“He just looked very effective over a mile and a mile-and-one at Meydan and he has a lot of speed,” explained Ed Crisford.

“I'm not saying he doesn't stay the 10 furlongs, it's just that we felt at Santa Anita a mile may play to his strengths more.”

An impressive winner going a mile in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 in January, the 6-year-old stretched out successfully to take Meydan's main World Cup prep in February before finishing runner-up in the 1 1/4-mile marquee test for route horses. Given time off following that effort, he returned to be second in the 8 1/2-furlong GIII Durham Cup over Woodbine's Tapeta surface Oct. 7.

Having bounced out of his North American debut, the Rabbah Bloodstock-owned runner will have one final piece of work before departing for California.

“It was like a racecourse gallop to be honest, but he has come out of it super well,” reflected Crisford. “He's had that run now and has come out of it fresh and well and looks great. He is going to have a good gallop under James Doyle before he leaves and hopefully, that will be him set for the race next weekend.

“James knows him and what he can do and what is under the bonnet. He rides the American tracks really well and it should be perfect.”

According to Crisford, G2 Rockfel S. winner Carla's Way (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) will accompany Algiers on the trip Stateside. The juvenile filly is expected to start in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

“She is in good form and won well at Newmarket,” added Crisford. “She can quicken off a quick pace which is what you need in America and that track should suit her well, a two-turn mile on quick ground.”

“We opted not to go for the Fillies' Mile because that mile at Newmarket on soft ground wouldn't really be for her, but she's got a lot of ability and is progressing with each run and looks like a filly who could be a lot of fun for the future.”

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Wonder Wheel would go on to become Into Mischief's first juvenile champion, winning two Grade Is including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, and four of five starts at 2, taking the family on the kind of exhilarating ride Lois remembered. Lois Green passed away May 31, not long after seeing her juvenile champion compete in the Grade I Kentucky Oaks, and when the family sells Wonder Wheel Tuesday night, Nov. 7 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, her son, Jon, the General Manager of DJ Stable, admits it will be “bittersweet.”

“Normally, we like to say we're very businesslike, but in this case, we're not,” said Green. “In this case, she really added so much happiness to us as a family and to watch her go to the ring, even though I know she's going to sell really well, is going to be difficult for my dad and for me–to watch her go through the sales ring and ultimately be out of our family at that point.”

Jon and his father Len are offering Wonder Wheel as a broodmare prospect, selling as hip 200, where she is expected to be one of the most sought-after offerings on the night.

“You can really summarize her potential very simply,” said Fasig-Tipton's president and CEO Boyd Browning. “She's by Into Mischief. She's a two-year-old champion with good looks and a brilliant pedigree. It's a complete package.”

Wonder Wheel will sell with Taylor Made Sales, adding another chapter to a long relationship between the Taylors and the Greens. Taylor Made's President and CEO Mark Taylor said that she was a rare filly who looked like she could be a Classic winner, but who was also an early, exceptional two-year-old.

“I think her two-year-old speed, precocity, and professionalism show a combination of physical and mental ability,” said Taylor. “And pedigree comes in to that precocity, too. Into Mischief is a very good two-year-old sire. Her broodmare sire, Tiz Wonderful, was a good two-year-old himself, but she physically looks like a two-turn Oaks filly. So this filly did all these great things at two. But really, if I would have looked at her as a yearling, I would have said she's going to be a three-year-old. So that just shows her talent, that she was able to have this big classic kind of frame, but yet be quick enough, early enough, and mentally good enough to handle a brilliant two-year-old campaign.”

Wonder Wheel surprised her connections by progressing forwardly enough to make her first start at two June 3 at Churchill, winning a maiden special weight by 2 1/4-lengths. One month later, she took the Debutante at Churchill by 6 3/4-lengths, before shipping to Saratoga to finish second in the Grade I Spinaway.

“When I got her up to Saratoga, I told the Greens this may be the best two-year-old I'd had since Classic Empire,” said Mark Casse, Wonder Wheel's trainer. “They said, `what does that mean?' I said, `I think she can win the Breeders' Cup.'”

