Although the daughter of Lookin At Lucky came up just a head short of winning an automatic and fees-paid berth into the Juvenile Fillies Turf Wednesday, she proved herself to be a prime Breeders' Cup candidate.

“It's a possibility. She's going to come back home Saturday, and we'll decide from there,” said Biancone, whose stable is based at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County. “We don't want to force her. If she's really well, we may go.”

Biancone's daughter and assistant, Andie, who accompanied Diamond Wow to Keeneland and saddled the daughter of Lookin At Lucky, was pleased with the manner in which she exited the 1 1/16-mile turf event.

“She said she came out good,” Biancone said. “She took the race well.”

Scratched out of last last Friday's Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland after drawing the No. 11 post position, Diamond Wow – as (bad) luck would have it – drew the far-outside No 14 post for the Jessamine.

Diamond Wow rated off the early pace while racing four-wide before kicking in through the stretch to gain a narrow lead over odds-on pacesetter Turnerloose nearing the wire, only to be caught by wide and charging California Angel.

“[She ran] around the ducks, like in the morning,” Biancone quipped.

Diamond Oops went into the Jessamine undefeated in two starts at Gulfstream Park, where she scored a three-length debut victory in a five-furlong turf race Aug. 28 before scoring a 1 ¾-length triumph in the off-the-turf Our Dear Peggy Stakes at seven furlongs Sept. 18.

“To be honest with you, in that family, the good ones come to form early. The mother was like that – she won a stakes as a 2-year-old. Diamond Oops, the three-quarter brother, won at 2,” Biancone said. “I know she's going to improve. She's naturally and extremely talented. She's a very, very good filly.”

Diamond Wow, who is owned by Diamond 100 Racing Club LLC, Amy Dunne and Biancone, is out of Patriotic Diamond, a daughter of Hat Trick who broke her maiden in the Generous Portion Stakes at Del Mar in her second career start. Patriotic Diamond is a half-sister to Biancone-trained Diamond Oops, a multiple graded-stakes winner with more than $1.3 million in purse earning.

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“She came back from the race in excellent shape; I couldn't ask for better,” Leonard said about the daughter of California Chrome. “I haven't made travel arrangements yet. I haven't woken up from the dream.”

Leonard had little time to celebrate the milestone victory because he had to drive California Angel back to his Indiana Grand base about 2½ hours northwest of Lexington. He also had no time to entertain any offers from those interested in purchasing the filly, a Keeneland sale graduate as a weanling who sold to current owner Chris Walsh as a 2-year-old in training.

“I put her in her stall and stayed for an hour or two to make sure she was comfortable and then went home,” Leonard said. “I didn't answer many calls after the race – only those from my immediate family. I wasn't too talkative to a lot of people. I was just enjoying my time.”

Leonard, who is from Louisiana, sent out his first starter in 1991. He said Walsh is an Indiana resident who he has known “for quite a few years.”

“They are good people who I always talked to and watched their horses run (for other trainers),” he said. “They have other trainers, and I am fortunate to have them.”

California Angel won her career debut on grass at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 8 as a 28-1 longshot. Three weeks later, she was third in a Churchill Downs allowance race on dirt in her only other start.

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So said trainer George Leonard III after Chris Walsh's daughter of California Chrome rallied from far back to post a head victory over Diamond Wow in the 31st running of the $200,000 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G2) for 2-year-old fillies Wednesday afternoon at Keeneland.

With the victory, California Angel earned a fees-paid berth into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) to be run Nov. 5 at Del Mar. The JPMorgan Chase Jessamine was the 10th and final Breeders' Cup Challenge race offered by Keeneland to start the 17-day Fall Meet.

Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, California Angel covered the 1 1/16 miles on a turf course labeled as good in 1:44.30.

California Angel was Leonard's first starter in a graded stakes. She netted Bejarano his 19th Keeneland stakes win and first here since Oct. 8, 2010, aboard Wickedly Perfect in the Darley Alcibiades (G1).

Favored Turnerloose quickly bounded out for the lead in the field of 13 as California Angel raced near the rear of the field. With Florent Geroux aboard, Turnerloose maintained a daylight advantage until upper stretch when Diamond Wow applied pressure.

At the head of the lane, California Angel had one horse beat as Bejarano swung her eight wide for a clear run at the field. She was still 5 lengths back at the eighth pole and got up in the final yards to ease by Diamond Wow and Turnerloose.

Now 2-for-2 on the turf, California Angel is a Kentucky-bred daughter of California Chrome out of the Tiz Wonderful mare Sea Mona. California Angel increased her career earnings to $213,700 with Wednesday's $120,000 check.

