Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) – Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner
Take Charge Brandi is back home at Churchill Downs and is a possible starter
for an upcoming stakes at the historic track.
Trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas for Willis Horton, Take Charge Brandi
is being considered for the $200,000 Golden Rod Stakes on Saturday, Nov. 29.
“She came out of the Breeders’ Cup great,” Lukas said. “She’s back here
training and I’ll say she’s possible for the Golden Rod at this point. We’ve
still got a couple weeks to make a decision, but she’ll definitely be
nominated.”
Take Charge Brandi set the pace from the start and rolled to victory in the
$2 million Juvenile Fillies to begin the second day of the 31st World
Championships at Santa Anita Park.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Take Charge Brandi was sent off as a 61-1 longshot
in the 12-horse field of 2-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles. Take Charge
Brandi took the lead out of the gate and set the pace the entire way.
The longshot posted a half-length win over 5-1 fourth choice Top Decile with
15-1 longshot Wonder Gal getting third and Feathered, 13-1, fourth. Angela
Renee, the 3-1 favorite, finished 10th more than 13 lengths behind the winner.
The time for the Juvenile Fillies was 1:41.95 on a fast track.
Take Charge Brandi, who returned $125.40 for the win, earned $1.1 million as
she registered her second victory from six starts. The 2-year-old has banked
$1,170,126.
“I think she definitely proved she should be in the conversation from her
Breeders’ Cup performance,” Lukas said about possible champion 2-year-old
filly honors. “Will it be enough? I’m not sure. If we decide to go to the
Golden Rod with her and win, it obviously helps our chances.”
Take Charge Brandi broke her maiden in her debut at Churchill Downs in June.
She was second at Saratoga in the Schuylerville and fifth in the Adirondack
Stakes. The filly followed with a fifth in the Pocahontas at Churchill and was
eighth in Keeneland’s Alcibiades.
