2015 Breeders' Cup Distaff: The Contenders

Entering 2015, the Distaff division was expected to be a two headed monster separated by the Colorado Rockies. On the East Coast, Untapable was coming off the finest 3-year old season seen by a filly since Rachel Alexandra. On the West Coast, Beholder was again expected to assert the dominance we’ve come to expect of her in Southern California. What we didn’t expect was that going into the 2015 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff neither of these horses are likely to carry the odds of the favorite.

Beholder is fully expecting to enter the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which leaves the door open to a very classy group of fillies and mares looking to stamp their seasons with the most important divisional victory on the racing calendar. Untapable, while not running a poor race in 2015, is not the unstoppable force she was a year ago. While Beholder looks to have the older filly and mare divisional honors locked up, a poor showing in the Classic could leave the door open for another horse to slide into a Eclipse award. The 3-year old championship race is also wide open, and this Breeders’ Cup Distaff will likely have a huge impact on determining that outcome. Now that the prep races are finished, the field is taking shape for what is likely to be one of the most equally matched and talent loaded Distaffs in some time. Let’s take a look at the likely starters.

Curalina (3yo, Curlin) - This 3-year old laughter of Curlin got off to a fantastic start rattling off 3 wins in the first half of the year topped with the G1 Acorn. Her summer has shown a slight slide in form, but she still has not run a bad race. A May foal, she could still be growing into her frame and becoming a late bloomer just like her sire. Competitive in every start this year, she’s one of many talented 3-year olds to accept the challenge of this year’s Distaff. She was last seen finishing second to Wedding Toast after a stumbling start in the Beldame.

Frivolous (4yo, Empire Maker) - The Victoria Oliver trained filly won this year’s Fleur de Lis at the longshot odds of 32-1 to earn her berth into the Distaff as a “Win and You’re In” Challenge winner. The 4-year old daughter of Empire Maker has shown racing diversity with coming from off the pace and also being able to lead the field on a merry chase. Her 2015 record boasts 2 wins in 6 starts, with her finest performance coming in the Locust Grove overnight stakes at Churchill Downs. She was last seen finishing up the track to Got Lucky in the Spinster. She’ll need to build off that performance, but as she’s shown several times this year, she’s more than capable of firing a big one and beating the best competition in the country.

Got Lucky (4yo, A.P. Indy) - The final crop of the great A.P. Indy has proven to yield some very impressive talent, with Got Lucky being no exception. After a quiet 3-year old season, this Todd Pletcher trainee really grew into herself and emerged in 2015 as a totally different animal. She has won 4 races in 7 starts this year, recently capturing the Spinster stakes in breathtaking style as she closed from well off the pace to win by a short head at the wire. The late summer and fall campaigns have been nearly flawless with her only loss since June coming in the Personal Ensign with a runner up finish to the very talented Sheer Drama. If her form holds until the Distaff, she will likely be amongst the favorites.

I’m a Chatterbox (3yo, Munnings) - Larry Jones has to be happy with his filly entering the championship season of racing. She’s been brilliant all year and has held her form for a solid 7 months of racing. In 7 starts this year, she’s been first across the line 5 times, however, after a DQ in the Coaching Club American Oaks, she only holds 4 wins to her record. Yet to test her elders, she has shown to be one of the top of a very talented class of sophomores. To win at Keeneland she’ll need to learn to run straight in the lane, as her tendency to drift out has already cost her a G1 win this year.

My Sweet Addiction (5yo, Tiznow) - Capturing the G1 Vanity Stakes at Santa Anita in May has been the highlight of the season for this Martin Jones Trainee. Unfortunately, the rest of her starts have been run against either Beholder or the plethora of talent from the East Coast. She’s a very classy mare, but she’ll need to build on her recent 2nd place finish to Beholder in the Zenyatta Stakes if she wants to be contender at Keeneland in the Distaff.

