Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf

ARCADIA, CA - You've got company Groupie Doll. Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) successfully defended her title at Santa Anita on Saturday and joined the 2012-13 champion female sprinter as the only repeat winners of the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Longshots Yuugiri (Shackleford) and Three Witches (Into Mischief) collected the minors. Favored at even-money, Goodnight Olive broke nicely from her rail draw and found a good spot beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. in a joint third behind the first-time blinkered Eda (Munnings) and second-choice Society (Gun Runner) through an opening...

ELMONT, NY -- Peter Brant's 'TDN Rising Star' In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) took her customary spot on the front end and never looked back en route to a dominating 3 3/4-length wire-to-wire tally as the 1-5 favorite in Friday's GI Just a Game S. at Belmont Park. Last year's GI Del Mar Oaks heroine and G1 Coronation S. runner-up Spendarella (Karakontie {Jpn}) was second; Wakanaka (Ire) (Power {GB}) was third. In Italian left the gate from her rail draw running beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. and led through an opening...

Last year after earning a spot in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile via her win in June's G1 Yasuda Kinen over this course--a Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifying event--Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna) was headed to America before a throat issue found after a fifth-place finish in September's G2 Centaur S. sent her to the sidelines for five months. Back in action on the G1 Saudi Cup undercard in February, she was a distant 10th in the G3 1351 Turf Sprint at King Abdulaziz Racetrack, a race she won in 2022, and sent...

While all eyes were on where undefeated superstar Flightline (Tapit) would be slotted at Monday's Breeders' Cup draw, and overall the dirt races this weekend have gotten a bit more attention, the fields for the turf contests also bring plenty of interesting storylines. George Krikorian's War Like Goddess (English Channel) was the beaten favorite when finishing a close third in last year's GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and received that betting attention because of her utter dominance over her fellow American turf mares. This year, trainer...

Moira (Ghostzapper), the dominant winner of this year's Queen's Plate over males, will start Saturday at Woodbine in the GI E.P. Taylor S. It will be her first try against older horses and her first on the turf. Trainer Kevin Attard had also been considering the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S., a turf race at Keeneland restricted to 3-year-old fillies. "The race is at home and at a distance of a mile and a quarter," Attard said. "She had a work over the turf course [five furlongs in...

Peter Brant's Blowout (GB) (Dansili {GB} gave trainer Chad Brown his fourth consecutive victory in Keeneland's GI First Lady S., leading every step of the way to just stave off a final-furlong rally from the commonly owned 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) to punch her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar Nov. 6. Empress Josephine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire} x Lillie Langtry {Ire}) ran with merit to be third. Blowout was kicked straight into the lead by Flavien Prat from an outside...

Though not nominated to the Breeders' Cup, it appears that GI Rodeo Drive S. winner Going to Vegas (Goldencents) will put her three-race winning streak on the line in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. "The owners haven't collectively come together, but all indications are that she's going to the Breeders' Cup," said Myracehorse Founder and CEO Michael Behrens. "That was our expectation going into the Rodeo Drive, that if she ran well, the plan would be to go to the Breeders' Cup." It will cost $100,000 to...

Having run with credit when fourth trying the 2000-metres for the first time in the G1 Osaka Hai last month, champion Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) returns to a much more manageable trip as the warm favourite for the G1 Victoria Mile at the Fuchu Racecourse in Tokyo. The race serves as a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar in November. After taking down the colours of 2020 Victoria Mile heroine and former Horse of the Year Almond...

Six-time Grade I winner Rushing Fall (More Than Ready--Autumnal, by Forestry) sparked a bidding war at Newtown Paddocks Sunday night and hammered to Jamie McCalmont, agent for M.V. Magnier, for $5.5 million at Fasig-Tipton November's 'Night of the Stars'. A 'TDN Rising Star', the e Five Racing Thoroughbreds colorbearer established herself with a GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf score in 2017 and added top-level conquests of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S., Jenny Wiley S. (twice), Just A Game S. and Diana S. over the past three seasons...

French Group 1 winner Audarya (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) punctuated her U.S. debut with a well-earned victory over five-time Grade I scorer Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) in the Maker's Mark GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland Saturday afternoon. GI Woodbine Mile heroine Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind) stumbled at the start, dropping Florent Geroux as Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}) raced out from her outside berth to set the pace with Mean Mary (Scat Daddy) and Rushing Fall in close pursuit. Approaching the half-mile pole, Audarya moved...

The 3-1 third choice in a field of seven, Joseph Allen's progressive Civil Union (War Front) built on her last-out success in the GII Glens Falls S. at Saratoga with a breakthrough top-level tally in Saturday's GI Flower Bowl S. at Belmont Park, securing a berth in the gate for the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf in the process. Allowed to settle last but one beneath Joel Rosario, with only G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr})'s half-sister, French and American Group...

George Krikorian's homebred Mucho Unusual went wire-to-wire to win the GI Rodeo Drive S. at Santa Anita Saturday and earn an automatic berth in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Turf. Tonahutu took the lead from her inside post in the early strides, but Mucho Unusual strode past her down the stretch for the first time. The bay filly loped along through pedestrian splits, scampered further clear rounding the final bend and resolutely held off Maxim Rate late, while late-closing favorite Lady Prancealot did her best to close into the slow...