“She got beat in the Spinaway,” said Casse. “But I really wasn't overly concerned with that because I had given her a little bit of a break. She came back and then she won the (GI Darley) Alcibiades and I thought she ran well, but I knew she was going to have to come with a better game in the Breeders' Cup. And oh boy, she did. Her win in the Breeders' Cup was amazing because she got away a little slow, got shuffled back, and the move she made from the half-mile pole to the wire? I've been doing this for 40 some years, and it was one of the more impressive victories that I've ever had.”

Wonder Wheel at Taylor Made | Sara Gordon photo

But before the race, Casse's prediction of a Breeders' Cup win caused him more than a little stress, as he had more or less guaranteed it.

“I was very attached to Lois, and she was there at the Breeders' Cup,” said “I had told them early on that we were going to win the Breeders' Cup, so it was a little nerve-wracking. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't have done it. But to have Lois there and to be part of it was very special. We all miss her.”

Like the Greens, Casse said he would also miss Wonder Wheel.

“She has a wonderful personality couldn't give a hoot about anything,” said Casse. “She would go into the paddock and look around and say, `So this is my competition?' She was just a pleasure to train and never missed a beat. She loved what she's doing and she's one of the best horses I've ever trained. She has a lot more leg than most Into Mischiefs. She's got some stretch to her, and I've had great luck with that type of Into Mischief. It's what I look for.”

Casse said he expected a smooth transition into her next career.

“She's going to be a wonderful broodmare for a lot of reasons,” he said. “One, she's very sound. Even though she's big and tall, she was fast. Good broodmares, in my opinion, need some speed.

She had that. But she was able to carry it. And she had just a wonderful personality. If she passes her personality her traits on to her foals, there will be a lot of good ones. I'm sure she's going to make a super broodmare for someone.”

“She offers a ton of options for top breeders from around the world to match her up with the best stallions here, in Japan or Europe or anywhere else,” Taylor agreed, pointing out the appeal of a multiple-Grade I winning champion daughter of Into Mischief with an impressive female family, but who is still only three. “Wonder Wheel's Dam is Wonder Gal and she herself was a brilliant two-year-old. She was a stakes winner. She was second in the Frizette and then she was third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. So, you know, by any other filly standards, that would be a really good benchmark to set. But then she produces this daughter in Wonder Wheel who just goes one better. These type of opportunities are really what I love most about my job. All the possibilities down the line and what she could produce, it's really energizing.”

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The GII Miss Grillo S., a pathway to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, brings together a cast of 12. Only Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott's Gala Brand (Violence) has graded experience. The chestnut filly delivered in her second start when she faced males and won the GIII With Anticipation S. Aug. 31 at Saratoga over next-out GI bet365 Summer S. hero Carson's Run (Cupid).

From the inside gates, Appellate (Constitution) from the Todd Pletcher barn and Hard to Justify (Justify) from Chad Brown's shedrow will tussle once again. The latter won on debut by a head over the former July 23 at Saratoga, but the Pletcher trainee made a start since Sept. 3 upstate and gained some valuable grass experience as a runner-up once again.

Meanwhile, Gainesway homebred Memorialize (Karakontie {Jpn}) for Graham Motion is looking to build on her own maiden victory, this one at second-asking, when the chestnut filly won confidently by three lengths Aug. 20 at Saratoga.

The boys get their chance later on the BAQ card when the GII Pilgrim S. goes off with GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf implications at stake. Leading the way is 'TDN Rising Star' Agate Road (Quality Road), who absolutely rolled from seemingly nowhere Sept. 2 at Saratoga to break his maiden by a neck at second asking.

“His last breeze was very good. He's training well and came out of his race in good order,” said the colt's trainer, Todd Pletcher. “He got a very wide trip, which maybe turned out to be a blessing with all that was going on at the eighth pole. Turning for home, I thought he had way too much to do, and he really kicked in late. He's had a little bit of experience, so hopefully that pays dividends.”

A pair of runners who might fly under the radar are Liam's Journey (Liam's Map) for Mike Maker and Fulmineo (Bolt d'Oro) for Arnaud Delacour.

