Horse Racing Betting - Which way will Panty Raid go?

Three-year-old Panty Raid earned an automatic bid to the Breeders' Cup Distaff by winning Sunday's $540,000 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes at Keeneland, but that doesn't mean the Todd Pletcher-trained filly will enter that race, if any, at Monmouth Park in late October.

Pletcher said Panty Raid also was a possibility for the BC Filly and Mare Turf - provided she's ready for either.

"The filly will tell us if she wants to come back in 20 days,"Pletcher said. He is waiting to see how his horse recovers after the tough race in 91-degree heat.

With Garrett Gomez aboard, Panty Raid ($8.20) trailed four horses at the three-quarter pole, including 2-1 favorite Lady Joanne, who had led most of the way.
However, Panty Raid took a half-length lead as the two horses began the stretch run, and she didn't give it up.

Gomez was riding Panty Raid for the first time, and it was a measure of revenge for Panty Raid. The last time she had met Lady Joanne, in the Alabama Stakes on Aug. 18 at Saratoga, Panty Raid was soundly beaten by Lady Joanne and finished fifth.Panty Raid, bred in Kentucky by Heaven Trees Farm, has now won four races this year, three of them graded stakes. The dark bay filly has done no worse than second in six of eight career starts and has earned more than $1 million.

"She ran a big race,"Pletcher said. "Obviously there were some high-quality fillies in there. It was a big performance. Just shows her versatility."

Panty Raid, the daughter of Include, is a Grade I winner on turf (Hollywood's American Oaks) and Polytrack (Spinster) and a Grade II winner on dirt (Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico). So that gives her options at the Breeders' Cup: the $2 million Distaff at the Spinster distance of 1 1/8 miles on dirt, or the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf at 1 3/8 miles?

"She's obviously extremely talented and a diverse filly,"Pletcher said. "I just don't know what surface she's best on. She might be just as good on all of them."

Incidentally, Lady Joanne will be among the Distaff favorites.

John Greathouse, one of four brothers who are partners on the Central Kentucky farm, bought Panty Raid for $275,000 at Keeneland's 2-year-old sale in 2006.