Overseas invaders Nyaleti, Mission Impassible undeterred by QE II history

LEXINGTON, Ky. – It’s not that European fillies haven’t given the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup a try. Oh, they have. It’s just that they’ve only won twice in the 34-year history of the Grade 1 turf race at Keeneland.

Among the highly regarded fillies found wanting when making their North American debuts as 3-year-olds in the QE II were Toussaud (1992), Zenda (2002), Gorella (2005), Coquerelle (2007), Zagora (2010), and Hawksmoor (2016). Only Ryafan, in 1997, and Together, who won the 2011 QE II a week after finishing second here in the First Lady for Coolmore and trainer Aidan O’Brien, have been successful for their European connections in a race dating to 1984.

Into the breach for the 35th QE II on Saturday come a pair of Irish-breds, Nyaleti and Mission Impassible, both of whom arrived here Sunday and had their first local exercise Tuesday after clearing quarantine. They are among the eight fillies entered in the $500,000 QE II at 1 1/8 miles.

Nyaleti, unlike those Euro invaders previously listed, actually has one U.S. start under her belt, having finished a decent sixth, beaten less than three lengths, versus older horses in the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington Park in August. A close-up fifth in the interim in a Group 2 race at Goodwood, the Arch filly is back from England for trainer Mark Johnston, who sent assistant Hayley Kelly overseas in his stead.

Nyaleti “probably would have finished in the top three if she had gotten out” from traffic, Kelly said.

Mission Impassible, trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, has four wins from nine starts, all in France. The daughter of Galileo most recently was fifth in a Group 1 event at Deauville in late July.

Good as they might be, both Euro shippers are probably in tough Saturday when facing Rushing Fall, who figures as a solid favorite for the red-hot Chad Brown. The lone prior QE II win for Brown came in 2012 with Dayatthespa.

From the hedge and with jockeys, this is the QE II lineup: Nyaleti, Corey Lanerie; Princess Warrior, Brian Hernandez Jr.; Fatale Bere, Kent Desormeaux; Daddy Is a Legend, Robby Albarado; Mission Impassible, Florent Geroux; Secret Message, Jorge Vargas Jr.; Capla Temptress, Julien Leparoux; and Rushing Fall, Javier Castellano.

First post Saturday is 1:05 p.m. Eastern, with the QE II, the ninth of 10 races, set for about 5:40.

The QE II lost one of its prospective starters when Beyond Blame was diagnosed with a knee injury, one that trainer Brad Cox said will sideline the Blame filly for several months but is not career-ending.

The QE II is the sixth and last Grade 1 of the 17-day Keeneland fall meet and the last of three stakes this week, all on turf. Sunday will end the five-day week with allowance co-features, with the next stakes being the Grade 3 Sycamore on Oct. 18.