by Steve Bailey

A quick look at the pedigree of two-time Grade 3 winner Interactif might not necessarily make one think of success on the turf.

The bay Broken Vow colt out of the unraced Broad Brush mare Broad Pennant is proving with his performance on the track, however, that a grass pedigree, in some cases, takes a backseat to raw talent.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Interactif enters the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G2) off back-to-back triumphs in his only two turf starts. Interactif won the 1 1/16-mile With Anticipation Stakes (G3) on September 4 at Saratoga Race Course by 4 ¼ lengths in his grass debut and the 1 1/16-mile Bourbon Stakes (G3) on October 11 at Keeneland Race Course in his most recent start.

“He’s actually got a very good pedigree on the bottom side,” Pletcher said. “His third dam is Personal Ensign, but it doesn’t necessarily look like a turf pedigree.

“His two turf races, I thought, were really impressive. He handled firm turf at Saratoga and he handled soft turf at Keeneland. He’s very athletic and he’s got a good turn of foot.”

Interactif will cut back to a mile for the Juvenile Turf. Jockey Kent Desormeaux gets the call on the 4-to-1 morning-line favorite.

Second on the morning line at 9-to-2 is Lady Rothschild’s Group 1-placed Pounced, a chestnut Rahy colt who captured a seven-furlong turf race on August 14 at Newbury before finishing second to Siyouni in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere Grand Criterium (Fr-G1) on October 4 at Longchamp.

Trainer John Gosden said he began to target the Juvenile Turf after the colt’s maiden victory.

“I had it in the back of my mind when he broke his maiden then he went to Longchamp and ran a huge race there,” Gosden said. “This was the logical place to come.”

Other contenders include Ballydoyle’s Group 2-placed stakes winner Viscount Nelson, Godolphin’s French Group 3 winner Buzzword (GB), and the Ken McPeek-trained Bridgetown, who enters off a 1 1/2-length victory over fellow Juvenile Turf competitor Becky’s Kitten in the Summer Stakes (Can-G3) on September 19 at Woodbine.

Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times