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Glass Slippers Makes History For Europe in the Turf Sprint

Bearstone Stud’s Glass Slippers (GB) (Dream Ahead) became the first European invader to win the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, weaving her way through traffic to score a late-charging victory at Keeneland Saturday. Sent off at 10-1, the bay filly settled well slightly behind midpack as longshot Into Mystic (Into Mischief) took the field through an opening quarter in :21.26 while prompted by Bombard (War Front) and Texas Wedge (Colonel John). She inched closer along the rail on the turn and cut the corner into the straight and she was shoulder to shoulder with Imprimis (Broken Vow), both ready to strike following a half in :43.81. While Imprimis’s lane was abruptly closed off by Leinster (Majestic Warrior), Glass Slippers found a seam and charged to daylight before holding off the late-closing Wet Your Whistle (Stroll). Leinster, favored at 4-1, settled for third after racing prominently throughout.

Glass Slipper is the fourth female to beat the boys in the Turf Sprint.

“What a training performance,” winning rider Tom Eaves said. “She’s been great all year, so come to and win it’s unreal. She’s raced round a bend before, but the plan was to go on the inside and ride for a bit of luck. We had a great run through, which doesn’t always work, but it did today. To have a Breeders’ Cup winner is amazing and a day I won’t forget.”

Of the result, winning trainer Kevin Ryan said, “Awesome. I’m ecstatic. To come and compete against the best sprinters in the world and beat them is just amazing. She’s been great all week. Every day getting fresher and cantering on the turf track every morning. I said to Tom earlier in the week, ‘Now you’re going quicker running into bend let’s see how she changes her legs’ and straight away no issues at all in the bend. I knew then we were in business. We decided going on a brave ride up the inner and go the shortest route and if it didn’t work, such is life. Today was our day.”

Glass Slippers won last year’s G1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp. She opened 2020 with a fifth-place effort in the G1 King’s Stand S. at Royal Ascot in June and was second in the July 31 GII King George Qatar S. before winning the Sept. 13 G1 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five S. at The Curragh. She missed by just a neck when second in her defense attempt in the Prix de l’Abbaye last time out Oct. 4.

Pedigree Notes:

Terry Holdcroft’s Bearstone Stud purchased Glass Slippers’ second dam Ocean Grove for 20,952gns at the 1996 Tattersalls December sale. That mare’s first foal was Glass Slippers’ dam Night Gypsy.

Glass Slippers is the first American graded stakes winner for her three-time Group 1-winning sire Dream Ahead.

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Gulfstream West Cancels Sunday Card In Anticipation Of Tropical Storm

Gulfstream Park West announced Saturday the cancellation of its Sunday racing program due to the impending arrival of Tropical Storm Eta.

Entries will be taken Sunday for Friday's program.

The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning for Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys Saturday morning.

Racing resumes at Gulfstream West Wednesday.

The post Gulfstream West Cancels Sunday Card In Anticipation Of Tropical Storm appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Vequist To Get Time Off After ‘Spectacular’ Breeders’ Cup Win, Then Aim For 2021 Kentucky Oaks

There were good vibes all around the far end of Barn 66 at Keeneland Saturday morning as the connections of Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Vequist basked in the achievements of the dark bay daughter of Nyquist.

Trainer Butch Reid reported that all was well with his charge in the aftermath of her 2-length triumph over budding rival Dayoutoftheoffice in the Juvenile Fillies, an effort that now puts Vequist in position to take home an Eclipse Award for divisional honors. While horses can sometimes fool their caretakers by flaunting one kind of form in the morning only to give off an entirely different impression in the afternoons, Vequist more than backed up the serious tout she had made for herself this week as one of the best looking horses during training hours.

“When I saw her in the morning jogging and stuff, I thought she looked really good but then when she got over there into the paddock in the afternoon, I thought she looked spectacular,” said Reid, who previously won the 2011 Breeders' Cup Marathon with Afleet Again. “In my mind, I thought she won the paddock show. She looked good, calm, relaxed. We felt pretty good.”

Vequist now has two wins from four career starts with both of her triumphs coming in top-level races. She broke her maiden by a jaw-dropping 9 ½ lengths in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga on Sept. 6 but was beaten in the Grade 1 Frizette by Dayoutoftheoffice.

Under heady handling from Joel Rosario Friday, Vequist used an inside trip to turn the tables on her rival and make her sire Nyquist one of now 24 stallions to win a Breeders' Cup race and sire a Breeders' Cup winner.

“We figured she would be laying close and it seemed like the inside was good all day,” Reid said. “And we had Joel in the irons. We had full confidence in the horse and the rider. This is my second Breeders' Cup win but this was really a special one because she's a homebred and I was able to do it for Tom McGrath and Gary Barber and Adam Wachtel. It makes it extra special.”

