The Jessamine Stakes concludes the ‘win and you’re in’ concept to get into the Breeders’ Cup and the heroine of the race will be in the starting gate for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Sponsored by JP Morgan Chase, the mile and sixteenth Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland has a short and sweet history on grass. It will be renewed on Wednesday October 12. In 2014 Rainha Da Bateria was coming off a fourth in the P.G. Johnson Stakes in New York but she came from eighth of nine to win the Jessamine Stakes. Last year, Harmonize took the same route as Rainha Da Bateria with a twist of fate. Harmonize was coming off a win in the P.G. Johnson and she looped the field to get up by a neck.
This year, Majestic Bonnie fits this profile. She was game winning her debut and was a wide 4th in the P.G. Johnson.
A full field of fourteen has entered the Jessamine Stakes and it is wide open. The first two finishers of the $75,000 Happy Ticket Stakes will compete but both could be a bit out of their element. Majestic Gale was the prompt favorite in the Happy Ticket and Senora Acero was four and a half-lengths back. Both appear to be overmatched.
La Coronel is cut out to be a nice horse as she cost nearly $400,000 but it’s never simple to win a maiden race and then a Graded race next out.
Homebred Wicked Lick was beaten by Majestic Gale in her debut but flattered here by graduating last time. The concern is the apparent lack of talent and the inexperience.
Lull is the top earner in the field and she will take her share of money on the tote board. She wired a sprint field in her debut, had a valid excuse next out when she clipped heels and fell but she rebounded. In her last race the Christophe Clement student got an ideal garden trip and responded in the lane to win the $343,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies. Ridden by Brian Hernandez last time and he will be back in the saddle again. This filly has worked forwardly since her last success and she has a right to have a stellar career. Her half-brother Irsaal was stakes placed and earned over $300,000.
Sweeping Paddy will try to crash the affair. She was educated in her racing debut but took it to her foes next out. She graduated by over 12 lengths and she did it in hand. Sweeping Paddy has classy blood flowing through her veins. Her full brother Cherry Wine was Grade 1 placed and earned over $550,000.
Lipstick City may not be the prettiest filly in the world but she looked pretty good to her connections when she won at first asking at 12-1. In the prolific barn of Chad Brown, Lipstick City was game in her win but several horses were all on the line together. That can be a sign of just an ordinary race moving forward.
Tapa Tapa Tapa caught the fastest pace of her career last time and just could not keep up.
Rum Go will have to improve. She raced greenly in her debut but she graduated in game style. She has a speed pedigree on the bottom side and a turf pedigree on the top and is trained by the cagey Tom Proctor.
Divine Humor has her work cut out. She will be making her turf debut and she needed slop and a soft group to graduate.
Zero Zee could be compromised by her marooned post and she has to prove she can go this far.
Queen Del Valle is coming to the Jessamine Stakes on a three-race win streak but she started her career in a maiden claimer and could be out of her element.
For those looking for a bit of foreign flavor, they need to look no farther than the outside entrant Liberale. This youngster beat 14 rivals in her racing debut going a mile on a soft turf course in France. She tried Group 3 rivals in her last race but pushed the issue and had nothing left for the money run.
The call goes in the Jessamine Stakes goes to Lull. She has sub :45 speed. She showed she can pass horses last time and her trainer can keep horses thriving once they win. Clement is 22% the last 5 years with last-out winners.
