Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf: Not enough spots for all contenders

Even with last weekend’s Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup and Grade 1 E.P. Taylor generating only a few possible starters for the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar, an oversubscribed field is expected when pre-entries are announced next week.

As many as 19 fillies and mares are being considered for the race, according to Breeders’ Cup officials, with seven of those – Dacita, Zipessa, Avenge, War Flag, Birdie Gold, Hydrangea, and Rhododendron – having fees-paid berths by virtue of winning a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race.

Almost all of those Challenge winners are expected to run, with the most likely defector being Hydrangea, who is expected to run Saturday in the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes at Ascot for trainer Aiden O’Brien. O’Brien also trains Rhododendron and Roly Poly, two other runners under consideration for the Filly and Mare Turf who were entered but not confirmed to run in Champions Day races as of Wednesday.

The winners of the Queen Elizabeth II and E.P. Taylor stakes – La Coronel and Blond Me – have been ruled out of the Breeders’ Cup, with La Coronel being aimed for a 4-year-old campaign and Blond Me being targeted for a race in Hong Kong later this year.

The best-performing runner from last weekend likely to be pre-entered in the Filly and Mare Turf is E.P. Taylor runner-up Kitten’s Roar, with Nezwaah, who ran fifth over softer ground than she prefers, also possible for the race.

Wuheida could pre-enter the Breeders’ Cup if she continues to bounce back from a bruised foot that necessitated her withdrawal from the QE II.

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Lady Eli, unraced since winning the Ballston Spa on Aug. 26 at Saratoga, has maintained a steady work pattern as she heads into the Breeders’ Cup. She breezed five furlongs on turf at Belmont Park in 1:01.40 on Sunday.

Other possible contenders turning in works this week include Birdie Gold, who went five furlongs on dirt in 1:00.40 on Monday at Santa Anita, and Goodyearforroses, who breezed five-eighths on dirt there Tuesday.

The maximum field size for the Filly and Mare Turf is 14, so the Breeders’ Cup selection committee will play a large role in determining the field. It will select seven horses to start who are not Challenge race winners or leading points earners, and then establish a pecking order among alternates.

This procedure, as well as the depth and quality of the European horses being pointed toward the race, leaves American horses such as Goodyearforroses and Kitten’s Roar on the bubble.

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