California Angel returned $37.60, $14 and $5.60. Diamond Wow, ridden by Mike Smith, returned $10 and $5.40 and finished a neck in front of Turnerloose, who paid $2.60 to show.

It was another length back to Dressed, who was followed in order by Opalina, Roughly a Diamond, Misthaven (IRE), Kneesnhips, Bhoma, Queen Judith, Rigby, Boxing Day and Ontheonesandtwos.

Racing continues Thursday with a 10-race program beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

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Wednesday program marks the 13th and final show in this year's “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of North America's most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 38th Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 5-6, which will be shown live on NBC and NBCSN. The Breeders' Cup World Championships television schedule appears here.

NBC Sports' coverage will feature commentary and discussion from its International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., led by host Ahmed Fareed, analyst Randy Moss, and handicapper Matt Bernier. Reporters Britney Eurton and Nick Luck will be on-site at Keeneland.

Dawn and Ike Thrash's Turnerloose has started her career with two wins. Trained by Brad Cox, the daughter of 2015 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist broke her maiden at 1 mile at Ellis Park on July 16 and then captured the 1-mile Aristocrat Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Kentucky Downs by five lengths on Sept. 6. Florent Geroux rides from post three.

Another runner coming off a big effort at Kentucky Downs is Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Dressed, who has won two of her three starts. After breaking her maiden in her second try at Arlington Park, Dressed, trained by Wayne Catalano, came from off the pace to win a 6 ½-furlong allowance optional claiming race at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 12 by 3 ¼ lengths. Dressed will be ridden by Flavien Prat from post 12.

Making a five-wide sweeping move, SF Racing's Misthaven (IRE) won on debut in a 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight by 1 ¾ lengths on Sept 5 at Kentucky Downs. Breaking from post 10, Misthaven, trained by Joe Sharp, will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione. Starting just to the outside of Misthaven in post 11 is Teneri Farm and J Stable's Opalina. Trained by Roderick Rodriguez, Opalina is up from Gulfstream Park in Florida, where she broke her maiden at 1 mile on Sept. 17. Opalina will be ridden by Edgard Zayas.

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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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“Run-up” is the distance from where the gate is placed and the timing of the race begins – that is, the point at which the horses reach the published distance of the race. The Jessamine, and nearly every other race in North America, is not run over the distance listed in the program or past performances. So, when reporting the race was “1 1/16 miles” – that is really only the portion of the race which is timed, not the full distance run.

The actual distance the race covers, naturally, is the point from where the gate is placed to the finish, but depending on how far the gate is from the published distance of the race will dictate how much of ground at the start is covered before the horses reach the point which is 1 1/16 miles from the finish.

In the case of the Jessamine, the initial Equibase chart of the race reported 216 feet. Keeneland later informed Equibase that distance is closer to 100 feet, and the chart was amended.

The Daily Racing Form's Marty McGee covered the issue in the days after the race:

“Elliston said additional gaps for entry to the turf course have been added this fall 'in an attempt to try to preserve the surface by not placing the starting gate at the same position on the turf course at [often-run] distances. The gate can rough up the course through that kind of repetition.'

“For the Jessamine, the gate was 'placed the farthest back of all the gap options,' Elliston said. 'Obviously, this is the kind of thing handicappers have a right to know about beforehand, so we're making that information available on a regular basis.”

At the suggestion of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF), Elliston confirmed that Keeneland would begin updating the daily run-up information on the track's website, which can be found here on the “track conditions” page.

“We thank Keeneland for their attentiveness to the situation and getting the updated information to the public,” said Patrick Cummings, Executive Director of TIF.

“There needs to be an industry-wide discussion about accuracy in our sport. Every time entries are drawn for a new race, and they are published, our industry is misled into believing a race is being run over the distance that is listed. That is false – our sport reports about 30,000 falsehoods a year just in terms of the accurate distance of races run. We report the distance timed, not the distance run, and in so doing, disrespect everyone in the sport, but most especially the horseplayers and the horsemen.”

From the break of the gate to the finish in the 2020 Jessamine, Aunt Pearl ran for about 1:46. Last year in the same race, Sweet Melania ran for about 1:45.

Craig Milkowski of TimeformUS confirmed from video timing software that the 2020 Jessamine field ran for about 5.31 seconds before timing began. He added that, based on this method of timing one mile dirt races at Santa Anita, which have a reported 160 feet of run-up, routine run-up times are around 4.95 seconds. At Del Mar over the same distance, run-up is reported at 200 feet and the time is about 5.75 seconds of untimed racing before the clock begins and horses reach the point one mile from the finish.

