Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup 2021: Odds, free PPs and more

Trainer Aidan O’Brien wastes no time wheeling his Irish One Thousand Guineas (G1) winner back for a second chance at a U.S. Grade 1 score.

Empress Josephine is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the Grade 1, $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup. Post time from Keeneland is 4:44 p.m. EDT, with TVG showing the 1 1/8-mile turf trip for 3-year-old fillies.

Just one week ago, Empress Josephine competed against older fillies and mares going one mile in Keeneland’s First Lady Stakes (G1). She checked in for a third-place finish behind the Chad Brown-trained duo of Blowout and Regal Glory.

Empress Josephine will go a furlong further while battling fellow sophomore fillies in this spot. She will also add blinkers.

Prior to making her U.S. debut last week, Empress Josephine scored a 14-1 upset in May at the Curragh in the Irish One Thousand Guineas. She subsequently finished off the board in three Group 1 stakes on European soil.

Jockey John Velazquez retains the mount on Empress Josephine, a daughter of the late Galileo.

O’Brien has won the QE II Challenge Cup once before, with Together in 2011. She also contested the First Lady Stakes one week prior to that victory, so the trainer has precedent winning this event on a quick turnaround.

Brown will look to deny Empress Josephine a Keeneland stakes win for the second straight week. For Saturday’s race, he saddles the duo of Shantisara (7-2) and Technical Analysis (4-1).

Shantisara joined Brown’s stable this summer after starting her career overseas. She is 2-for-3 in the U.S. with wins at Arlington in the Pucker Up Stakes (G3) and Belmont in the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational.

Technical Analysis owns a 4-for-6 record for Brown. She enters off back-to-back Saratoga scores in the Lake George Stakes (G3) and the Lake Placid Stakes (G2).

Burning Ambition (6-1) steps up in class after winning the Indiana Grand Stakes for trainer Brad Cox. Roger Attfield saddles Lady Speightspeare (8-1), a Grade 1 winner who is 3-for-3 but who has never started away from Woodbine. Closing Remarks (8-1) finished second in the Del Mar Oaks (G1).

Here is a look at the field for the 2021 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (trainer and jockey in parentheses) with morning-line odds:

1. Burning Ambition (Brad Cox, Florent Geroux), 6-1

2. Technical Analysis (Chad Brown, Jose Ortiz), 4-1

3. Shantisara (Chad Brown, Flavien Prat), 7-2

4. Empress Josephine (Aidan O’Brien, John Velazquez), 3-1

5. Nicest (Donnacha O’Brien, Julien Leparoux), 10-1

6. Queen Goddess (Michael McCarthy, Tyler Gaffalione), 30-1

7. Lady Speightspeare (Roger Attfield, Emma-Jayne Wilson), 8-1

8. Flippant (Victoria Oliver, Rafael Bejarano), 15-1

9. Cloudy Dawn (William Haggas, Brian Hernandez Jr.), 15-1

10. Closing Remarks (Carla Gaines, Umberto Rispoli), 8-1

TimeformUS’ pace projections show Technical Analysis going out to an early lead under jockey Jose Ortiz, followed by Burning Ambition and favorite Empress Josephine. Note that TimeformUS lacks pace data on European runners Nicest and Cloudy Dawn.

For more information on the 10 fillies competing Saturday in the QEII Challenge Cup, visit Horse Racing Nation’s free past performances page.

Other Saturday stakes

Here is a look at a pair of other stakes races taking place Saturday across the U.S. All post times are EDT.

3:15 p.m. – $200,000 Sands Point Stakes (G2), 3-year-old fillies, 1 1/8 miles (turf), Belmont Park, FS2

Higher Truth (2-1) stays in New York to lead this event rather than facing the same division and distance in the QEII Challenge Cup. The Belmont allowance winner was third in the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1), then second in both the Saratoga Oaks Invitational (G3) and Belmont’s Jockey Club Oaks Invitational. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. rides the Galileo filly for trainer Chad Brown. Harajuku (3-1) made her North American debut for trainer Graham Motion in the Jockey Club Oaks, finishing third.

Related: Taking a Stand: Against favorite in Sands Point

7:08 p.m. – $100,000 California Distaff Handicap, Calif.-bred or sired, 3-and-up fillies and mares, about 6½ furlongs (downhill turf), Santa Anita, TVG

Warren’s Showtime (9-5), a two-time Grade 3 winner, faces state-bred company. Craig Lewis trains the 4-year-old Clubhouse Ride filly, who enters off a third-place showing in August at Del Mar going a mile on the turf in the Solana Beach Stakes. Jockey Juan Hernandez retains the mount on a filly who owns seven wins in 21 starts. Simon Callaghan trains Bella Vita (5-2), a last-out Del Mar allowance winner who was best of the rest behind champion Gamine in July’s Great Lady M Stakes (G2).

QE II Challenge Cup preview

From Keeneland’s communications department:

Klaravich Stables’ two-time graded stakes winner Technical Analysis and Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Robert LaPenta’s Shantisara headline a field of 10 3-year-old fillies entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 38th running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.

The 1 1/8-mile grass test will go as the eighth race on Saturday’s 10-race program with a 4:44 p.m. EDT post time. First post Saturday is 1 p.m.

Chad Brown, who has saddled three winners of this race to match the feat of Jimmy Toner and John Veitch, trains both Technical Analysis and Shantisara.

A winner of four of six career starts, Technical Analysis enters Saturday’s race off victories in the Lake Placid (G2) and Lake George (G3) at Saratoga. Technical Analysis will leave from post two and be ridden by Jose Ortiz.

Shantisara has won two of three starts since coming to North America, recording victories in the Pucker Up (G3) at Arlington and the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational at Belmont Park. Flavien Prat has the mount on Shantisara, who will exit post three.

Headlining the European contingent Saturday is Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s Empress Josephine for trainer Aidan O’Brien.

Empress Josephine is following in a trail blazed 10 years ago by Together for the same connections. Together ran second in the First Lady (G1) and a week later closed her career with a victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.

Empress Josephine finished third in Saturday’s First Lady under John Velazquez, who retains the mount and will break from post position four.

Velazquez has won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup a record five times beginning in 1995 with Perfect Arc. His other winners are Alwajeeha (2008), Crown Queen (2014), Time and Motion (2016) and Cambier Parc (2019).

Also coming from Europe is James Wigan’s Cloudy Dawn, winner of the Prix de Lieurey (G3) at Deauville, and Katsumi Yoshida’s Nicest, most recently third in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks (G1). Brian Hernandez Jr. rides Cloudy Dawn from post nine. Julien Leparoux will be aboard Nicest from post five.

The field for the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, with riders from the inside, is: Burning Ambition (Florent Geroux), Technical Analysis (Ortiz), Shantisara (Prat), Empress Josephine (Velazquez), Nicest (Leparoux), Queen Goddess (Tyler Gaffalione), Lady Speightspeare (Emma-Jayne Wilson), Flippant (Rafael Bejarano), Cloudy Dawn (Hernandez Jr.), Closing Remarks (Umberto Rispoli). All starters will carry 121 pounds.