Keeneland guide: Unbeaten Laurelin faces Fionn in QEII
Keeneland presents the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup for Saturday for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/8 miles on turf. Last year's winner, She Feels Pretty, has developed into one of the leading turf females in the country with three stakes wins out of four starts. A field of nine has drawn into the race looking to follow in She Feels Pretty's footsteps.
Fionn for the Brad Cox barn is on a tremendous run this year, winning five of six starts, four of them stakes. Her only loss this year is to Nitrogen in the Appalachian, coincidentally at Keeneland. Fionn's last win was in the Dueling Grounds Oaks at Kentucky Downs.
Laurelin is unbeaten in five starts for trainer Graham Motion. She has not faced the same class of runners a Fionn, but she has stepped up to each challenge with ease. her last win was the Saratoga Oaks (G2).
Mark Casse's Candy Quest has run second to both Fionn and Laurelin in her career but a change of scenery at Keeneland could make the difference this time. Chad Brown sends Opulent Restraint to take on the top fillies once again. Del Mar Oaks (G2) runner-up Lush Lips ships in for Brendan Walsh. The newest face in the QEII is Simmering, a Too Darn Hot filly owned by Al Shaqab Racing and trained by Ollie Sangster. Simmering has hit the board in two Group 1s in Europe, most recently the English 1,000 Guineas behind Desert Flower.
Meet the full field with horse-by-horse analysis here.
The QEII Challenge Cup is race post time 5:16 p.m. EDT. TV coverage of Keeneland is on FanDuel TV and streaming at the Keeneland website.
Free past performances for today's major stakes are courtesy of Brisnet.
Here are the lifetime top speed figures for the QE2 entrants.
| No. | Horse | Beyer* | TFUS* | Brisnet | HRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lush Lips | 87 | 109 | 96 | 116 |
| 2 | Laurelin | 93 | 113 | 100 | 117 |
| 3 | Simmering | ||||
| 4 | Daisy Flyer | 89 | 108 | 88 | 113 |
| 5 | Opulent Restraint | 89 | 117 | 98 | 117 |
| 6 | Candy Quest | 88 | 112 | 93 | 123 |
| 7 | Destino d'Oro | 85 | 111 | 91 | 11sc |
| scr | Will Then | 83 | 107 | 94 | 114 |
| 9 | Fionn | 91 | 116 | 93 | 122 |
*Beyer and TimeformUS speed figures are courtesy of Daily Racing Form.
HRN Handicappers
HRN's Ed DeRosa and The Paddock Prince, David Levitch, discuss the QE2 in this new video - watch here.
Ed has Gin Gin's upset in the Spinster front of mind as he discusses the QEII fair odds. He's got eyes on the Chad Brown filly - here's why.
Get the scoop on Laurelin right from the source as Graham Motion stops by the Ron Flatter Racing Pod this week. Also on the show is Jim 'Mattress Mack' McIngvale for one last word on the sport and how to fix it. Plus, HRN's Mark Midland has handicapping insight for Maryland Million day and more.
The Super Screener takes on the Maryland Million day card with a best bet in a race most will overlook. Get the scoop here.
Pre-order your Breeders' Cup Super Screener & get Keeneland stakes free now.