Hard To Justify digs deep for Santa Anita glory

Neil Morrice
November 3, 2023 10:57 pm

Porta Fortuna just held in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Hard To Justify was a tough winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf for Flavien Prat and Chad Brown.

The bay came into the race with two races and two victories under her belt and showed a great will to win when when surrounded by horses during the turn for home.

She put her head down in the home straight and pushed through in the middle to retain her unbeaten record.

European trainers provided plenty of interest in the mile contest with Simon and Ed Crisford’s Carla’s Way well fancied after her Rockfel Stakes win, with Aidan O’Brien fielding Content and his son Donnacha sending his Cheveley Park winner Porta Fortuna.

It was the last-named filly who fared best of the raiders, with jockey Oisin Murphy going for a run up the inside rail in the straight before eventually having to settle for second.

Murphy felt the race had not gone in his mount’s favour and said: “I was unhappy with the pace. They went very steady and I would have liked to find more space down the inner where it got a bit congested.”

Content finished with a flourish in fourth having been sat near the rear of the field, but Carla’s Way was unplaced after racing on the outside of the pack and dropping away in the straight.

James Doyle rode Carla’s Way and thought the filly failed to produce her best effort.

He said: “She jumped like her usual self but was keen all the way down the back. On the bend she lugged out and I feel we can draw a line through it.”