More Than Ready can increase his Breeders’ Cup honour-roll to four on Friday when British raider Nemoralia runs in the G1 Juvenile Fillies Turf (1600m) at Keeneland.
The race will start at 7.50am on Saturday (AEDT).
Nemoralia will go postward for the $1 million event as one of the main chances with Joel Rosario aboard. She has drawn a middle gate alongside $4.50 pre-post favourite Harmonize (Scat Daddy).
The Kentucky bred filly won at Kempton Park and Doncaster with such authority during a summer campaign that trainer Jeremy Noseda activated her qualification for the USA Championships.
Sent to New York, she made headway in the straight when second to highly-regarded Nickname in the G1 Frizette Stakes on October 3. “She ran huge that day,” Noseda said. “The filly has worked well since and I feel she is in a good place approaching Friday.”
Nemoralia (2f More Than Ready – Alina by Came Home) worked 800m under restraint at Keeneland last Sunday in 51.60s. “We are keeping fingers crossed regarding the weather,” Noseda added. “There’s rain forecast and it could be run on soft ground which wouldn’t be totally ideal.”
Noseda won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with Wilko in 2004 and More Than Ready has already tasted success in the Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2010 with More Than Real. His other Breeders’ Cup winners were Pluck in the 2010 Juvenile Turf and Regally Ready in the 2011 Turf Sprint.
With 12 Breeders’ Cup starters to date, More Than Ready has had 10 of them finish in the Top 5 earning in excess of $2.12 million.
Nemoralia is from Louisiana stakes winner Alina and she sold for $120,000 as a foal at the 2013 Keeneland November Sale to a partnership comprising Terry Allan, James Lovat and Charles Pigram.
More Than Ready also has Tom’s Ready listed as second emergency for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He finished fifth in the G1 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga and followed up with an impressive victory at Churchill Downs on September 26.
The Vinery champion’s influence on a global scale will be felt from Keeneland to Flemington this Saturday. He has three stakes winning chances on the first day of the Melbourne Cup carnival – Montauk (G3 Carbine Club Stakes), Ready For Victory (G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes) and Knoydart (G2 Salinger Stakes).
