Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf: Plenty of early speed among 15 pre-entrants
LEXINGTON, Ky. – There were no major surprises when pre-entries were revealed for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, which promises to have a full gate of 14 with its 24th running at Keeneland.
In all, 15 are pre-entered, with Dreamloper expected to run against males in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Her defection would allow the only also-eligible, Mise En Scene, into the 1 3/16-mile race. Mise En Scene, one of six 3-year-old fillies pre-entered, will indeed be on the overseas flight in anticipation of being allowed to run, according to the International Racing Bureau.
The early favorites on the Daily Racing Form line remain Nashwa (2-1) and Above the Curve (4-1), a pair of 3-year-olds based in the United Kingdom and the respective 2-3 finishers behind 41-1 shot Place du Carrousel in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera on the Oct. 2 Arc de Triomphe card at Longchamp. Among the runners next in line are a trio trained by Chad Brown, who has won a record four of the last 10 renewals of the Filly and Mare Turf: In Italian (6-1), Virginia Joy (12-1), and Rougir (15-1).
Above the Curve is trained by Joseph O’Brien, the son of Aidan O’Brien, who is represented by the Coolmore pair of 3-year-olds, Tuesday (8-1) and longshot Toy (30-1). While his father still has yet to win this race, Joseph O’Brien upset it three years ago at Santa Anita with Iridessa.
From Canada, the 3-year-old filly Moira (15-1) will breeze Saturday over the Tapeta at her Woodbine base prior to shipping out Monday, according to trainer Kevin Attard. The winner of the Queen’s Plate in August, Moira will be joined in this race by the Woodbine filly Lady Speightspeare (20-1), who is trained by Roger Attfield.
On paper, there seems to be quite a bit of speed in the Filly and Mare Turf, particularly with In Italian having led throughout in winning the one-mile First Lady at Keeneland in her final prep. Lady Speightspeare also figures up close, while Above the Curve, Virginia Joy, Saffron Beach, Toy, and the lone California entry Going to Vegas are all very handy. Course condition also figures to come into play, with rain having been scarce here in recent weeks and a firm turf the most likely scenario with dry weather predicted.
Horses bred outside the United States have swept the last six runnings of the Filly and Mare Turf, with the Brown-trained Sistercharlie (2018), an Irish-bred, and Stephanie’s Kitten (2015) being the last two North American-based runners to win it. Only five of the 14 expected for this race were bred in North America – Moira in Ontario and the other four in Kentucky.
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The Filly and Mare Turf has been contested at four different distances (1 1/8 miles, 1 3/16 miles, 1 1/4 miles, and 1 3/8 miles) since it was first run in 1999 at Gulfstream Park, with course circumference being the determining factor. The two-turn distance of 1 3/16 miles is the longest it can be run practically at Keeneland without extending it to the three-turn distance of 1 1/2 miles.
The 2021 Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar was run at 1 3/8 miles, with the Japanese filly Loves Only You prevailing in a fierce stretch battle over My Sister Nat and War Like Goddess.
As with all other Breeders’ Cup races, a final round of pre-race workouts can be expected in the coming days, particularly for American runners whose training has not been interrupted by travel and quarantine.
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