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“He looked fantastic before the race at Ascot and he'd been in really good form at home, so it wasn't a shock to see him run a big race, though I was a little surprised he won it! It was certainly a nice surprise and it's a great credit to the horse,” said Hills. “I've always maintained he's a Group class sprinter and his career shows that. He's won some really good races like the Stewards' Cup, King George and Palace House and obviously last time in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee at Ascot. He's a very good horse and we're looking forward to Saturday.”

Aidan O'Brien has recently warned Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) is only a “50-50” shot to take a chance at the Cup on July 15 after missing almost six days of cantering due to a foot bruise last week and that a decision will be made in the following couple days. The Ballydoyle master has not ruled out seeking a record-breaking sixth win in the contest with a daughter of No Nay Never, GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf victress Meditate (Ire), who could be given one last chance to shine before retiring to stud.

“Little Big Bear is not definite to run as he had a foot bruise last week and he missed six days without doing any cantering. We might do something in the morning with him to see how he is and whether we decide to run him or not,” said O'Brien.

“We have to decide whether we are going to retire Meditate or not. It is very possible that she could retire. She is obviously in the July Cup and if Little Big Bear wasn't going to run we would give her a chance going back over six before she goes, as she is a filly that has a lot of speed and was always very comfortable going forward over six furlongs.”

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Last seen in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland when she was fourth to Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never), the bay filly was a debut winner at Doncaster in July and followed that with a victory in the G3 Oh So Sharp S. at Newmarket in October. Fahey will have her skip the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas in favour of middle distances this summer, as she looks bred to stay in excess of a mile.

“I'm very pleased with her at the moment, she's wintered very well and she's going nicely,” said Fahey. “I was a little bit frustrated at the Breeders' Cup that she didn't bounce and run and get the place we wanted her to be in, but that's racing. It was only the third run of her life and she's bred to be a better 3-year-old. I was pleased we learned a bit more about her. I'm going to skip the Guineas and all that. I'm going to step her up to a mile and a quarter and start her off in something like the Musidora. I think I'd take her straight there, I just haven't rushed her this year and let her mature, which she has done, and we'll have a second-half of the season campaign.”

Another 3-year-old filly in the yard who will head for a Guineas trial is Barefoot Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), winner of the G3 Firth of Clyde S. and who was fourth in Redcar's Two Year Old Trophy under a penalty.

“She was another who didn't bounce and race that day at Redcar, but we'll run her in a Guineas trial and see what happens,” said Fahey. “She's in both Guineas and we'll play it by ear after her trial to see what we want to do. It will be Newmarket or Newbury for a trial.”

Fahey hit the bullseye at Royal Ascot last season with The Ridler (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}), a 50-1 winner of the G2 Norfolk S., but the juvenile colt was last behind Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never) in the G1 Prix Morny S. at Deauville in late August.

“The Ridler is good and he'll start off in the [G3] Greenham [S.] and see where we go after that,” said Fahey. “He just didn't come back as I'd have liked after France, but he's done extremely well over the winter, so we're still undecided whether he's a sprinter or whether we can stretch him out.”

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Charlie Appleby and his team, moreover, will be perfectly aware that others must be expected in future. Before the afternoon was out, indeed, their second runner had been thwarted in a desperate finish by their rivals at Ballydoyle. By barely a nose, then, Appleby was denied a fifth win from five consecutive Breeders' Cup starters–and duly found himself stranded on “just” seven winners overall from 13 runners. One day he will have to sit down and ask himself what on earth went wrong with the other six.

In the meantime, his record suggests a nearly surreal immunity to the trademark hazards of this business. Remember that last year he even achieved the memorable paradox of winning with a horse that had been scratched. And whether or not he can maintain the Midas touch on Saturday, or in future years, Appleby will surely never forget a moment that beautifully condensed his Breeders' Cup journey to this point.

That came after the GI Juvenile Turf Sprint when William Buick, having picked off his rivals from last place with nearly mechanical dash, in turn began plucking cremon yellows from the blanket over the withers of Mischief Magic (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) and throwing them into the air as they were led into the winner's circle. The flowers floated down out of the blue like autumn leaves and, strewn in the wake of the horse, were trampled into the dirt track as though their path was literally paved with gold.