Sheer Drama (5yo, Burning Roma) - There is nothing bad to say about this very talented about this David Fawkes trained mare. She’s finished no worse than 2nd in each of her 7 starts this year, and has danced every dance possible for older mares. Beginning her season at Gulfstream Park, she captured the Royal Delta (G2) and carried that momentum through the spring with a pair of runner up efforts in the Fleur de Lis and La Troienne. Where winter horses tend to see their form fade going into the summer, Sheer Drama only seemed to get better. She captured her first Grade 1 victory in the 10-furlong Delaware Handicap and followed that with her second G1 win at Saratoga in the Personal Ensign. She will likely be one of the favorites on race day.

Stellar Wind (3yo, Curlin) - Another sophomore by the mighty Curlin, Stellar Wind has been the dominating 3-year old filly on the Left Coast. Having yet to test her elders in competition, she has been nothing but brilliant in Southern California with the only blemish to her 2015 record coming in the Kentucky Oaks where she had a horrid trip and was far further from the front than trainer John Sadler would have liked. She’ll be entering the Distaff off a 2 month layoff, and she should be keen and fresh for the challenge that lies ahead.

Stopchargingmaria (4yo, Tale of the Cat) - The multiple Grade 1 winner as a 3-year old has yet to capture a top level win this year. She has won 2 of her 4 starts, but has yet to find the same brilliance she had a year ago. Her best win has to be the Shuvee handicap at Saratoga where she dueled and defeated Untapable, but she recently failed as the favorite in the Personal Ensign. She possesses the talent to win at Keeneland, but she’ll need to find her mid-summer form to build on her current Personal Ensign performance.

Untapable (4yo, Tapit) - Its hard to say that Untapable’s 4-year old season has been disappointing, but there’s no other word that seems to fit. Expectations were through the roof for her career following her exceptional 3-year old campaign, but she doesn’t seem to have the same spark she did last year. Still not running a disappointing race, she has yet to finish worse than third in her 6 starts this year. She was last seen dueling down the lane only lose out to a late surge from Got Lucky in the Spinster. A good horseman will never discount the defending champion in the Breeders’ Cup, and there still may be one more jaw dropping performance left in this superstar filly.

Warren’s Veneda (5yo, Affirmative) - The winner of her first 3 races of 2015, her start the season could not have been better. And then she ran into the juggernaut named Beholder. After going 4-3-1-0 before June, she has managed only a 4-0-1-1 in the second half of the season. 3 of those races were against the Classic bound Beholder. Despite avoiding her in the Distaff, Warren’s Veneda has not shown to be in the best of form leading up to the Breeders’ Cup and will need to find what she had at the beginning of the year if she wants to be a player in this year’s Distaff.

Wedding Toast (5yo, Street Sense) - Owned by Godolphin Racing LLC, and trained by Kairan McLaughlin, this fine mare has rattled off 4 wins in 6 starts this year. Her worst defeat this season has come at Keeneland where she finished 4th in the G1 Madison Stakes. Don’t let this loss fool you; it was at seven furlongs and sprinting has proven not to be Wedding Toast’s cup of tea. Proving her class, she followed that loss with three straight wins, and was last seen in a very impressive wire-to-wire win in the Beldame (G1) at Belmont Park. She’s usually on or near the lead, so expect to see the famed blue silks of Godolphin on or near the lead at Keeneland in the Distaff.

Yahilwa (5yo, Madaglia d’Oro) - She’s been sneaky good this year. Not until her slobberknocker dual down the stretch with Untapable in the Spinster, has her name registered amongst the top mares in the country. She’s only found the winner’s circle once in a Grade 3 at Hawthorne, but the rest of her starts have come against the top level of competition. The only stat higher than her consistency, is her frequent flier miles. Her racing schedule for 2015 has been in the following respective order: Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore, Louisville, San Diego, and Lexington. She’s been across the country twice and still performing at the top level. I’ll be very curious to see how she trains up to the Distaff, considering she gets to stay at the same track for consecutive races for the first time this year. There’s no doubt that the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Distaff is a quality group of horses. If the whole field does assemble in the starting gate on October 30, we’ll be in for a treat.