Vequist was bred by McGrath's Swilcan Stables with McGrath selling an interest in the filly to Barber and Wachtel after she finished second in her career debut at Parx on July 29. To Reid's delight, the new addition to the ownership had no intention of taking the filly out of his care.

“That's something rare in this business that something like that happens. Normally that's it and the horse is gone,” Reid said. “I didn't know them (Barber and Wachtel) until I talked to them on the phone. In fact I met Gary Barber for the first time yesterday.”

Reid added that Vequist will now head to Barry Eisman's farm in Florida for a freshening to prepare for what he hopes is a successful trip down the Kentucky Oaks trail in 2021.

“Four starts as a 2-year-old is plenty for me and we got her stretched around two turns, which is what I wanted,” Reid said. “She'll soak up some sun and pick on some grass.”

Trainer and co-owner Tim Hamm reported all was good with Dayoutoftheoffice the morning after her gutsy runner-up finish in the Juvenile Fillies.

Dayoutoftheoffice set a quick pace in the 1 1/16m Juvenile Fillies, throwing down the first quarter in 23.30 and an opening half mile in 47.12 before being caught by race-winner Vequist in the late stages. That loss marked the first defeat in four starts for Dayoutoftheoffice, but the daughter of Into Mischief figures to be in play for Eclipse Award honors with her prior wins in the Grade 1 Frizette — in which she bested Vequist — and Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes.

“She'll take a little break and get ready for a 3-year-old campaign,” Hamm said.

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Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Double Has Cox ‘Looking Forward To Coming Up With A Game Plan For Next Year’

As he was preparing for another busy Breeders' Cup day, trainer Brad Cox was also enjoying his two victories Friday with Essential Quality in the TVG Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and with Aunt Pearl (IRE) in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Cox reported both juveniles came out of their races well and he's excited about next year with them, although no firm plans have been made yet.

“It was a fantastic day,” Cox said. “Both came out of their races really well. So far so good. Both are a little tired, but they have a right to be. They both appear to have bounced out of the races very well. We'll see how things go moving forward. We don't have anything picked out as far as races, but we're looking very forward to coming up with a game plan for next year. These are both horses that have shown us a lot since we picked them up in the spring. It's a long process getting to a point like this and it's just a testament to the help, the assistants, the foremen, the exercise riders, the hotwalkers, the grooms, everyone we have in place. I'm just really proud of our staff and really appreciative of the opportunities owners have given us with really nice horses. Aunt Pearl was an expensive purchase out of Tattersalls last year and fortunate to have been given her. Obviously, Godolphin has a very well-bred homebred. Sometimes that's what it takes to get to a stage like this. It's very rewarding and we're very fortunate.”

Aunt Pearl already had shown she was speedy in her two victories leading into the Juvenile Filles Turf and Cox said the plan all along with to use that weapon. As the 2-1 favorite she shot out of the gate and never looked back, winning by 2 ½ lengths.

“The closer we got to the race and once we had our post position, I just thought with where we were and where the other speed was, it didn't make sense to take back or try to make her rate. Our plan was to take it to them. (Jockey) Florent (Geroux) and I talked and we both agreed we needed to get her out of the gate and into position. She was fortunate enough to do that and clear off going into the turn, which was huge. She really relaxed and showed her class. She shut off for him that second quarter and I think that's probably where the race was won. She was able to settle that second quarter. Going into the second turn she was traveling beautifully. They were coming, but she obviously had gas left in the tank.”

Essential Quality, who now becomes one of the early favorites for the Kentucky Derby next year with his Juvenile win, has now shown how versatile he is with his third straight win and third different running style.

“Obviously, it was different style with Essential Quality, but not a different tactic,” Cox said. “We expected to break and be close, maybe third or fourth. We knew there was some speed in there. They kind of got away from him early. He took some dirt. (Jockey) Luis (Saez) did a good job getting him to the outside down the backside. He settled for him down the backside, but I was very concerned where we were. I think he may have been eighth. But, then I saw the 45 (for the half mile) and thought to myself these horses back up. Luis started knuckling down on him and I saw he was making a move. At the quarter pole was when I thought we had a shot. I was hoping that move he started making wasn't going to flatten out. He's a 2-year-old, still learning. It's only the third race of his life. Once they straightened up, I started to feel more confident. Luis gave him a strong ride down the lane and he was able to get there. This horse has had three races and he's been a different position every time. I think he showed his versatility and that he can overcome things. He's good colt. He's shown us from get go that he's special. Very happy to be associated with him.”

Cox will have five more chances to add to his Breeders' Cup tallies Saturday, including Monomoy Girl, the morning line favorite for the Longines Distaff.

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