Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf 2017: Early preview

For the 13th time in its 34 year history, the Breeders' Cup is coming to Southern California. However, 2017 marks the first time the Championship event will be held at a racing venue in the Golden State other than previous host sites, Santa Anita Park or the now-defunct Hollywood Park. In just a few weeks, all attention will be focused on "Where the Turf Meets the Surf," otherwise known as  the Del Mar Race Course. The 80-year old racing facility near San Diego will be the center of the horse racing universe from Nov. 3-4 as the two-day championship event hits the thoroughbred racing season's peak here in North America. Casual racing fans may believe the Triple Crown races are the high point of our racing year, but close followers know full well that there is a crowded summer schedule, packed with first-rate action, which culminates at the Breeders’ Cup.

One of the races on the slate, and the one that I have been given the assignment of covering for HRN, is the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, for 3-year-olds and up. Some of the best female grass horses in North America, South America and Europe should lineup for this contest which has a purse of $2 million up for grabs.

Due to the layout of the Del Mar turf course, this year's edition will be conducted at a distance of 1 1/8-miles.

The Breeders' Cup, expanding on its original seven races that began in 1984, introduced the Filly and Mare Turf in 1999 at Gulfstream Park when the year end championship was still a single-day event. Prior to the expansion, females competed and sometimes won vs. males in the Breeders Cup Turf, but now they have their own race to fight it out for the championship.

Much like its Turf counterpart, the Filly and Mare Turf has been a race where European-bred/raced horses have done very well. Since the race was launched, the Euros have won 11 of the 18 contests, however, over the past 10 years, American-based horses have evened things out, with representatives from both continents winning five apiece. 

When it comes to payouts, a look back at the results finds the Filly and Mare Turf has been a very good betting race. The average winning price on a $2 bet stands at $21. The highest return was in 2010 when Shared Account paid a whopping $94.00 to her supporters. Only five betting favorites in the 18 runnings have won this event. One of them, Ouija Board, accounted for two of those years. She was the 2004 winner, returning $3.80, which is the lowest payout for this event. She also won again two years later and returned $4.80.

Only one favorite (Dank in 2013) has won in the past decade, but despite the dreadful stat, the betting choice should be highly considered for the exacta, as well as filling out the trifecta. During the same time period, favorites in this race have accounted for second or third place sixty percent of the time.

The average number of starters hovers around 11, but the first two editions of this race featured 14 runners, the maximum amount allowed. Since then, a completely full starting gate happened just one other time, when Intercontinental won in 2005. The year 2009 saw the smallest field go to post with just eight runners.

A quartet of 3-year olds have won the Filly and Mare Turf, and this year's stellar cast of top notch sophomores will be looking to add to that total.

Ten of the 18 Filly and Mare Turf winners used either the Flower Bowl Stakes at Belmont or the First Lady Stakes at Keeneland as their final key prep. So, with both of those races having recently been completed, I suggest keeping the winners and close-up finishers in mind going forward toward Championship Day.

The lineup for the Filly and Mare Turf, as well as all the Breeders’ Cup races are still somewhat unclear, but by the pre-entry deadline on October 23 we’ll have a pretty good idea who’s going to compete where. I will have a full preview of the Filly and Mare Turf race once the field is set. But for the time being, according to the official Breeders' Cup website as of press time of this posting, here's an alphabetical list of possible starters for this race.

Avenge: Finished 3rd in 2016 Filly and Mare Turf after being overtaken in deep stretch.

*Birdie Gold: South America invader sports a big Group 1 win in her home country

Cambodia: Has won three of her last four starts, including a pair over the local Del Mar turf.

Dacita: Beverly D winner just missed by a neck in the Flower Bowl.

Dickinson: Defeated Lady Eli, but two 5th-places finishes in last three starts raises form questions.

Goodyearforroses: Has competed at nine different racetracks, and still looking for a G1 win.

Grand Jete: Beverly D runner-up set the pace in Flower Bowl before tiring.

*Hydrangea: Group 1 winner suffered a narrow loss in the Prix de L'Opera. 

Kitten's Roar: Has won a couple of minor stakes, but none at the graded level.

Lady Eli: Best grass filly in North America suffered an agonizing loss in this race last year.

*New Money Honey: Returns to her favorite footing following a dirt experiment at the Spa.

Nezwaah: Group 1 winner checked in fourth behind Enable in the Yorkshire Oaks.

Quidura: Missed by inches to Lady Eli in Diana Stakes at Saratoga.

Responsibleforlove: Has won at the 9-furlong distance over the Del-Mar turf course.

*Rhododendron: Winner of Prix de L'Opera and 2nd to Enable in Investec Oaks. 

*Roly Poly: Won a trio of Group 1s this year and was runner-up in two others.

*Senga: Has raced exclusively in France where she won the G1 Prix de Diane.

*Unforgetable Filly: Lone Grade I try resulted in 6th-place finish. Distance is a question.

Usherette: First or third in 10 of 14 races, including seven wins.

War Flag: Got a perfect setup winning the Flower Bowl, her 5th win in nine starts.

*Wuheida: Following her winning debut, she's competed exclusively in Group 1 races.

Zipessa: Not listed on Breeders Cup website of Filly/Mare Turf contenders, but I'll include her due to her automatic berth winning the First Lady Stakes.

* Denotes a 3-year-old contender