“Future Stars Friday” has already lived up to its name at Churchill Downs. Evoking comparisons to past Chad Brown celebrity Lady Eli, unbeaten Newspaperofrecord dominated the $920,000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) by a stakes-record 6 3/4 lengths.
Klaravich Stables’ Newspaperofrecord, expected to be one of the shortest-priced favorites of the two-day championships, was bet down to 3-5 favoritism – and made even that look like value. The Irish-bred figured to be on or near the lead in any event, but after Bulletin wired the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, sending her straight to the front was the most sensible tactic on the yielding course.
Regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr. rationed out Newspaperofrecord’s speed through fractions of :24.06, :48.58, and 1:13.75, allowing 7-1 second choice Concrete Rose to get a little closer rounding the far turn. But once straightening for home, Newspaperofrecord drew away in a zone of her own to complete the mile in 1:39.00. She bettered Lady Eli’s stakes-record margin of 2 3/4 lengths while handing Brown his third straight Juvenile Fillies Turf and fifth overall.
British shipper East, who was anchored at the rear after breaking from post 14, stayed on well for best-of-the-rest honors by a neck. Stellar Agent, third to Newspaperofrecord in the Miss Grillo (G2) last out, repeated that result, and Aidan O’Brien’s Just Wonderful closed mildly for fourth. Next came Varenka, the Miss Grillo runner-up; The Mackem Bullet; Belle Laura; Concrete Rose; My Gal Betty; La Pelosa; Pakhet; Lily’s Candle; Summering; and Lady Prancealot. The also-eligible, Pivottina and Winning Envelope, did not draw into the field.
Newspaperofrecord has taken a similar path to Lady Eli so far, breaking her maiden at Saratoga and punching her Breeders’ Cup ticket in the Miss Grillo. Now three-for-three by a combined margin of 20 lengths, she has bankrolled $706,750.
Bred by Times of Wigan Ltd. In Ireland, Newspaperofrecord was purchased for 200,000 guineas as a Tattersalls October yearling. The Lope de Vega filly is out of Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Sunday Times, a daughter of Holy Roman Emperor who has also produced Group 3-placed stakes scorer Classical Times.
Brown indicated that Newspaperofrecord could be one to grace the international stage, giving fans the world over hope for 2019.
Quotes from Breeders’ Cup
Winning trainer Chad Brown: “This time, this one might be close to coming over (to Europe). We’ll see. I give credit to Mike Ryan. He’s my partner going over to look at these horses and he found her in Newmarket. My whole team; everyone put a lot of time into this horse and Irad (Ortiz Jr.) rode a beautiful race. Seth (Klarman) has been such a wonderful supporter of our stable since the very beginning.”
Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.: “I got a perfect trip. She broke good and pulled me to the lead. I just held her together and she relaxed. When I asked her, she exploded for home. It was the easiest Breeders’ Cup I ever won.”
Trainer Kevin Ryan’s son, Adam, on runner-up East: “She’s a smashing filly and from the draw (post 14) for her to pick up like she did, was absolutely fabulous. We are thrilled to bits.”
East’s jockey, Jamie Spencer: “She’s run very well from the draw that we had. She jumped from the gate and she went right, so I had no option, but to drop her out. This is only the third run in her life and next year, she could be very special.”
Jorge Abreu, trainer of third-placer Stellar Agent: “When she broke her maiden, she went 5 1/2 (furlongs), then I sent her out to a mile and a sixteenth and she ran a good race (third in the Miss Grillo). Today, it looked like at the eighth-pole, she was going to be fifth, but she came back on for third. I expected this performance from her today, hoped to be second, but I’m happy with third. This is my first time in the Breeders’ Cup. It was a very good start.”
Jockey Manny Franco on Stellar Agent: “I had a perfect trip. No trouble at all. She gave me all she had all the way to the end.”
