BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Sent to the gate as a 100-1 longshot in her first career start, Florida-bred Ground Support is now on her way to the John Deere Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (Grade 1) at Del Mar Friday with an undefeated record in two starts. Trained by Kelsey Danner for Art Neuhedel, John Ballantyne and Daryl Shaw’s NBS Stable, Ground Support has drawn post 11 in the field 13 fillies who will go mile on the turf for a purse of $1 million.
“I couldn’t believe her long odds before the race,” Danner said. “She had breezed several five-eighths and had several bullets before that. Her gate breeze was really nice. She has a good pedigree and we kept talking about how long the odds were. We thought she was a nice filly and she obviously did everything right first time out.”
After breaking a step slow from post one in her first start, a one-mile maiden special weight at Kentucky Downs on Aug. 30, Ground Support was kept close to the pace on the inside by jockey Adam Beschizza. She found a seem on the rail approaching the eighth pole then kicked clear to win by a length.
In her second start in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo during the Belmont at Big A meet on Oct. 4, Ground support was more determined from the start. She and Beschizza broke well from post three then led at every point of call to win by two lengths-again discounted at odds of 12-1.
“That was stakes company and there were a couple of fillies in there that were a little more accomplished, so I kinda got that,” Danner said referring to the odds in the Miss Grillo.
“She had trained really well out of her maiden win and I always think that’s a good sign with fillies when after a race they get bigger and stronger and start to do better,” Danner said. “You always hope that they continue to improve and she obviously did.”
With Ground Support breaking from the farther out Friday, Danner said she and Beschizza, who gets the return mount Friday, are not set on a strategy.
“I’m not sure what the strategy will be. We have an outside post,” Danner said. “There’s a couple of horses in the middle that should have some speed, so we’ll kind of have to play the break. She can rate, she doesn’t have to be on the lead.”
Regardless of where she finds herself after the break, Danner is confident she will make a good showing.
“She’s pretty competitive. She does like to be in front, she’s a pretty tough filly.
“She’s traveled very well. Her coat looks good, she’s carrying really good flesh right now.”
Ground Support is by Army Mule out of Arch mare Arch Support, who was second in the 2010 Miss Grillo (G3). Bred in Florida by Champion Equine LLC, Ground Support has earned $164,000 in her two starts and is 15-1 on the morning line of the Juvenile Fillies.
Ground Support was consigned to the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company March Sale by Tom McCrocklin, but did not meet her reserve. McCrocklin then consigned her to the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale of 2-year-olds in training in May where NBS Stable/John Ballantyne purchased her for $80,000.
“I looked at her at the March Sale and liked her but I didn’t go to the Maryland Sale,” Danner said. “She was a nice filly when I saw her. She’s grown a lot since then.”
2025 Breeders’ Cup Florida-bred Contenders
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