Sickness won't keep Abel Tasman out of BC Distaff

ARCADIA, Calif. – A blood test revealed that Abel Tasman was dealing with an illness when she finished fifth as the 1-10 favorite in the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita last Sunday.

The champion 3-year-old filly of 2017, Abel Tasman remains on schedule for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3, trainer Bob Baffert said.

“She’s fighting something off,” Baffert said on Wednesday. “She had a legitimate excuse. She’ll be all right.”

Abel Tasman won two Grade 1 races in New York this year – the Ogden Phipps Stakes at Belmont Park in June and the Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga in August. Those races secured Abel Tasman a fees-paid berth in the BC Distaff.

Baffert’s stable has been dealing with a virus in recent weeks that has led some runners to be scratched from stakes. Baffert said he does not plan to start the star sprint mare Marley’s Freedom in Sunday’s Grade 3 L.A. Woman Stakes at Santa Anita. The winner of the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 25, Marley’s Freedom will have her next start in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 3, where she is rated as a leading contender.

“I don’t want to stress my horses out,” Baffert said.