TIF published a report several weeks ago which highlighted gross inaccuracies in distances run at Saratoga, Gulfstream Park and Kentucky Downs. There have been few changes.

On the last day of racing at Gulfstream prior to their seasonal shift to Gulfstream West, Mo of the West won Race 9 carded at one mile on turf. The published final time was 1:36.44, but the horses actually ran for about 1:44.

“Aunt Pearl looks a very nice filly,” Cummings said, “but the raw information our sport presents to customers suggests she was potentially 12-14 lengths faster than any previous winner of the Jessamine.

“Even if Aunt Pearl is to be a future superstar, the next Zenyatta, it is almost impossible to believe she is that much faster than all previous winners of the race. What is not doubted is that she covered a longer course in the 2020 Jessamine, which seems to have had the longest run-up of any previous edition, and thus made the times faster given she got up to a higher speed once the clock started.

“This is just another reason that the sport's speed and pace figuremakers are valuable for racing, they serve as an incredibly valuable check-and-balance to the raw data the sport presents. Take nothing away from the horse, but the times can be very misleading to the public given that tracks are not putting the gate in the same place and races are not effectively run over the same distance, particularly on turf, from year-to-year. In a sport where the difference between a big win and total loss can be incredibly small, accuracy matters so much.”

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She defeated runner-up Spanish Loveaffair by 2 1/2 lengths on the wire, earning a fees-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup with her victory.

Aunt Pearl is campaigned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Peter Deutsch, Peter, Michael Kisber, and The Elkstone Group (Stuart Grant).

Sent straight to the lead by Geroux, Aunt Pearl grabbed a two-length advantage in the early going. She set impressive fractions of :22.28 and :46.65, then took a slight breather in the third quarter to allow 8-5 second choice Spanish Loveaffair to close the gap to three-quarters of a length.

Set loose turning for home, Aunt Pearl pulled away from her rivals with ease. Geroux rode her out until about the sixteenth pole, then wrapped up to save something for next month's Breeders' Cup challenge. It was 2 1/2 lengths back to Spanish Loveaffair in second, while Ingrassia and Arm Candy filled out the superfecta.

Bred in Ireland by Ecurie Des Charmes and Ballylinch Stud, Aunt Pearl is out of the Hurricane Run mare Matauri Pearl. The filly was purchased by agent Bradley Weisbord for $358,766 at last fall's Tattersalls October sale, and won on debut at Churchill on Sept. 1. She lived up to that victory by winning the Jessamine, improving her record to two wins from two starts for earnings of over $130,000.

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Wednesday's telecast, produced in association with TVG, marks the 11th and final program in this year's “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of North America's most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 37th Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland, scheduled for Nov. 6-7 and airing on NBC and NBCSN. The complete series TV schedule can be accessed here.

Reporting and commentary for the telecast will be provided from Keeneland by TVG's Todd Schrupp, Matt Bernier, Caton Bredar, Gabby Gaudet, Britney Eurton and Caleb Keller. Simon Bray will be providing commentary from home.

Spanish Loveaffair, a bay daughter of 2014 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) winner Karakontie (JPN), has won both her starts at Gulfstream Park. Spanish Loveaffair is trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, who won this race in 2016 with La Coronel. After breaking her maiden at 1 mile by an eye-popping 11 lengths on July 23, Spanish Loveaffair returned on Aug. 29 to win the 1-mile Sharp Susan Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths as the 1-2 favorite. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Spanish Loveaffair and will break from post position 10.

Among the challengers to Spanish Loveaffair is the Brad Cox-trained Aunt Pearl (IRE). In her lone start on Sept. 1 at Churchill Downs, Aunt Pearl, a bay daughter of Lope de Vega (IRE), set the early pace in a 1-mile race and drew off by 5 lengths. Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Peter Deutsch, Michael Kisber and The Elkstone Group, Aunt Pearl will be ridden by Florent Geroux from post 7.

Another impressive debut winner is Don Alberto Stable's Ingrassia. Trained by Chad Brown, who has won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf three times, Ingrassia overcame a bumpy start in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Saratoga on Aug. 19 and steadily worked her way to the front to win by a nose. A daughter of Medaglia d'Oro, Ingrassia will be ridden by Javier Castellano from post 5.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen sends out Ben Rollins and Shelia Rollins' Beautiful Star, a daughter of two-time Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Tiznow, who was fifth in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies on Sept. 7. Adam Beschizza has the mount and will break from post position 4. Asmussen also will send out Kentucky Downs debut maiden winner Arm Candy for the partnership of Bradley Thoroughbreds, Tim Cambron, Anna Cambron and Kurz Equine Investments. Ricardo Santana Jr. will ride from post position 6.

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