Canadian invader My Gal Betty leads Keeneland's Jessamine Stakes

William Werner’s My Gal Betty, fresh off a runner-up effort as the favorite in the Natalma (G1) at Woodbine on Sept. 16, heads a field of 14 2-year-old fillies and two also-eligibles entered Friday for Wednesday’s 28th running of the Grade 2, $200,000 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine.

Run at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine is the last of 10 Breeders’ Cup Challenge races this meet that provides the winner a fee-paid berth into the World Championships Nov. 2-3 at Churchill Downs. Wednesday’s winner will punch her ticket to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at a mile on Nov. 2.

Wednesday’s race will go as the seventh on the eight-race program with a 4:24 p.m. ET post time. First post time Wednesday is 1:05 p.m.

Trained by Roger Attfield, My Gal Betty won her first two on starts on Woodbine’s all-weather surface and on her first turf try won the Catch a Glimpse going six furlongs. The Natalma was run at a mile.

Javier Castellano will have the mount Wednesday and break from post position 13.

Looming as the main challenger to My Gal Betty is Fierce Scarlett, runaway winner of a 1 1/16-mile turf maiden test at Belmont in her previous start.

Trained by Chad Brown, who won the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine in 2013 with Kitten Kaboodle and last year with Rushing Fall, Fierce Scarlett is owned by the partnership of Long Lake Stable, Madaket Stables, Thomas Coleman and Doheny Racing Stable.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount on Fierce Scarlett and will break from post position 10.

The field for the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine, with riders and weight from the inside, is: Lucky Girasol (Agustin Gomez, 118 pounds), Zalia (Shaun Bridgmohan, 118), Speedy Solution (Jose Ortiz, 118), Concrete Rose (Jose Lezcano, 118), Lightscameraaction (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Pakhet (John Velazquez, 118), Princesa Carolina (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118), City Diva (Florent Geroux, 118), Moravia (GB) (Manny Franco, 118), Fierce Scarlett (I. Ortiz Jr., 118), Irish Willow (Robby Albarado, 118), Espresso Shot (Flavien Prat, 118), My Gal Betty (Castellano, 118) and Monkeys Uncle (Julien Leparoux, 118). Also-Eligibles: No Mo Temper (Geroux, 118) and Belle Laura (Leparoux, 118).