The $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) is one of the premier events during the two-day, 14-race Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Often, the winner comes away with an Eclipse Award as either a champion 3-year-old filly, a champion older female, or even Horse of the Year – and at times a double Eclipse.
Those are the usual stakes when so many talented fillies break from the starting gate in the 1 1/8-mile Distaff.
This time, two of the brightest female stars are out of the race. Reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna – the defending Distaff champ – was retired on Wednesday, and unbeaten Cavalieri was withdrawn from contention by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.
Just like that, the two favorites aren’t running. And that leaves a fairly wide-open field and many betting options for those able to pick out a longshot or two – or more.
In early odds posted by BUSR, 4-year-old filly Seismic Beauty is the slight 5-2 favorite for Baffert, while 3-year-old filly Nitrogen is 3-1 for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.
Seismic Beauty has finished in the top 3 in all seven of her starts, with four victories, most recently in the Clement L. Hirsch (G1) at Del Mar on Aug. 2. A daughter of Uncle Mo, Seismic Beauty is 2-for-3 at Del Mar, site of the Breeders’ Cup on Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Juan Hernandez was and might choose to go gate-to-wire with her like he did in the Hirsch.
And then there’s Nitrogen, a rising 3-year-old star who is a head and nose away from an eight-race winning streak. A daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, Nitrogen was moved from turf to the main dirt track after she beaten a nose in the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) at Saratoga on July 5.
In her next start, she loved the dirt and won the prestigious Alabama Stakes (G1), beating Good Cheer by 1 ½ lengths on Aug. 16 at Saratoga. Casse decided to take on older females in the Spinster Stakes (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 5, Nitrogen was beaten by a head by Gin Gin.
“It’s a big jump when you ask 3-year-olds to go after the older mares, and it’s not something I normally do,” Casse said. “Our thought was, let’s run [in the Spinster] and see whether to go ahead and give her the rest of the year off or she can play with the big girls.”
She’ll bringing her stalking style to Del Mar on Nov. 1 a resume of 11-6-3-2 with earnings of $1.76 million.
Many of the other contenders are no pushovers.
Clicquot, trained by Brendan Walsh, has won four in a row coming into the Distaff, most recently the Cotillion Stakes (G1) at Parx on Sept. 20. The 3-year-old Quality Road filly is 12-1 -- generous odds for a filly that knows how to win.
Gin Gin, the 18-1 upset winner over Nitrogen in the Spinster, is listed at 10-1 by BUSR. The 4-year-old filly went gate-to-wire and held off a strong closing run by Nitrogen. Gin Gin, also trained by Walsh, has won four of 13 career starts and will be running at Del Mar for the first time. For those who would like to raise a gin and tonic on race day, this gal is worth a wager.
“I was expecting her to run well,” Walsh told drf.com following the Spinster. “With those two fillies in there [Thorpedo Anna, Nitrogen], you weren’t really expecting to win. She’s a filly. When she’s doing well, she’ll run her eyeballs out. That that’s what she did.”
Take a strong look at Dorth Vader at 8-1 for trainer George Weaver. The 5-year-old mare is just 1-for-5 this year, but the win came in the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on June 6. In her last race, Dorth Vader was beaten a nose by Thorpedo Anna in the Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 23, perhaps a clue she just might be ready for a Distaff upset.
Other probables (the post-position draw for the Breeders’ Cup races is Oct. 27) with BUSR odds: Gun Song (20-1), Sarawak Rim (33-1), Scottish Lassie (12-1), Randomized (25-1). Other possibles include Scylla and Regaled.
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.
