The $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) is a 9-furlong main track race for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up. It is one of the seven original Breeders’ Cup championship races. It was known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic from 2008 to 2012, but reverted to its preferred and rightful name for the 2013 renewal.
Initially contested at the classic distance of 1¼ miles from 1984 to 1987, it was cut back to 1 1/8 miles in 1988, where it’s remained.
Check the Time for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and complete the race card for the “Championship Saturday”:
| Race | Race Name | Post Time ET |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sunrise (Allowance) | 1:05pm |
| 2 | The Ocean View (Allowance) | 1:40pm |
| 3 | Goldikova Stakes (G3) | 2:15pm |
| 4 | Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) | 3:00pm |
| 5 | Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) | 3:41pm |
| 6 | Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) | 4:21pm |
| 7 | Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) | 5:01pm |
| 8 | Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) | 5:41pm |
| 9 | Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) | 6:25pm |
| 10 | Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) | 7:05pm |
| 11 | Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile | 7:45pm |
| 12 | Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) | 8:25pm |
Like the rest of the Breeders’ Cup races, this one can determine who will be crowned both champion 3-year-old female and or champion older filly/mare. However, unlike many of the other Breeders’ Cup races, more than half of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff winners failed to earn year-end championship honors.
In 1997, Sacahuista was the first, losing the Eclipse Award to stablemate North Sider. Other famous Distaff winners who didn’t earn the Eclipse Award in the same year include Hollywood Wildcat, who lost the trophy to Paseana in 1993; One Dreamer in 1994 lost to Sky Beauty; Adoration lost to three-time Eclipse winner and Horse of the year Azeri in 2003 while Ashado lost to Azeri after her Breeders’ Cup victory, but won the Eclipse the following year despite losing the Distaff to Pleasant Home.
Royal Delta won the Breeders’ Cup in 2011 but didn’t earn an Eclipse because Havre de Grace did; Beholder won the 2013 Distaff and collected the 3-year-old filly as Royal Delta took the older filly and mare trophy. She returned in 2016 to win both the Distaff and the Eclipse.
Last year’s winner, the recently retired Thorpedo Anna, not only collected the Eclipse trophy for 2024’s top 3-year-old filly but also was voted Horse of the Year.
Three runners -- Bayakoa (1989, 1990), Royal Delta (2011, 2012), and Beholder (2013, 2016) -- are two-time winners of the Distaff. Mike Smith has ridden five winners (1995, 1997, 2002, 2008, and 2012), and Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott has been represented by five winners as well (1997, 1998, 2010, 2012, and 2012).
Hall of Famer Inside Information holds the record of 1:46.15 at the current distance, set when she won the 2005 edition at Belmont Park.
1988 -- Personal Ensign was undefeated heading into the Breeders’ Cup. It looked helplessly beaten at the top of the stretch, and in a stunningly dramatic performance under regular jockey Randy Romero, the daughter of Private Account got up just in time to snatch the win from Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Winning Colors by a nose. It was her final race and sealed her eventual induction into the Hall of Fame.
1989, 1990 – Bayakoa, the Ron McAnally-trained Argentine-bred mare, became the first two-time winner, dominating with a pair of powerful closing kicks under Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr. She earned championship honors in both years.
1994 -- One Dreamer, a 47-1 longshot, rocketed from last place under Gary Stevens to stun the field at Churchill Downs, paying a staggering $96.40. This Cinderella story from owner-breeder Glen Hill Farm exemplified the Distaff's magic
2000 – The Thoroughbred Corp.’s Spain pulled off an even bigger shock as a 55-1 outsider. Trained by the late Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas and piloted by Victor Espinoza, she held off all challengers at Churchill Downs to become the longest-priced Distaff winner.
2002 – Super mare Azeri's wire-to-wire romp in 2002 at Arlington Park, where she surged to a five-length victory under Pat Day, completed a perfect 9-for-9 season and earned Horse of the Year honors.
2008 – Zenyatta, at the time an unbeaten superstar, set a fast time of 1:46.85 over Santa Anita’s synthetic track in her typical come-from-behind, wide-sweeping, swallow-up rivals down the lane performance. It was her ninth career start and cemented her among the all-time favorite distaffers with 11 more career races ahead of her.
2013, 2016 -- Beholder was known for her versatility -- she won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2012, then the Distaff as a 3-year-old and again as a 6-year-old. In her first Distaff appearance under jockey Gary Stevens, she rallied to a neck victory over the highly regarded Close Hatches at Santa Anita. Her legacy deepened with her thrilling 2016 rematch against Songbird at Santa Anita, where at 5-2 odds, she unleashed a ferocious late rally to win by a nose -- the tightest finish in Distaff history -- securing her third Breeders' Cup triumph.
2021 – Marche Lorraine, at 49-1, surged from off the pace under Oisin Murphy to claim a three-quarter length victory, marking Japan's second winner of that day (Love Only You won the Filly & Mare Turf) and injecting global excitement into a traditionally U.S.-dominated event.
2022 – Four-year-old Malathaat's win was a typical powerful performance as she rallied from well back at Keeneland in the early going to get past Blue Stripe by a nose in the last jump. The Todd Pletcher-trained filly, who was a $1.05 million purchase for Shadwell Stables, was ridden by John Velazquez in her final career performance.
2024 – The recently retired Thorpedo Anna crushed her rivals in a scintillating performance at Del Mar, solidifying her as a sensation and her titles as champion 3-year-old filly and Horse of the Year.
The Breeders' Cup Distaff has a rich betting history, with favorites performing strongly overall -- winning 18 of 41 editions (44% strike rate) from 1984 to 2024. Horses at odds shorter than 5-1 have won 30 of 41 races (73%), indicating a chalky tendency, though longshots have occasionally triumphed.
Trainers like Brad H. Cox and Bill Mott have positive win percentages (+3.30 and +4.50 over recent renewals), indicating value in their runners. Overall, the race rewards form horses, with 31 of 41 winners having a prior Grade 1 win in the same year and 40 of 41 finishing in the top 3 or within 4 lengths of the winner in their last start.
The Distaff often features a hotly contested early pace, with multiple speed horses, which can set up closers or mid-pack runners for late runs. Historical run styles (based on lengths behind the leader at key calls) show a mix, but closers have succeeded in setups with hot fractions. For example:
Front-runners or pressers: Winners like Thorpedo Anna (2024), Idiomatic (2023), Beholder (2013), and Bayakoa (1989-1990) often control moderate paces.
Mid-pack (1 ¾ lengths to 3½ lengths behind): Horses like Monomoy Girl (2020), Untapable (2014), and Royal Delta (2011) benefit from stalking trips.
Deep closers: Legendary closers like Zenyatta (2008), Personal Ensign (1988), and Marche Lorraine (2021) have rallied dramatically, especially when the pace melts down in front of them.
Thirty-one of 41 winners posted a Beyer of 100+ (or equivalent), with recent Equibase figures often 110+ for contenders. The quickest times include Zenyatta's 1:46.85 (2008 on synthetic) and Inside Information's 1:46.15 (1995), both of which favor tracks like Belmont and Santa Anita for faster paces. Prep races like the Spinster Stakes (G1) (three winners in the last six years) often produce horses with tactical speed. Overall, while speed is key, contested paces (familiar at rotating venues like Del Mar) favor versatile closers over pure front-end types.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
