Xigera will skip BC Distaff, point to Mother Goose instead

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - After flirting with the idea of going to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, the connections of Xigera ultimately decided against and will instead run their 3-year-old filly in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes at Aqueduct, trainer Phil Bauer said Sunday.

It was Xigera’s dominant 6 1/2-length victory in the Seneca Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 23 that put the Breeders’ Cup in play. That was Xigera’s first start on dirt since she finished fourth - moved up to third via disqualification - in the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland in October 2022.

Bauer said having just the one strong dirt race didn’t necessarily mean she belongs with the top older fillies and mares and leading 3-year-old fillies who are expected for the Distaff.

“I don’t know what we beat in the Seneca, but we did it the right way,” Bauer said. “There’s nothing wrong with winning a Grade 2. I don’t know if there’s a right or wrong decision, we felt this was the right one for us.”

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Xigera, a daughter of Nyquist, finished last of 14 in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. This year, she started her season on turf winning an allowance race at Churchill and the Tepin Stakes at Ellis Park before finishing sixth in the Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks, a race run over a yielding turf course.

Bauer brought the horse back to Churchill Downs and said when she started to turn the corner in her training he started looking for a race and the Seneca on the dirt was the one right in front of him.

“I felt like it was the right time to do it [run on dirt], we were at home and it worked out,” Bauer said.

On Sunday, Xigera had her final work for Mother Goose, breezing a half-mile in 49 seconds.

The Mother Goose, traditionally run in the spring, was moved this year to the fall to alleviate a glut of stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the New York Racing Association calendar.

The field for the Mother Goose, will be finalized Wednesday. As of Sunday, the field was expected to include Defining Purpose, Essaouira, Foggy Night and Occult, and possibly Julia Shining and Undervalued Asset.

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