Midnight Bisou gets top billing in Breeders' Cup Distaff

ARCADIA, Calif. – A dozen fillies and mares were pre-entered in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff, but only one was pre-entered with a perfect record in 2019.

Midnight Bisou, 7 for 7 this season, figures as one of the most heavily fancied Breeders’ Cup favorites on Saturday, Nov. 2. One reason is she never loses. The other is that her main challenger Elate was cross-entered in the Distaff and the Classic, and is expected to run in the Classic.

Not that it matters to Midnight Bisou, who has defeated Elate three times this year already. But the redirection of Elate will make a difference to Distaff bettors, because the absence of a clear second choice further lowers the odds for Midnight Bisou.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2019: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, and more

Midnight Bisou opens as the 7-5 favorite on the Daily Racing Form early line. History is on her side. Favorites have won the Distaff 16 of the 35 times it has been run, 4 of the last 8, and 5 of the 9 at Santa Anita.

Furthermore, Midnight Bisou has looked super while training this month at Santa Anita for Steve Asmussen. But she is no slam dunk in the probable field of 11 starters, which includes nine Grade 1 winners and five veterans of past Breeders’ Cups.

Midnight Bisou’s main rival is an enigmatic horse-for-course in peak form. Paradise Woods scored a decisive victory last month at Santa Anita, the site of her five wins including a romp in the 2017 Santa Anita Oaks. John Shirreffs trains Paradise Woods, who is 5-1 on the DRF line and will be second favorite when Elate officially enters the Classic.

Grade 1-winning Distaff pre-entrants also include Blue Prize, repeat winner of Spinster at Keeneland; Dunbar Road, the Alabama winner at Saratoga and third in the Spinster; and Ollie’s Candy, winner of the Clement L. Hirsch at Del Mar and trying to rebound from a third behind Paradise Woods.

Pre-entrants Secret Spice, Serengeti Empress, Street Band, and Wow Cat also are Grade 1 winners. The longshots are La Force and surprise pre-entrant Mo See Cal, winner of a second-level allowance last out.

Wow Cat, Midnight Bisou, and Blue Prize finished 2-3-4 in the 2018 Distaff at Churchill Downs. La Force was eighth. Paradise Woods and Elate finished 3-4 in the 2017 Distaff at Del Mar. Serengeti Empress finished seventh in the 2018 Juvenile Fillies.

Midnight Bisou, a closer, adapts to any pace scenario. The tempo of the Distaff centers mostly on two front-runners – Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress and Mo See Cal. Paradise Woods and Secret Spice also possess speed. The 1 1/8-mile Distaff should unfold at a realistic pace.

Midnight Bisou has all but wrapped up the Eclipse Award as outstanding older filly or mare. A 4-year-old filly, she could enter Horse of the Year discussion if she wins the Distaff. Her jockey is Mike Smith, the all-time leading Breeders’ Cup rider with 26 wins, including a record five in the Distaff.

The probable field, in order of DRF odds, with riders: Midnight Bisou, Smith; Paradise Woods, Abel Cedillo; Blue Prize, Joe Bravo; Dunbar Road, Jose Ortiz; Ollie’s Candy, Joel Rosario; Secret Spice, John Velazquez; Serengeti Empress, Flavien Prat; Street Band, Sophie Doyle; Wow Cat, Irad Ortiz Jr.; Mo See Cal, unconfirmed; and La Force, Drayden Van Dyke.

Serengeti Empress, Secret Spice, and Mo See Cal are cross-entered in the Filly and Mare Sprint, but are expected in the Distaff, their first preference. Elate’s first preference is the Classic.

The Distaff is scheduled for race 10, with a 4:02 Pacific post time. The Distaff follows the BC Mile and precedes the final two BC races, the Turf and Classic.