by Frank Angst

With firm turf expected for Saturday’s $2-million Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1), trainer Jonathan Sheppard is confident champion turf female Forever Together will deliver her best.

The five-year-old Belong to Me mare is trying to become the first horse to win back-to-back editions of the Filly and Mare Turf and join Ouija Board (2004 and ‘06) as the only two-time winners.

“I’m looking forward to it but it’s going to be a very tough race with a lot of tough horses in it,” Sheppard said.

While Forever Together has won just two of five starts this year, she placed in all five despite racing on less-than-firm turf in four of those efforts. She enters off a fast-closing third-place finish in the First Lady Stakes (G1) on October 10 at Keeneland Race Course.

“I feel she was compromised by the trips in a couple of her races and she didn’t run her best race on the soft ground in her last race,” Sheppard said.

Forever Together is not the only defending Breeders’ Cup winner in the field as last year’s Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Maram enters off a third-place finish in the Pebbles Stakes on October 12 at Belmont Park.

With Darley Yorkshire Oaks (G1) winner Dar Re Mi (GB) entering the Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), the most accomplished European-based starter will be Midday (GB). This year’s Blue Square Nassau Stakes (Eng-G1) winner could give Juddmonte Farms its third homebred Filly and Mare Turf winner.

Juddmonte also will start Visit (GB), who finished third in last year’s Filly and Mare Turf and enters off a second to Magical Fantasy in the Yellow Ribbon Stakes (G1) on October 10 at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting. With three Grade 1 wins this season, Magical Fantasy is the top Southern California-based starter.

Frank Angst is senior writer for Thoroughbred Times