Paddington’s loss, a 35 1/4-length one to be exact, is the Breeders’ Cup’s gain.

One of the best milers in Europe – some would say no qualifier is required, that Paddington is the best – probably would have been retired or given a break until 2024 had he run to expectations last Saturday in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot Racecourse in England. He decidedly did not. Seeking to end Paddington’s season, if not his career, on a more pleasing note, his connections pre-entered Paddington in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Once again, an overflow cast was pre-entered for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, a popular race that has had also-eligibles scratched from the program each year since it was added as the newest race on the Breeders’ Cup program in 2018. While at least a few of the currently excluded horses seem likely to make the field, there are likely to again be some horses on the outside looking in when final entries are taken Monday.

Such is the depth of the group for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint that some of the horses currently excluded from the field in the pre-entry stage warrant a double take.

The $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita drew a predictably oversubscribed field when pre-entries were taken Monday.

There are five European group stakes winners, seven North American stakes winners, and two American stakes-placed runners in the selected field of 14 for the one-mile race.

Just F Y I is set to make her two-turn debut in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita – just like nearly half of the 15 horses pre-entered in the race Monday.

The Juvenile Fillies, at 1 1/16 miles, also would be the first two-turn start for five others if they enter back Monday: Accommodate Eva, Esprit Enchante, Jody’s Pride, Omaha Girl, and Tamara.

Agate Road came flying home from seventh place in upper stretch to win the Pilgrim Stakes, a key prep for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, on Oct. 9. Only he wasn’t flying. Winning time for the 1 1/16-mile Pilgrim was 1:42.84, a raw time that produced a 76 Beyer Speed Figure. That’s a low figure, even by 2-year-old turf-route standards, but such has been the rule, not the exception, with the 2-year-old male grass horses of 2023.

Led by four winners from a year ago and a large international contingent, 205 horses were pre-entered for this year’s Breeders’ Cup, a two-day event consisting of 14 races to be held Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita in Southern California.

The 205 figure matches that of last year and represents the second-most pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup behind only the 221 that were pre-entered in 2018.

International representation is strong, with 43 European-based runners pre-entered along with nine Japanese-based horses and one from Argentina.

When handicapping the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, it usually pays to look yonder.

Six of the last seven winners – including the last four – were based overseas, and Europe sends another strong contingent.

They are led by four-time Group 1 winner Inspiral, an outstanding miler trained by John and Thady Gosden who will be trying 1 1/4 miles for the first time.

Originally scheduled to compete last Saturday in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot, Inspiral was re-routed due to soft ground.

Reigning Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Goodnight Olive heads the list of 13 pre-entered runners for this year’s Grade 1, $1 million event at seven furlongs at Santa Anita.

Listed as the 8-5 preliminary favorite by Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free, Goodnight Olive earned a career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure in her final prep, Saratoga’s Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 26.

Second to the now-retired Echo Zulu in that race, Goodnight Olive has never finished off the board in 11 starts. She breezed a half-mile in 49.82 seconds on Oct. 20.

The European 3-year-old stars Auguste Rodin and King of Steel and the brilliant 5-year-old Mostahdaf will make a difficult trio for Team USA to beat in the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita.

Auguste Rodin, winner of the English and Irish derbies in June and July, and Mostahdaf, who has won two of England’s leading races for older horses this year in an abbreviated campaign, will lead the betting in what is likely to be a maximum field of 14 in the BC Turf at 1 1/2 miles.