Speightstown, the nation’s leading sire of Grade 1 winners and horses, has a pair of entries in this year’s Nov. 6-7 Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland.
On Friday’s card Union Gables was unfortunate to draw post 13 of 14 in the one-mile, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1), which is race 9 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Union Gables was beaten less than a length last time out in the Matron S. (G3) by the well-regarded Tiznow filly Royal Approval. Bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Union Gables is the first foal out of Tonasah, who herself was third in the Matron and second in the Adirondack S. (G2).
Union Gables races for GMP Stables LLC and F Bellavia LLC and is trained by Todd Pletcher. She’ll be ridden Friday by Jose Ortiz.
On Saturday, Echo Town fared better at the draw for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) in the field of 13 after the scratch of Vekoma. Echo Town proved his Grade 1 quality with a 3 1/2-length win in this year’s H. Allen Jerkens S. (G1). The 3-year-old owned by L and N Racing LLC has finished worse than third only once in nine starts and has banked $410,020.
Echo Town was bred by Betz et al and is a half-brother to Gotham S. (G3) winner J Boys Echo. He’ll have Rafael Santana, Jr. aboard for Saturday’s 8th race, which runs at 2:36 p.m.
Speightstown, who won the Sprint as a 6-year-old, is the sire of 2016 Dirt Mile (G1) winner Tamakruz and last year’s Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) winner Sharing.