And, to a degree, that was the case for all three European winners on a card that nowadays plays very congenially to their strengths. The expansion of the turf program at the Breeders' Cup may have terminally eroded international competition on dirt, to the extent that Arazi–author of the most memorable juvenile performance in the history of this meeting–would nowadays almost certainly have stuck to the grass. Whether that amounts to a net loss or gain is a debate for another day. As it was, with a fairly seamless climate further conspiring in their cause, all three races on “the weeds” were duly harvested by the two great powerhouses of the European Turf.

They had claimed one apiece, Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) picking up the gauntlet from Mischief Magic in the GI Juvenile Fillies Turf, until squaring up for a decider in the GI Juvenile Turf. Aidan O'Brien and his Ballydoyle team doubtless felt that they were overdue a break, if only in terms of their rivalry at this carnival, and it duly came as Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) stole a decisive march on Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) after both had been craving the first split.

O'Brien has ample mitigation in hardly matching Appleby's ratio across a much longer history at this meeting, not least in having sometimes brought horses here as a speculative postscript to a long season in Europe. Appleby, conversely, was fortunate to launch his career even as the turf program was opening up, and quickly learned to target specific types at a vulnerable sector of the American talent pool.

All the same his staggering record here is, of course, but one dimension of the way Appleby has turned round the fortunes of his stable after his predecessor had brought it to a humiliating nadir. No need to dwell on that, now, but it is worth reminding ourselves that his promotion from anonymity, to many, had seemed a rather stubborn reaction to the bitter crisis of 2013. Appleby had learned his vocation almost exclusively within the stable, and the Sheikh's solution represented a striking vote of confidence in the ability of his team to regroup.

Nobody should be deceived that there was any complacency in the camp. After this latest vindication of Appleby's appointment, however, Godolphin managing director Hugh Anderson stressed that it did not really appear a gamble at the time. For one thing, everyone could see that this was an exceptional horseman. Barely less important, however, was the sense that the young man's innate modesty was shored up by attributes tailormade for such onerous responsibility. Anderson speaks of his “unflappable” temperament, of an “eternally cheerful” outlook and, above all, an exemplary touch with his staff.

So it is that he has arrived here having retained the trainers' championship, those laurels this time being shared by Buick. Besides their talent, both are united by an understated sense that the best way to manifest their gratitude for opportunities received is via deeds rather than words.

It was characteristic, as such, that Buick was so reluctant to accept much personal credit for what appeared, on the face of it, a really flamboyant ride on Mischief Magic. Appleby, who has developed such an acute instinct for the type of horse best adapted to the hustle and bustle of the racing environment over here, had been confident that it would really stimulate Mischief Magic. Sure enough, Buick could even be seen taking a pull at the reins as his mount surged through the traffic turning in. By Buick's own account, however, the horse had made all the decisions for him: unable to go the early pace, he began to engage even as the pace told on the leaders, and then switched leads with alacrity to settle the issue. The way the pair sidestepped their way through, nimbly moving in and out, seemed to obey a choreography as inexorable as a country dance.

A footnote of congratulation, by the way, to connections of runner-up Dramatised (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}). They were deflated by Mischief Magic's astonishing late pounce, but with a filly this Grade I placing was a huge “win” all day long—and a fine piece of training.

But the man of the day was O'Brien, adding another increment to the legacy he has long been creating for the breed. With America waiting to anoint a horse with greatness after six career starts, let's remember the collective debt of future breeders to the regime developed between O'Brien and his patrons. Ballydoyle horses have their potential and genetic wares “proved” in a way today wholly unfathomable to most horsemen this side of the water.

Meditate was a natural, winning on debut on Apr. 10. She completed a hat-trick at Royal Ascot, while this was her third Group 1/Grade I start of the autumn. Victoria Road, conversely, has been one of those O'Brien projects where you see a horse learn with each rite of racetrack passage: though up and running in May, he took five attempts to break his maiden before the bulb really switched on.

For all his mastery, O'Brien has always shown a nearly pathological dread of vanity. They may serve very different masters, who set their different agendas in camps far apart, but the two trainers who dominated proceedings here on the turf are united by a scrupulous and authentic emphasis on teamwork.

True, one might doubt whether both would share too earnestly the curious tradition, unique in the racing year, that they have travelled here in common cause, as members of “Team Europe”. Be that is it may, however, this was a day when all Europeans could agree that the grass really is greener on the other side.

