Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf

BREEDERS' CUP SATURDAY

PREVIEWS

BREEDERS' CUP FILLY & MARE TURF

(G1), 5TH-SA, $2,000,000, 3YO/UP, F/M, 1 1/4MT, 3:43PM, 11-2

Saturday's 15th renewal of the Filly & Mare Turf revolves around two key

questions: will LAUGHING really be allowed to commit highway robbery for the

fourth straight time, and will DANK duplicate her stunning victory in the

Beverly D.?

Although either outcome would be logical, we're inclined to go in a different

direction. Precisely because Laughing looms as the lone front runner on paper,

her rivals ought to be alive to the danger, and ready to employ counter-methods.

And as explosive as Dank was at Arlington, that performance surpassed anything

she'd done before in Europe, so it wouldn't be a surprise if she comes back to

earth a bit here.

1ST -- French-based ROMANTICA, a Juddmonte Farms homebred out of 2001 Filly &

Mare Turf star Banks Hill, checks all of the proverbial boxes: a 10-furlong

specialist who loves quick conditions, brings a high level of European form, and

can stalk and pounce.

Trained by the masterful Andre Fabre, who also conditioned Banks Hill,

Romantica has an arguably stronger European resume than Dank. The Galileo filly

captured the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville two starts back, comfortably

defeating a high-class rival in Dalkala. Romantica was likewise more

accomplished than Dank as a sophomore. After finishing second to Ridasiyna in

last season's Prix Chloe, Romantica emphatically turned the tables on that Group

1-winning foe in the Prix de la Nonette.

Both of those major victories came at about this distance. Indeed, Romantica

is three-for-four at 1 1/4 miles, including a score in the April 29 Prix Allez

France at Chantilly, where she toted the co-top weight of 128 pounds.

Romantica is a model of consistency, as her 10-4-2-2 record attests. She

turned in her only unplaced efforts in the past two runnings of the 1 1/2-mile

Prix Vermeille, both on unsuitably soft ground. Seventh in the September 15

renewal last time out, Romantica was beaten 10 lengths by Treve -- no disgrace

considering how Treve went on to manhandle the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe field.

Back on much better turf and at her preferred distance here, Romantica has

plenty of appeal at 6-1 on the morning line. Regular rider Maxime Guyon will try

to work out a sensible trip, without getting buried, from post 2.

2ND -- DANK is the one to beat if she's able to deliver another jaw-dropping

effort for Sir Michael Stoute, who trained Islington to a 2003 Filly & Mare Turf

victory here at Santa Anita.

By Dansili (a full brother to Banks Hill and also the sire of Laughing), Dank

was useful at three, when her highlight was a victory in the Atalanta.

But she has improved markedly as a four-year-old. Three-for-four this campaign,

Dank outdueled Chigun in the May 5 Dahlia, placed a grinding third in the

one-mile Duke of Cambridge at Royal Ascot, and easily landed the July 21 Kilboy

Estate on her return to nine furlongs.

The August 17 Beverly D. marked her first attempt beyond that trip, and she

looked better than ever. Slamming MARKETING MIX and drawing off by 4 1/4

lengths, Dank nearly broke the Arlington course record in by far her biggest

career win. She has been freshened since then with an eye toward this race. She

has a potentially tricky draw in post 1, and in light of The Fugue's desperate

hard-luck story on the inside last year, stable rider Ryan Moore will probably

have to extricate her from a pocket.

3RD -- MARKETING MIX, last year's Filly & Mare Turf runner-up, hasn't been

seen to best effect in her last pair. But her crafty connections -- trainer Tom

Proctor and Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens -- can engineer a turnaround.

While Marketing Mix was no match for Dank when fourth in the Beverly D., that

wasn't a fair reflection of her ability. She was cutting back substantially in

trip from her good-looking score over males in the 1 1/2-mile Sunset Handicap,

and simply lacked her typical finishing speed in the circumstances.

Marketing Mix did much better next time in her title defense in the September

28 Rodeo Drive over this course and distance. Yet unlike last year, when a hot

pace played right into her hands, this time the Rodeo Drive turned into a

sit-and-sprint. A dash to the wire like that will favor one with a superior turn

of foot, and TIZ FLIRTATIOUS just outkicked Marketing Mix in a bang-bang finish.

That was reminiscent of how she lost the 2012 Filly & Mare Turf, thanks to the

late zip of Zagora.

If Marketing Mix is content to let Laughing try to steal it, or if she moves

in tandem with the likes of Romantica, Dank and Tiz Flirtatious, she'll get

outkicked again. But given her cruising speed and proven stamina, Stevens might

well take the initiative, make an early move on Marketing Mix, take the sting

out of the closers, and dare them to run her down.

OTHERS -- There's precious little to choose between TIZ FLIRTATIOUS and

Marketing Mix, as evidenced by their trading narrow decisions in the May 27

Gamely and the Rodeo Drive. Tiz Flirtatious has such a ferocious late kick off a

slow pace that she stands to benefit most if the Filly & Mare Turf serves up

another early crawl.

LAUGHING was the subject of a developing story on Friday, as she didn't ship

well, and it's highly questionable if she can turn in a top effort in her

presumed condition. The Alan Goldberg trainee isn't a need-the-lead type, but if she keeps being given it on a

silver platter, she takes it. She capitalized on the

notorious speed bias at Saratoga in both the Diana and the Ballston Spa, then

lulled her rivals to sleep through pedestrian fractions in Belmont's Flower Bowl

Invitational. The Flower Bowl has historically been the most significant prep

for this race, and the form was boosted when runner-up Tannery (Laughing's

stablemate) came back to win Sunday's E.P. Taylor.

QUSHCHI ran a mighty race to get up for fourth in the Flower Bowl, especially

considering her ground loss (she ran 44 feet farther than Laughing, according to

Trakus). A smashing winner of the Waya two starts back, she has bomb potential

for Graham Motion, who sent out Shared Account to stun the 2010 Filly & Mare

Turf. Shared Account was coming off a fifth in the Flower Bowl.

Three-year-olds ALTERITE, EMOLLIENT and KITTEN'S DUMPLINGS look up against it

on form. With Emollient being a fellow Juddmonte homebred with a smattering of

speed when required (as in the Ashland), she could use it to keep Laughing

honest for Romantica. LADY OF SHAMROCK would do well to match her fifth here

last year.