 at Del Mar. Post time for the Juddmonte Spinster is 5:15 p.m. ET with first post at 1 p.m.

Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, Letruska has had her Breeders' Cup ticket punched three times by virtue of victories in the Ogden Phipps (G1), Fleur de Lis (G2) and Personal Ensign (G1) Presented by Lia Infiniti. Prior to the Ogden Phipps victory, Letruska started her four-race win streak with a nose victory over champion Monomoy Girl in the Apple Blossom (G1) in April at Oaklawn Park.

Since taking the Personal Ensign on Aug. 28, Letruska has had two bullet works at Keeneland. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount Sunday from post position four.

Back to challenge Letruska from the Personal Ensign are Juddmonte's Bonny South and Peter Brant's Dunbar Road.

Trained by Brad Cox, Bonny South has been a runner-up twice to Letruska. She came up 2¾ lengths short in the Ogden Phipps and was a half-length shy in the Personal Ensign. Winner of the Baird Doubledogdare (G3) here this spring, Bonny South will be ridden Florent Geroux out of post position two.

Dunbar Road finished fourth in the Personal Ensign, beaten just three-quarters of a length. Trained by Chad Brown, Dunbar Road was third in last year's Breeders' Cup Distaff here. In her only other Keeneland start, she ran third in the 2019 Juddmonte Spinster.

Dunbar Road will exit post one under jockey Flavien Prat.

The field for the Juddmonte Spinster, with riders and weights from the inside, is:

Dunbar Road (Prat, 124 pounds)
Bonny South (Geroux, 124)
Town Avenger (Julien Leparoux, 121)
Letruska (Ortiz Jr., 124)
Envoutante (Brian Hernandez Jr., 124)
Crystal Ball (Tyler Gaffalione, 124)
High Regard (Rafael Bejarano, 124)

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Brad Cox Hoping To Add To His Breeders’ Cup Lineup At Keeneland This Weekend

Trainer Brad Cox unleashed a couple of coming attractions here last fall for the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland when Essential Quality and Aunt Pearl (IRE) used Keeneland stakes victories as a springboard to respective triumphs in the TVG Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

Cox is hoping for a repeat performance in a trio of upcoming Breeders' Cup Challenge races, which provide the winners with a fees-paid berth into their respective races at Del Mar Nov. 5-6.

Friday's 1 1/16-mile Darley Alcibiades (G1) is first for Cox with a spot in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) Nov. 5 on the line. Cox won the Darley Alcibiades in 2019 with British Idiom, who came back four weeks later to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita.

This year, he has Godolphin's Matareya and Albaugh Family Stables' Juju's Map in the race.

“We have always thought highly of her,” Cox said of Matareya, who won her lone start by 4½ lengths at Ellis Park on Aug. 20. “Juju's Map, I like her a lot. She is a little more seasoned than Matareya, and she has won at a mile (at Ellis Park).”

Cox plans to run Shortleaf Stable's Vivar in Sunday's 1 1/16-mile Castle & Key Bourbon (G2), a “Win and You're In” race for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), also on Nov. 5.

“He ran well at Kentucky Downs,” Cox said of Vivar, who won going a mile as the 1-2 favorite. “He finished well.”

Hoping to follow in Aunt Pearl's footsteps for Cox is Dawn and Ike Thrash's Turnerloose, who is being pointed to next Wednesday's 1 1/16-mile JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G2), a “Win and You're In” race for the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 5.

“I like her a lot, too,” Cox said of Turnerloose, who has won twice going a mile with the latter score coming in the Aristocrat Juvenile Fillies (L) at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 6.

Cox, whose 1-2 punch of Essential Quality and Knicks Go is targeting the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), plans to run Juddmonte's Bonny South in Sunday's 1 1/8-mile Juddmonte Spinster (G1). The Juddmonte Spinster is a “Win and You're In” race for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).

“She's doing very well, and her last two works at Churchill Downs have been very good,” Cox said of Bonny South, who won the Baird Doubledogdare (G3) here in April. “We will see if she can close the gap on Letruska a little more.”

Bonny South has chased Letruska twice in 2021, finishing second by 2 ¾ lengths in the Ogden Phipps (G1) and in her most recent start was second by a half-length in the Personal Ensign (G1).

Cox already has Shedaresthedevil targeting the Breeders' Cup Distaff and is considering Donegal Racing's Ready to Purrform, winner of last Saturday's Laurel Futurity, for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

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Essential Quality, Knicks Go Breeze For Cox At Churchill Downs

It was another busy Saturday morning beneath the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., with several of the nation's top horses recording published workouts including Godolphin's recent Travers Stakes (Grade 1) winner Essential Quality, who cruised an easy half-mile in :50.60.

With his regular exercise rider Edvin Vargas in the irons, Essential Quality was one of the first horses to work over the track at 5:30 a.m. (all times Eastern). The gray son of Tapit breezed solo and will likely have five more works prior to competing in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (Grade 1) at Del Mar.

Saturday's move was Essential Quality's second breeze following his victory in last month's $1.25 million Travers. Trained by Brad Cox, the 2020 Eclipse Award winner as outstanding 2-year-old male is 8-for-9 lifetime with earnings of $4,215,144.

Two hours later, Cox's other Breeders' Cup Classic hopeful, Knicks Go, clipped five furlongs in 1:00.80 with Vargas aboard. Owned by Korea Racing Authority, the multiple Grade 1 winner is likely to be the heavy favorite in next Saturday's $400,000 Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill Downs.

“These are two extremely talented horses that we have in our barn,” Cox said. “They've both accomplished a lot this year and we're looking forward to the Breeders' Cup.”

Juddmonte's possible $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) contender Bonny South worked a sharp five furlongs in :59.40 in company with maiden winner Page One. The Grade 2 winner is likely to make her next start in the $500,000 Spinster (G1) on Oct. 10 at Keeneland, according to Cox.

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