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Leading the Coolmore partners septet after their quarantine period was Group 1 winner Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and G3 Derby Trial S. hero Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who both line up in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf and will leave from stalls four and three, respectively. Second in the 2021 Turf to Godolphin and Charlie Appleby's Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) at Del Mar, Broome took the G2 Hardwicke S. from six starts this term and enters the Breeders' Cup having run eighth in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last out at the beginning of October.

“Looking at the team, we have two horses in the Turf,” O'Brien said. “Broome ran very well in the race last year. Conditions have not always been in his favour, but I think he will enjoy the ground if it's quick.

“His one flaw is he misses the break. He's a late loader, but he can get on the back foot. We are trying to do things to help him break better. He broke badly at Del Mar under Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] and he rides him again. That day he gave him a chance and said he couldn't believe he got beat.

“Stone Age ran well [when fifth] in the heavy [G1 Champion S.] and is comfortable over a mile and a half, but I think there'll be no more rain this week and the going will be different for him.”

Already a Breeders' Cup winner after taking the GI Mile in 2020, Order Of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) aims to take his second Mile. The 5-year-old entire ran second in the G1 Prix du Moulin to Dreamloper (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in September and he was third to the re-opposing Annapolis (War Front) and Ivar (Brz) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}) in the GI Coolmore Turf Mile S. over this course and distance on Oct. 8. He exits stall 10 in the 16-horse field.

“We have Order Of Australia in the Mile, going for a repeat of two years ago,” O'Brien said. “I was very happy with his run at Keeneland and he was drawn out a bit. I've taken my time with him all year and have just gently turned the screw on him and his last work was very pleasing. We bred him and still own a leg in him.”

O'Brien also has a pair of fillies entered in the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf in listed winner and G1 Irish Oaks runner-up Toy (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1 Cazoo Oaks victress Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Ryan Moore will be aboard Tuesday and will leave from barrier five, while Wayne Lordan has the call on Toy. The latter pair have drawn gate seven.

O'Brien said, “Tuesday is very well, she has a nice draw. It was bad ground when she ran in France [G1 Prix de l'Opera], but her work has been very good.

“Toy has made very good progress since her last race, she has a good draw and the trip and ground should be fine for her.”

Consistent filly Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never), who is four-for-six, flies the flag for O'Brien in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Besides winning her first four starts in succession, including group victories in the G3 Coolmore Stud Fillies Sprint S., G3 Albany S., and the G2 Debutante S., the dark bay rolled a pair of twos in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. and the G1 Cheveley Park S. both in September.

“Meditate is one I really like stepping up in trip and I think that, coupled with going round a bend, will help her,” he said. “She's a No Nay Never out of a mare by Dalakhani (Ire) and we are still learning about these No Nay Nevers who are fast, precocious horses. Meditate has plenty of stamina on the dam's side, we are still working out about what we do with her next year.

“She's never lost a kilo since her last run, we've given her the chance to back out in her work but there are no negative signs. She's also got a good mind and is a hardy filly whose constitution will also help her with the distance.”

The master of Rosegreen also saddles G3 Prix de Conde hero Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. He's drawn in stall one and will be ridden by Ryan Moore.

“Our 2-year-old colt [Victoria Road] came from a good bit back at Chantilly and we think he could develop into a [G1] French Derby horse,” O'Brien said. “The main thing is that we don't want him to get lost early in his race on Friday, but I feel it's only when he goes further that we will see him in a better light.”

O'Brien also reflected on the strong European Breeders' Cup participation, and added, “It's always good to see Charlie Appleby with his team at the Breeders' Cup. He's a very good trainer, he's doing a great job and has an adept team of horses and people to bring with him.

“We love coming to Keeneland because its weather can be similar to ours and everyone here is horsey minded, like we are in Ireland. You have to be tactically quick around here, but you need to be able to finish off your race as well.

“We will be looking at the ground, but in my opinion I prefer it quick because Flat horses should be all about speed.”

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“It was a great experience and both ran great races. I couldn't be happier with them,” said Loughnane. “I thought going into it five might be a bit sharp for him over there. He missed the break by a millisecond which he's never done before.

