Breeders' Cup: Harmonious in, Blue Bunting out of Filly and Mare Turf

Shigeki Kikkawa

Harmonious is being pointed to a start in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4.

Harmonious, a two-time Grade 1 winner, will start in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4, but the three-time Group 1 winner Blue Bunting will not make the trip from Europe.

Those developments add a longshot closer to the Filly and Mare Turf, but deny the race England’s top 3-year-old filly this year.
Harmonious, 4, was third in the Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 1. She is winless in five starts this year, all graded stakes, and has never been worse than fourth for owners Marty, Pam, and Emily Wygod.

“We’ll see how things go and take a shot,” trainer John Shirreffs said.

In 2010, Harmonious won the Grade 1 American Oaks at Hollywood Park and Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland and was 10th after a rough trip in the BC Filly and Mare Turf at Churchill Downs.

Blue Bunting is finished racing for this year, according to Simon Crisford, manager of Godolphin racing. Earlier this week, Crisford indicated that Blue Bunting had not trained to expectations recently and would be given a break. Until then, Blue Bunting was a candidate for the British Champion Filly and Mare Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

Blue Bunting won the English 1000 Guineas, Irish Oaks, and Yorkshire Oaks earlier this year, before finishing sixth against males in the Group 1 St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster last month.