In Italian, Rougir Enter Filly & Mare turns off big wins

After a step-by-step lead to post level 1 consecutive wins, the connections of In Italy imagine to have a little difficulty picking their 4-year-old child Dubai filly, who entered the Mark Breeders’ $2 million Producers Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) on November 5 at Keeneland in top form.

Campaigned by Peter Brant and coached by Chad Brown — who will be looking for his fifth Filly & Mare Turf win — In Italian, enter the 1/3/16 mile test to score points by day October 8 in the Keeneland course. She has the clear advantage at all times under the guidance of Joel Rosario on her way to a mile-long victory in the First Lady’s mile contest presented by UK HealthCare (G1T).

While Filly & Mare Turf will be the longest test to date for Italian, she did look good in her comfort zone with a first in 1 1/8 mile Diana Stakes (G1T) on July 16 at Racecourse Saratoga. Brown said fully discovered that the front-end style helped.

“I think she’s only improved all year. She’s gotten stronger and faster,” Brown said. “She’s clearly defined her preferred style of going forward and she’s a dangerous horse. When you have a horse with high speed and they can carry it, they’re hard to beat. because they’re always ahead of you. And she just keeps going. She’s one of those rare horses.”

It’s a style of running—uncommon among top grass runners—that can put pressure on other racers in the race.

“You’re at their mercy,” Brown said of top leaders like In Italian. “If you shoot them early, you will probably perish. And if you wait too long, they will disappear. They are rare horses to train.”

When runner Brown dominated this year’s top races for female runnershe will also send Rougir a 4-year-old daughter of Territory campaigned by Brant and Michael Tabor, who won the EP Taylor Stakes (G1T) at Honeysuckle the same day that In Italian won the First Lady. Rounding out race starters for four-time Eclipse Award-winning coach Brant’s Virginia Joy who earned his ticket with victory in the Flower Bowl Stakes (G2T) on September 3 in Saratoga.

Before arriving at steady Brown’s, Rougir had won a group 1 in Europe and her North American debut saw a seventh place in 2021’s Filly & Mare Turf. she saw her short in the period with a three-length score in Beaugay Stakes (G3T) on May 14 at Belmont Park. After that race, Brown said the next three starts were disappointing, even though Rougir trained well throughout the summer. But after her EP Taylor win, where she overcame an uphill ride past five opponents in the stretch for a tight win, things are on the rise.

“It was her best race of the year,” Brown said. “She seems to be doing well in this race. She comes here and has some easy work. Maybe she’s a fallen horse.”

Brown notes Virginia Joy’s versatility in running style can help her achieve the best in the field.

Awaiting the Brown trio and other athletes from the United States will be some strong international athletes in a race that has seen three consecutive winners from abroad after Japan. Only love you won last year at Del Mar.

The runners-up second and third from the October 2 Prix de l’Opera de Longines (G1) made the trip out of that race at about 1 1/4 mile. runner-up Nashwa a 3-year-old daughter of Frankel , entered that test at Longchamp with wins from 1 group: Qatar Nassau Stakes (G1) at Goodwood and Prix de Diane de Longines (G1) at Chantilly. Nashwa is coached by John Gosden, a five-time Breeders’ Cup winner looking for his first Filly & Mare Turf score.

Prix ​​de l’Opera third place runner-up On the curve in May won the St. Mark’s Basilica Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary (G1) at Longchamp. Triple Crown winner’s half-Kentucky daughter American pharoah trained by Joseph O’Brien.

The American Pharoah, who won the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in Keeneland and is 11th on the overall sire list through October 27, is looking for his second Breeders’ Cup winner. myself as a stallion, hereafter Four-wheel drive in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Sprint ‘2019 (G2T).

This is a school for @BreedersCup Filly & Mare Turf on Saturday at #Keneland! pic.twitter.com/prKxuuC3Eh

– Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) October 31, 2022