“Had he jumped, he'd have won. In four more strides he'd have won, but I couldn't be any prouder of the horse. He ran an absolute belter of a race and it capped off a fantastic year for him. Five to six furlongs will be his trip over here next year. I suppose the most logical option would be something along the lines of the Commonwealth Cup.

“We'll see how it goes. He thrived off the whole travelling. There are loads of options, including Dubai at the end of February. He'll go for a nice holiday now and then we'll take it one step at a time. We'll see how he is come January and then we'll make a plan from there.”

Hello You did not travel as well as her stablemate to California, but Loughnane was not deterred by her effort.

“The journey over there probably took a bit more out of her. She jumped, she travelled, she got a lovely run through the race. She travelled like a dream and turning for home, I thought how far does she win, then when Johnny [Velazquez] asked her she just didn't go through with it completely. She pulled up a tired horse. It took a lot out of her. She was only beaten 1 ½ lengths in a Grade I over there when she wasn't at her best.

“I have no doubt on her day she was probably the best horse in the race. She'll go for a holiday as well now and we'll come back and try for a Guineas trial with her.

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You couldn't have faulted the Frenchman if he'd begun to feel a bit like the late Bobby Frankel, who saddled 36 starters in the Breeders' Cup before Squirtle Squirt (Marquetry) snapped his own dubious streak in 2001. But for trainers as capable as Christophe Clement, skids like this are bound to end sooner and not later, and so it was Friday afternoon when Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), a homebred for celebrity chef and Breeders' Cup ambassador Bobby Flay, slalomed home down the Del Mar lane to give the owner a second win in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, joining 2010 victress More Than Real (More Than Ready). Ryan Moore worked out a good trip from an awkward draw aboard French raider Malavath (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), whose rails run through the final furlong fell just short, while 'TDN Rising Star' Haughty (Empire Maker), who just snuck into the race, finished a promising third.

Pizza Bianca was the recipient of a very quiet Joel Rosario ride at just over 5-1 on Saratoga debut July 22, and came with a wide sweep off no pace whatsoever to outfinish odds-on Expand the Map (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) by three-parts of a length. Tested for class in the GI Natalma S. at Woodbine Sept. 19, the homebred was more forwardly placed while clipping the hedge  for the opening half-mile, traveled nicely into the race nearing the straight and was short of room a furlong and a half out before boxing on gamely for second to Godolphin's Wild Beauty (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who'd have likely gone favored for Friday's race had she made the trans-Atlantic journey.

With Rosario opting for the undefeated Koala Princess (More Than Ready)–somewhat surprisingly sent off the betting favorite at 9-2–Jose Ortiz inherited the ride on Pizza Bianca, and the duo was off to an uneventful beginning from gate one. Allowed to drift back through the field, the dark bay raced with about three behind early as the positively ridden G1 Fillies' Mile third Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) set a moderate pace in advance of Turnerloose (Nyquist), with Mise En Scene (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) posted three wide for Oisin Murphy. With only GII JP Morgan Chase Jessamine S. upsetter California Angel (California Chrome) in her rear-view passing the half-mile pole, Pizza Bianca was outfooted into the turn by the latter, relegating her to last with three furlongs to race, but she nevertheless traveled strongly, appearing only to need somewhere to run when push came to shove.

Sent through an opening one off the fence between the rail-skimming Malavath and Consumer Spending (More Than Ready) as they neared the eighth pole, Pizza Bianca hit another gear to whoosh past a stubborn front-running Cachet and Hello You (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) with time ticking away and flashed under the wire first.

“Very nice. Great win,” said Clement. “I'm delighted. I was surprised [agent] Ron Anderson and Rosario didn't ride the filly because we always thought that she a nice one and she proved us right today. I'm absolutely thrilled with the confidence showed in us. It's nice.”

Pedigree Notes:

On behalf of Flay, renowned bloodstock agent James Delahooke went to 1.25 million guineas ($2,122,050) for White Hot at the 2014 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The fifth-priciest offering in Book 1, White Hot was, at the time, a half-sister to 2011 G1 Investec Derby hero Pour Moi (Ire) and to MGSW & MG1SP Gagnoa (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). Flay entered White Hot carrying to Fastnet Rock (Ire) in the 2017 Tattersalls December Mares sale, but elected to withdraw her and that decision had proved fruitful, even prior to Friday's event.

