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Jezebel’s Kitten Likely Favorite In JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes

Author: Clint Goodman
Published: Wednesday October 09, 2019
A field of 16 juvenile fillies, including Jezebel’s Kitten, will be facing off to take a graded stakes race in the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (G2) at Keeneland on Sunday. The race is an 11/16-mile turf event, and it will be the final Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series race of the 2019 season. 

The major player in the field is the 2-year-old Jezebel’s Kitten, who is trained by Brad Cox. She has only started in two races, but she won both. She won her debut at Ellis Park, and she went to Kentucky Downs, where she won by 4 3/4 lengths in the Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies Stakes. 

The jockey for Jezebel’s Kitten will be Florent Geroux, and he was also her jockey at Kentucky Downs. The Kitten’s Joy filly will be breaking from post 5 on Sunday. 

Automatic Spot in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

Whichever filly takes the JPMorgan Stakes on Sunday will be awarded an automatic spot in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at Santa Anita Park this fall. All of the pre-entry and entry fees will be paid, and the nominating person will receive an award of $10,000. 

All of the Breeders’ Cup starters based outside of the state of California will get a travel allowance of $10,000 if based in North America. If they are based internationally, they will receive $40,000. 

Jezebel’s Kitten will most likely be the favorite on Sunday. She crushed the field in the Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Kentucky Downs in her last race, and the pair of Cox and Geroux have many wins together. 

The Rest of the Field

The rest of the fillies in the field are Morning Gold, Envied, Fujariah, Indochine, Sweet Melania, Takeitback, Witez, Diamond Sparkles, Soothsaying, Swanage, High on Gin, Eye of a Soldier, and Ask Bailey. Lemon Scat and Hollee Peach are also eligible to run. 

The Kenny McPeek-trained Morning Gold had trouble in her last race on dirt, the Pocahontas Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. Before that, she had a maiden special weight win at Saratoga. That race was the same distance as the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes. She should be prepared for the race on Sunday.

Trainer Chad Brown will be represented by War Front filly Indochine on Sunday. She finished third on debut at Saratoga after going 5 1/2 furlongs, and she did even better in her next start at Belmont Park, where she won after running a mile. The impressive jockey John Velazquez will be on board after also joining her in the maiden win. 

The Todd Pletcher-trained Sweet Melania has been performing well, and she broke her maiden two starts ago at Saratoga. She finished that race 1 1/4 lengths ahead before moving on to finish second in the P.G. Johnson Stakes. She has experience running on turf, and her recent solid performances set her up nicely for Sunday. 

Diamond Sparks made her North American debut in the Natalma Stakes (G1) at Woodbine in what was her most recent run. She finished fourth in that race, and the impressed trainer Mark Casse believes that she will perform better in this race. 

One of the fillies to watch will be High on Gin. She only has two career starts, with each of them having her at high odds, but she won both. She now comes into Sunday at 11/1 odds, and her debut win was at the Evangeline Downs dirt. 

After that, she went on to win the Happy Tickets Stakes at 23/1 odds on the turf track at Louisiana Downs. She will be looking to pull off an upset yet again on Sunday. 

The JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes is set to be an exciting race on Sunday. The favorite, Jezebel’s Kitten, will face some tough company in the field of 16 impressive fillies.