La Force to have career bow in BC Distaff

ARCADIA, Calif. – Longshot late-runner La Force, who upset Paradise Woods this spring in the Grade 2 Santa Maria at Santa Anita, is a surprising addition to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff field.

Trainer Paddy Gallagher confirmed Sunday morning 5-year-old La Force will be pre-entered in the Distaff, which could be the final start of her career. La Force, 3 for 28 with earnings of $599,151, is entered in the Fasig-Tipton November sale on Nov. 5.

“She’s in the sale in Kentucky, we’re here, and the owners want to enjoy the races and take a shot,” Gallagher said. La Force’s owners are Roberta and Ward Williford, and Chuck Winner.

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The 2019 Distaff will be the third Breeders’ Cup appearance for La Force, a German-bred who raced three times in Italy before arriving in the U.S. She placed in a minor stakes in her U.S. debut, followed by a seventh-place finish in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

La Force moved from turf to dirt in late 2017, and the following year improved significantly. She finished second in three successive Grade 1 races in 2018, prior to finishing eighth in the BC Distaff at Churchill Downs.

In June at Santa Anita, La Force won her first and only graded stakes, an upset victory over Paradise Woods in the Grade 2 Santa Maria. Last time out, La Force finished fourth in the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes.

Drayden Van Dyke, regular rider for La Force, will ride her in the Distaff according to Gallagher.

As of Sunday morning, the prospective Distaff field lines up like this, in approximate odds order: Midnight Bisou, Paradise Woods, Blue Prize, Street Band, Serengeti Empress, Secret Spice, Ollie’s Candy, Dunbar Road, and La Force. Elate could cross-enter, but is expected to start in the BC Classic. The status of She’s a Julie and Wow Cat is undetermined.