It’s Americans vs. Euros in Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf

The stage is set for a European-American throwdown Oct. 31 in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland. Of the 20 pre-entries, led by Win and You’re In challenge winners Stephanie’s Kitten, Watsdachances, Photo Call, and Legatissimo, there is a close split of European- and American-based runners, with the Americans outnumbering the Europeans 11-9.

With the field capped at 12 due to Keeneland having to position its starting gate for 1 3/16-mile turf races at the tail end of the race’s final turn, there are eight alternates, likely resulting in a field of seven Americans vs. five Europeans.

Per Breeders’ Cup rules for 12-horse fields, six horses were selected by the Breeders’ Cup selection committee after the four Win and You’re In qualifiers and the two top points earners in qualifying races, Hard Not to Like and Sentiero Italia. That left Dacita, Impassable, Miss France, Secret Gesture, Sharla Rae, and Queen’s Jewel as the committee’s selections.

With Impassable cross-entered for the Breeders’ Cup Mile and being selected for that race, which was listed by her connections as their first preference, that could open a spot for first alternate Bawina to draw into the Filly and Mare Turf. Or, Bawina could join Impassable in the Mile, having made that race, too, though the Mile was her declared second preference at the time of pre-entries.

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The Wertheimer brothers of France own Impassable and Bawina, and both are trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias. The Wertheimers also pre-entered Queen’s Jewel, trained by Freddie Head.

The connections of cross-entered horses must determine which race their horses are running in by midday Friday. They are not committed to their pre-entry stated preferences.

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If the connections of Impassable and Bawina stick to their initial preferences, with Impassable going in the Mile and Bawina drawing into the Filly and Mare Turf, that would leave Elektrum first in line for the Filly and Mare Turf, followed by Irish Rookie and Talamada.

The last four alternates, Stormy Lucy, Recepta, Personal Diary, and Mutatis Mutandis, seem unlikely to make the field.

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Of the six selections by the committee, perhaps the most surprising was Sharla Rae. Although a Grade 1 winner in the Del Mar Oaks, that race came against restricted 3-year-old competition. She later ran fifth in her lone stakes against mares in the Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita, finishing behind alternates Elektrum and Stormy Lucy, who ran second and third.

The Breeders’ Cup allows for two also-eligibles in each race, allowing such horses to draw into the race if a scratch is made by early next Friday morning.

John Sadler, the trainer of Elektrum, said he probably will wait until Tuesday, after final entries are taken on Monday, before deciding whether to send her from California to Keeneland. “It’s hard to ship her if she might not run,” he said.

His two other Breeder’s Cup runners, Hard Aces in the Classic and Stellar Wind in the Distaff, are to be flown to Kentucky on Sunday, he said.