Gagnoa's foal of 2017, the filly Etoile (War Front), took out the G3 Juvenile Fillies Sprint at Naas in 2019, while the current 2-year-old colt out of Gagnoa, Ancient Rome (War Front), has done his part to flatter the family with a victory in this year's G3 Prix des Chenes and runner-up efforts in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and G1 Criterium International this season. White Hot's full-brother Dawn Patrol (Ire) was the winner of the G3 Loughbrown S. and was third in the G1 Irish Derby in 2020. This is also the female family of G1 Epsom Derby hero Lammtarra, Hector Protector and Bosra Sham, et al.

Pizza Bianca is the first Breeders' Cup winner for the exceptional dual-hemisphere stallion Fastnet Rock (Aus) (Danehill) and is his seventh championship starter from his Northern Hemisphere-foaled crops. Pizza Bianca is the 42nd top-level winner for her sire, joining GI Man O'War S. heroine Zhukova (Ire), who is also out of a Galileo mare. She is also the stallion's 182nd worldwide black-type winner and 114th graded/group winner. Pizza Bianca is a mind-boggling 227th SW, 123rd GSW and 37th G1/GISW out of a daughter of the late Galileo. Cover Song, a daughter of Misty For Me (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), won the 2016 GIII Autumn Miss S. for Spendthrift Farm and was purchased by Flay (James Delahooke, agent), for $1.6 million at FTKNOV a short time later. He RNAd Cover Song, in foal to Dubawi (Ire), for $3.9 million at FTKNOV in 2018.

White Hot was barren to Quality Road for 2020, but foaled a colt by Uncle Mo this past Feb. 4 and was most recently bred to Not This Time.

Friday, Del Mar
BREEDERS' CUP JUVENILE FILLIES TURF-GI, $920,000, Del Mar, 11-5, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.08, fm.
1–PIZZA BIANCA, 122, f, 2, by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
                1st Dam: White Hot (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Gwynn (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
                3rd Dam: Victoress, by Conquistador Cielo
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
   WIN. O/B-Bobby Flay (KY); T-Christophe Clement; J-Jose L.
Ortiz. $520,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $637,635. Werk
   Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Malavath (Ire), 122, f, 2, by Mehmas (Ire)
                1st Dam: Fidaaha (Ire), by New Approach (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Ceist Eile (Ire), by Noverre
                3rd Dam: Sharafanya (Ire), by Zafonic
(£29,000 Ylg '20 GOFFUK; €139,200 2yo '21 ARQDEA).
O-Everest Racing, Redvers, David and Keller, Barbara; B-Tally
Ho Stud (IRE); T-Francis – Henri Graffard. $170,000.
3–Haughty, 122, f, 2, by Empire Maker
                1st Dam: Soaring Emotions, by Kingmambo
                2nd Dam: Luminous Beauty, by A.P. Indy
                3rd Dam: Caerlina (Ire), by Caerleon
'TDN Rising Star'. ($70,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP; $310,000 2yo
'21 OBSAPR). O-Bradley Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and
Breeding, LLC, Tim & Anna Cambron & Team Hanley;
B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.
$90,000.
Margins: HF, NK, HD. Odds: 9.90, 17.70, 6.00.
Also Ran: Cachet (Ire), Hello You (Ire), Consumer Spending, Koala Princess, Helens Well (Ire), Cairo Memories, Mise En Scene (GB), California Angel, Bubble Rock, Sail By, Turnerloose.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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“It's been half-planned since she won at Goodwood,” said Ferguson, of the filly's pending Breeders' Cup run. “His Highness Sheikh Fahad has always been a big supporter of the Breeders' Cup, and loves going out there.

“It was all dependent on how she was going to come out of the G1 Fillies' Mile, and she's come out of the race great-[so] we're very much looking forward to going over.

“She's still very lightly raced, so she'll be a fresh horse, whereas a lot of horses in the race will have had a heavy season. To have a runner at the Breeders' Cup in only my second year training is huge.”

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