Joel Rosario to Ride Anshoda in Breeders' Cup; Team Valor's Hope for Juvenile Fillies Turf Triumph at Del Mar.
Hall of Fame rider Joel Rosario will team up with David Loughnane's Anshoda as she aims for Breeders' Cup success at Del Mar early next month. The daughter of Inns Of Court was bought by Team Valor and Gary Barber after she confirmed the potential of her surprising debut win at Lingfield by finishing second in the Star Stakes at Sandown. She then secured Goodwood's Group Three Prestige Stakes on her first outing for her new owners and, despite a disappointing performance at Doncaster in the May Hill, connections believe there are valid reasons for that run at Town Moor, and Anshoda is still on track to race in the United States on November 1. She is set to be Team Valor and Barber's sole contender at the season's end event, and they have chosen the experienced Rosario – a rider with multiple Breeders' Cup wins – to guide her in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. 'We have one runner in Anshoda and it's going to be a very competitive race,' said Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor, when discussing his Breeders' Cup plans. 'She ran great on soft ground at Goodwood and has performed well on good to firm ground too, but to tell the truth, I don't know what to expect. We've got Joel Rosario to ride her, which will be a plus, and I think she's a really gutsy filly.' He continued, 'In the last race at Doncaster, she ended up leading as no one else wanted to, and that's not her preferred style. She's a filly with a turn of foot and prefers to race in the middle or towards the back, and then come with a big run – but last time, it just didn't work out as we thought it would. A lot will depend on the draw and how she manages the first turn. In America, we have many tracks we call bullrings, and Del Mar, running a mile on turf, is like a bullring.'
