nov 2 - ouija catches the eye

Dancing Edie: - Trainer Craig Dollase, still the youngest trainer to win a Breeders' Cup championship race, with Reraise in the 1998 Sprint, seems more than eager to watch the 4yo Cal-bred daughter of Moscow Ballet race to the lead in Saturday's Filly & Mare Turf.

The filly galloped 1 ¼ m on the wet Churchill Downs surface Thursday morning in her first serious introduction to the track, following Wednesday's jog over the sloppy track. Dollase said the filly would gallop the track again on Friday.

The trainer was ecstatic about drawing the No. 1 post in the race, saying, "That gives us the shortest way around. She's a natural speed horse and should get to the lead from the rail. We'll see if she can take them wire to wire."

Film Maker: - Film Maker galloped 1 3/8 m on the Churchill Downs turf course with Lisa Davidson aboard Thursday morning. The 6yo mare will be making her third straight appearance in the Filly & Mare Turf on Saturday.

The daughter of Dynaformer's only start over the Churchill turf was an eighth-place finish in the 2003 Mrs. Revere Stakes that followed her upset triumph in the Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup II at Keeneland.

"That was the worst race of her career. The turf course was absolutely bottomless," recalled Motion, whose filly raced five-wide from her outside post. "She handles it when the turf is a little yielding, but that day the turf was a disaster."

Film Maker, who finished third last year at Belmont and second at Lone Star in her two tries at the Filly & Mare Turf, will be retired following her 2006 campaign, which could possibly include a finale in the Hong Kong Vase.

"We were considering retiring her last year, but she was doing so well at the time that we decided to give her another chance to win the Breeders' Cup (Filly & Mare Turf)," Motion said.

Germance: - The Kentucky-bred filly, who has won four of six starts this year, cantered on the main track Thursday morning. She's been in the U.S. since finishing fourth in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland on Oct. 14.

Bertrand Lacroix, assistant to trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, said the filly has settled in well at Churchill Downs.

"Everything is fine," Lacroix said. "Today she just cantered, but we let her open gallop for three furlongs. She's doing well."

The daughter of Silver Hawk, who took her Group I turf win in the Prix Saint-Alary at Longchamp in May, had trouble at the start of the Keeneland race and never recovered, finishing nearly three lengths behind the winner, Vacare.

Rouget, who has not saddled a Breeders' Cup starter since he sent out Millkorn to run 13th in the 1994 Classic at Churchill Downs, has given the mount to Christophe Soumillon, who rides for the first time.

Rouget is not expected to be on hand to saddle Germance Saturday.

Honey Ryder: - A winner of four of six starts this season, the 5yo Lasting Approval mare continues to thrive at Churchill Downs. "Her only losses this year were to Gorella and Wend," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "If you look at her record, you see that she is a very consistent filly. She earned her way here, and that's all you want from these horses for these races; that they come in here with the chance to run their best."

Mauralakana - Mauralakana, the 15-1 Patrick Biancone trainee, galloped 1 ½ m Thursday at Keeneland, where she is going to stay until Friday morning.

All Breeders' Cup starters must be on the grounds of the host track by noon Friday.

Biancone originally was going to ship his four Cup starters - the others include Mile favorite Gorella, Asi Siempre and Her Majesty - to Churchill Downs Thursday afternoon.

"I changed my mind," he said. "The track here (all-weather Polytrack) is much better. It's too slippery over there."

My Typhoon: - Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said two questions face My Typhoon in the Filly & Mare Turf Saturday: the distance and her disposition.

The Live Oak Plantation filly has won six of 14 starts, but has never been in a race at the 1 3/8 m distance of the Filly & Mare Turf. She has one victory at 1 1/8m.

"She has been a nice filly from the beginning, however I feel she has progressed nicely from two to three, and now three to four she has become a little bit more professional," Mott said.

"She's always been a little hot-blooded and a little anxious, wants to get on the bridle a little bit. It's not always a guarantee that she's going to relax well enough in a race, particularly at this distance.

"She has gotten better. She's matured well. Hopefully she'll switch off for the first part of the races, but there is no guarantee that she is going to do that."

My Typhoon, who has won both of her turf starts at Churchill Downs, jogged and galloped a total of two miles Thursday.

Ouija Board: - The 8-5 morning line favorite for the Filly & Mare Turf took to the grass Thursday and was caught by the clockers covering 3 f in 44 flat. On a crisp fall morning, her obvious well-being caught the eye.

Trainer Ed Dunlop says it's no surprise.

"She has a great attitude," he said. "She flourishes wherever she goes and puts on weight whenever she goes abroad. I'm lucky my owner decided to keep her in training after she was injured at York last year. To be able to come once (to the Breeders' Cup) is a thrill, now we're here for a third time having won once and been second last year, and we want to win it again.

"There has been a lot of questions about the amount of racing she has had this year, but Ouija Board's a freak. She takes her racing well and looks after herself at home. She'll give her best (on Saturday), I hope.

"It's been well-documented this is her last year - she goes to Kingmambo - and hopefully she'll go from here to Japan and then Hong Kong before retirement. It's been a great story and I'll certainly never have another one like her."

Quiet Royal: - Although jockey Olivier Peslier had won the Filly & Mare Turf before with Banks Hill at Belmont Park in 2001, trainer Todd Pletcher had a more practical reason for naming him to ride this 3yo Royal Academy filly.

"Olivier is the contract rider for Wertheimer Farm over in France, and they decided they wanted their contract rider to ride in the Breeders' Cup," said Pletcher, who jogged the filly Thursday morning.

Satwa Queen: - The 4yo French-bred filly, second in the Prix de l'Opera on Oct. 1, galloped on the main track accompanied by a pony Thursday morning.

"She looked a little lost yesterday when she was out there alone," said trainer Jean de Roualle, "and the pony helped today."

The daughter of Muhtathir will be the first Breeders' Cup starter for de Roualle.

"You have to have a lot of luck to get a horse good enough for the Breeders' Cup," he said. "It's something special to be here."

De Roualle said he was hoping for more rain, but didn't think he would get it.

"The softer the better for her," he said. "But I think she's coming to the race well. She acts more experienced since she raced in Dubai earlier this year, and that has helped her coming here."

Satwa Queen finished second in both her starts at Nad al Sheba in January and February. She was rested until she returned to the races in August to win at Deauville.

"Her draw (post nine) is not the best," the trainer said. "But my jockey (Thierry Thulliez) knows the filly, and he knows how to win a Breeders' Cup race.

"I've done my job, now he has to do his."

Thulliez won the 2002 Mile aboard Domedriver at Arlington Park.

Wait a While: - Riding a four-race winning streak, the 3yo Maria's Mon filly has been dominating during this span. But Saturday will mark her first start at 1 3/8 m.

"It's a concern, but I don't think it is a major concern," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "She has handled shipping, different surfaces and a brief layoff. She has raced and trained like she should handle the distance."

She was to school in the paddock later Thursday.