Close Hatches Tops Select Field of Six for Sunday’s Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster

LEXINGTON, KY (Oct. 2, 2014) – Juddmonte Farms’ Close Hatches, undefeated in four races in 2014, headlines a small but select field of six fillies and mares entered Thursday for Sunday’s 59th running of the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) at 1 1/8 miles on the main track.

The Juddmonte Spinster is a Win and You’re In race for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) to be run Oct. 31 at Santa Anita. The Juddmonte Spinster will go as the ninth race on Sunday’s 10-race program with a 5:45 p.m. ET post time.

Close Hatches will try to give Juddmonte and trainer Bill Mott a second straight Spinster victory following Emollient’s triumph last year.

Close Hatches opened her 2014 campaign with a victory in the Azeri (G2) at Oaklawn Park and followed that with Grade 1 victories in the Apple Blossom, Ogden Phipps and Personal Ensign.

Regular rider Joel Rosario has the call Sunday and will break from post position two.

Looming as the top challenger to Close Hatches is Don’t Tell Sophia, owned by trainer Philip Sims and Jerry Namy.

Third to Close Hatches in the Azeri, Don’t Tell Sophia was away from the races for nearly six months before returning to win the Locust Grove at Churchill Downs on Sept. 6. Joe Rocco Jr. has the mount Sunday and will break from post position five.

Bill Cubbedge’s Molly Morgan also enters the Juddmonte Spinster out of the Locust Grove, in which she finished second. Winner of the Fleur De Lis (G2) at Churchill Downs in June, Molly Morgan is trained by Dale Romans and will be ridden by Corey Lanerie. She will exit post position six.

Invading from overseas is Godolphin Racing’s Shuruq, a three-time Group winner in Dubai and winner of the International Istanbul Trophy (G3) in Turkey in her most recent start. Julien Leparoux has the mount Sunday and will break from post position four.

The field for the Juddmonte Spinster, from the rail out, is as follows: Ria Antonia (Paco Lopez, 121 pounds), Close Hatches (Rosario, 124), Got Lucky (Rosie Napravnik, 121), Shuruq (Leparoux, 124), Don’t Tell Sophia (Rocco Jr., 124) and Molly Morgan (Lanerie, 124).