Lady Eli, Sunset Glow Meet Again in Appalachian

Sheep Pond Partners’ Lady Eli, and Ten Broeck Farm’s Sunset Glow, the 1-2 finishers in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1), top a field of seven 3-year-old fillies entered today for Sunday’s 27th running of the $125,000 Appalachian (G3) Presented by Japan Racing Association.

The Appalachian, run at a mile on the turf, is scheduled as the fifth race Sunday with a 3:09 p.m. post time. First post time Sunday is 1:05 p.m.

Trained by Chad Brown, who saddled Dayatthespa to win the 2012 Appalachian, Lady Eli is undefeated in three starts. In addition to the Breeders’ Cup triumph, Lady Eli won the Miss Grillo (G3) in September at Belmont Park.

Irad Ortiz Jr., who has ridden Lady Eli in all of her races, has the call Sunday and will break from post position six in her 2015 debut.

Joel Rosario will be aboard Sunset Glow for the first time when she tries to reverse the 2¾-length setback in the Breeders’ Cup. She will break from post position four.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Sunset Glow won the Del Mar Debutante (G1) and Sorrento (G2) last summer on Polytrack, broke her maiden on grass at Belmont Park in her second start and finished second in a field of 21 in the Albany (G3) at Ascot last June.

The field for the Appalachian, from the inside out, is as follows: Tiger Ride (Javier Castellano, 118 pounds), Miss Temple City (John Velazquez, 118), Urtheoneeyelove (Julien Leparoux, 118), Sunset Glow (Rosario, 118), Late Spring (Joe Bravo, 118), Lady Eli (Ortiz Jr., 123) and Mizz Money (Francisco Torres, 118).

Source: Keeneland Association