The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a 1 1/8-mile main track race for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up. It is one of the seven original Breeders’ Cup championship races.
It was known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic between 2008 and 2012, but weas changed back to its original name in 2013.
Initially it was contested at the classic distance of 1 1/4 miles from 1984 to 1987 but was cut back to 1 1/8 miles in 1988.
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 or mare. Unlike many of the other Breeders’ Cup races, more than half of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff winners did not earn year-end championships.
In 1997, Sacahuista was the first, losing the Eclipse Award to stablemate North Sider.
There's plenty more. 1993 winner Hollywood Wildcat lost the Eclipse Award to Paseana; One Dreamer in 1994 lost to Sky Beauty; Adoration lost to three-time Eclipse winner and reigning Horse of the Year Azeri in 2003.
Ashado lost the Eclipse to Azeri after her Breeders’ Cup victory but won the Eclipse the following year despite losing the Distaff to Pleasant Home. Royal Delta won 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 was the Bill Mott-trained Scylla, who lost the Eclipse to reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, who was also crowned 2024’s top sophomore filly.
1988 -- Personal Ensign was undefeated heading into the BC Distaff and looked hopelessly beaten at the top of the stretch. In a stunningly dramatic performance under jockey Randy Romero, the daughter of Private Account got up just in time to snatch the win from Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors by a nose. It was her final race and sealed the deal for her eventual induction into the Hall of Fame.
1989, 1990 – The Ron McAnally-trained Argentina-bred Bayakoa 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 Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas and piloted by Victor Espinoza, she held off all challengers at Churchill Downs to become the longest-priced winner of the event ever -- $113.80
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 her Horse of the Year accolades for owner Allen Paulson.
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 this race 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 mere nose—the tightest finish in Distaff history—securing her third Breeders' Cup triumph overall.
2021 – Japanese invader Marche Lorraine, at 45-1 ($101.80), surged from off the pace under Oisin Murphy to claim a three-quarter-length victory, marking Japan's second winner of that day.
2022 – Four-year-old Malathaat's win was a typical powerful performance from her 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 – 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 out of 42 editions (42.86% strike rate) from 1984 to 2025. Horses at odds shorter than 5-1 have won 30 out of 42 races (71.43%), indicating a chalky tendency, though longshots have occasionally triumphed.
Bill Mott has a high win percentage in the Distaff, 37.5%, with his runners averaging post-time odds of just more than 9-2, showing some value in his runners.
Overall, the race rewards form horses, with 31 of 42 winners having a prior Grade 1 win in the same year and 41 of 42 finishing in the top 3 or within four lengths in their last out.
The Distaff often features a hotly contested early pace due to multiple speed horses, which can set up closers or mid-pack runners for late runs. Running styles (based on lengths behind the leader at key calls) show a mix, but closers have succeeded with hot early fractions in front of them. For example: Winners like Thorpedo Anna, Idiomatic, Beholder and Bayakoa either controlled or sat just off moderate paces.
Horses like Monomoy Girl, Untapable and Royal Delta all benefit from stalking trips.
Legendary closers like Zenyatta, Personal Ensign and Marche Lorraine have rallied in impressive and dramatic fashion, all benefiting from the pace melting down in front of them.
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.
