Flower Bowl to produce starters for Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf

A week after the Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita shed light on some of the top U.S. contenders for the Oct. 31 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, this Saturday’s Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont Park is expected to do the same – albeit under vastly different turf conditions.

Unlike the Rodeo Drive, which was run in hot weather and on a firm course, the Flower Bowl likely will be contested on yielding or soft ground, with heavy rain expected in New York leading up to Saturday’s race.

Among those in the field are the Chad Brown-trained runners Stephanie’s Kitten and Watsdachances, and the British raider Curvy. Curvy, a winner on soft ground overseas, could benefit most from the conditions. Besides her skill in handling wet going, she is a Group 2 winner and has been third and fourth in a pair of Group 1 races this summer on good turf.

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As for the Rodeo Drive, it changed the Filly and Mare Turf picture to some extent, with Photo Call pulling off an 8-1 upset and earning an expenses-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup. Runner-up Elektrum performed well considering her troubled trip. Both are expected to compete in the Breeders’ Cup.

Hard Not to Like, the favorite in the 1 1/4-mile Rodeo Drive, raced in midpack early and tired to eighth in her first race beyond 1 1/8 miles. Her trainer, Christophe Clement, said this week that no decision had been made regarding whether she will run in the Filly and Mare Turf.

This year, the race is contested at 1 3/16 miles, shorter than in the past due to the size of the Keeneland turf course.

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One filly who won’t be running is 2014 Beverly D. Stakes winner Euro Charline, who was fourth in the Beverly D. this year and later fifth behind probable Filly and Mare Turf favorite Legatissimo in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown on Sept. 12. Barry Irwin, head of the Team Valor syndicate that owns her, said Euro Charline is done for the year and will be pointed for a return next spring in Dubai.

Other races this weekend that could produce Filly and Mare Turf starters include the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland, contested at a mile, and the 1 1/4-mile Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp on Sunday.

The First Lady drew a couple of overseas shippers from the barn of Aidan O’Brien, Easter and Outstanding, as well as nine others, including top U.S. turf mares My Miss Sophia and Tepin. The connections of Tepin have said they prefer to run her against males in the Breeders’ Cup Mile if she is successful Saturday.

The Prix de l’Opera entrants appear to have more staying power than those in the First Lady, and should any of the top finishers from that race ship to Keeneland for the Breeders’ Cup, they would rank among the favorites.

The Flower Bowl and Prix de l’Opera are Win and You’re In races for the Filly and Mare Turf.