Of the major preps for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), the Frizette Stakes (G1) in New York has proved the most successful prognosticator, with nine fillies capturing both events. That would indicate a push for Iron Orchard, who not only is undefeated, but recently validated her worth by selling at the Fasig-Tipton Digital Fall Flash Sale for $2.5 million.
Danny Gargan, who trained Iron Orchard for previous owners CSLR Racing Partners and R. A. Hill Stable, is continuing to condition her for Larry and Karen Doyle. The Doyles bought the daughter of Authentic in the name of their KatieRich Farms.
"She's actually doing better coming into this race than she was the last one," Gargan said. "She's fit. She's run three times—we don't have to do anything special."
KatieRich Farms previously had a second in the 2024 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) with May Day Ready, trained by Joseph Lee. The Doyles breed primarily for the sales market, however, and bred and sold such horses as eventual millionaires Instilled Regard and Lady Apple.
Iron Orchard is 3-for-3, breaking her maiden by 5 1/2 lengths at Saratoga Race Course July 3 and following that with a 6 3/4-length victory in the Aug. 22 Seeking the Ante Stakes, also at Saratoga. In both of those races, Iron Orchard set the pace.
Then came the Oct. 4 Frizette at Aqueduct Racetrack. Iron Orchard broke well and was with the pacesetters early, but then she geared back off the pace before rallying wide in the stretch to defeat Rileytole by a nose at a mile.
"She's very talented and hopefully we can get her to relax, which she did really well last time," Gargan said.
Joel Rosario has ridden Iron Orchard in all of her races and will be back aboard.
"He rides quite a bit of my horses," Gargan said. "People don't realize how good a horseman he is. He's definitely an asset to have breezing your horses every week, especially the young horses because he can teach them to relax and to finish."
Iron Maiden's primary Breeders' Cup competition will likely come from two high-profile barns: Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher. Baffert has entered Explora and Bottle of Rouge, while Pletcher will saddle Tommy Jo.
Baffert has won 19 Breeders' Cup races, including the Juvenile Fillies twice—with Indian Blessing (also a Frizette winner) in 2007 and Silverbulletday in 1998. Mike Pegram, the owner of Silverbulletday, owns Explora with Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. Baffert's wife, Jill, owns Bottle of Rouge.
Both Baffert fillies are 2-for-3 with one second. Explora won the Oct. 4 Oak Leaf Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park by 4 1/4 lengths after running second to Battle of Rouge in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1). Bottle of Rouge broke her maiden by 6 3/4 lengths in her second start and then took the Debutante.
As preps go, historically the Oak Leaf edges the Debutante. Six fillies captured the Oak Leaf and the Juvenile Fillies while five scored a Debutante/Juvenile Fillies double.
Pletcher has won 15 Breeders' Cup races, but never a Juvenile Fillies. Tommy Jo is undefeated in three starts, two of them in grade 1 stakes. She won the Aug. 30 Spinaway Stakes (G1) by 6 1/2 lengths over Percy's Bar, also entered in the Juvenile Fillies. In the Oct. 3 Alcibiades Stakes (G1), Tommy Jo finished second to Percy's Bar, who was disqualified for bumping Tommy Jo in the stretch and placed second.
Both the Alcibiades and Spinaway have yielded Juvenile Fillies winners. Six Alcibiades winners have added the Breeders' Cup, and six won the Spinaway and Breeders' Cup.
Percy's Bar, with the disqualification, has two grade 1 seconds. Prior to that she won both of her races, a maiden race at Keeneland by 4 lengths and the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs by 5 lengths. Ben Colebrook trains Percy's Bar.
Del Mar, Friday, October 31, 2025, Race 7Entries: NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Iron Orchard (NY) Joel Rosario 122 Danny Gargan 6/1 2 2Bottle of Rouge (KY) Mike E. Smith 122 Bob Baffert 9/2 3 3Meaning (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Michael W. McCarthy 15/1 4 4Percy's Bar (KY) Luan Machado 122 Ben Colebrook 9/2 5 5Tommy Jo (KY) John R. Velazquez 122 Todd A. Pletcher 7/2 6 6La Ville Lumiere (KY) Kazushi Kimura 122 Michael W. McCarthy 20/1 7 7Explora (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 122 Bob Baffert 5/2 8 8Super Corredora (KY) Hector Isaac Berrios 122 John W. Sadler 15/1 9 9La Wally (KY) Flavien Prat 122 Mark Glatt 10/1
