Breeders’ Cup Distaff 2017: From A-to-Z
Every year I kick off my Breeders’ Cup coverage with facts and figures presented in the A-to-Z style. In 2017, I will be covering the Distaff. So, with only seven weeks until the World Championships, let’s start thinking about the big race on Friday, November 3rd.
A – AAA + A – From 2002 to 2004, it was easy to pick a Distaff winner with Azeri, Adoration, and Ashado winning in consecutive years. The letter A was also good for a victory in 1997 with Ajina.
B – Broodmare – After Beholder’s victory in last year’s Distaff, it was announced that she would be retired to begin her life as a broodmare at Spendthrift Farm where she was to be bred to Uncle Mo.
C – Canada – Only six horses from North of the Border have ever won a Breeders’ Cup race, that includes Dance Smartly who won the Distaff in 1991.
D – Dual Winners – There have been three horses to win the Distaff twice: Beholder, Royal Delta, and Bayakoa.
E – Eclipse Awards – The winner of the Distaff went on to win an Eclipse Award 24 out of 33 years. The three-year-old winners were rewarded 8 of 10 times, but amongst the older females that rate was lower with only 16 of 23 getting year-end recognition.
F – Frankel – Hall of Fame trainer, Bobby Frankel won seven Breeders’ Cup races in his career, which included the 2007 Distaff with Ginger Punch.
G – Grandmother – The 1988 Distaff winner Personal Ensign is a Breeders’ Cup grandmother. Her daughter My Flag, who won the 1995 Juvenile Fillies, is the mother of the 2002 Juvenile Fillies winner, Storm Flag Flying.
H – Horse of the Year – Two Distaff winners, Lady’s Secret 1986 and Azeri 2002, went one to be named Horse of the Year.
I – Inside Information – This regally bred filly from the Phipps Stable holds the stakes record of 1:46.15, which was run in 1995 at Belmont Park. She won that race by 13 ½ lengths, which is the largest margin of victory in any Breeders’ Cup event.
J – Juvenile Champion – Beholder is the ONLY Distaff winner that was also the Two-Year-Old Filly Champion.
K – Klein – Owner Eugene Klein won six Breeders’ Cup races from 1985 to 1988, two of them were in the Distaff with Life’s Magic in 1985 and then in 1986 with Lady’s Secret.
L – Lukas Longshot – Lukas won three of the first four Distaffs that were run. He got his fourth victory in 2000 with the three-year-old Spain, who at 55.90-1 is the longest shot in the history of this race.
M - Mott – Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has won the most Distaffs (five), which included three in a row from 2010 to 2012 with Unrivaled Belle, and then Royal Delta did it twice.
N – Nose – Four times the margin of victory in the Distaff was a nose. The winners of those thrilling finishes were Beholder over Songbird last year, Escena beat Banshee Breeze in 1998, and in 1993 Hollywood Wildcat topped Paseana. The most thrilling of all was in 1988, when Personal Ensign looked hopelessly beaten, but somehow rallied and got up to defeat Winning Colors.
O – Original One – The Distaff is one of the seven original Breeders’ Cup races.
P – Paulson – Legendary owner and Breeders’ Cup stalwart, Allen Paulson, has the most Distaff wins (three), to go along with his three other victories in the World Championships.
Q – Queen Z – The great mare, Zenyatta, won the Distaff in 2008, as a four-year-old, which was her eighth consecutive career victory.
R – Respect Your Elders – Three six-year-old mares used their experience to bring home a victory in the Distaff: Beholder last year, One Dreamer in 1994, and Bayakoa in 1990.
S – Smith – It should come as no surprise that Mike Smith, who leads all jockeys with 25 career Breeders’ Cup victories, also has the most wins (five) in the Distaff.
T – Ten Furlongs – The Distaff was originally run at a distance of ten furlongs. After four years, the race was switched to the current mile and an eighth.
U – Un-Believable – Untapable 2014, Unrivaled Belle 2010, and Unbridled Elaine 2001 all have the great sire, Unbridled, in their pedigrees.
V – V for Victory – From 2003 to 2005, it was easy to pick a Distaff winner. In 2003, Pat Valenzuela won with Adoration, John Velazquez took it in 2004 with Ashado, and then Cornelio Velasquez was the 2005 victor on Pleasant Home.
W – WAYI – Seven of the fourteen possible spots in the Distaff starting gate are reserved for the winners of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge ‘Win and You’re In’ races. The Challenge winners thus far are: Kiriaki (ARG) [unlikely to run], Songbird [retired], Forever Unbridled (twice), and Stellar Wind.
X – De SerouX – Laura De Seroux had only one Breeders’ Cup starter in her training career and that was Azeri’s victory in the 2002 Distaff. From 2001 to 2005, she trained 27 graded stakes winners. She retired from training in March 2007.
Y – Don’t Know Y – No jockey, trainer, owner, breeder or horse beginning with the letter Y has ever won the Distaff.
Z – Zenyatta – Zenyatta is the leading money earner in Breeders’ Cup history with $4,680,000 from her career record of 3: 2-1-0. Her victory in the 2008 Distaff contributed $1,080,000 to her total.