1 of 2 | She Feels Pretty, shown winning the 2023 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine, is the morning-line favorite for Saturday’s Grade I Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland. Michael Burns photo, courtesy of Woodbine
Oct. 11 (UPI) — Things calm down a bit in weekend horse racing now that the Breeders’ Cup preliminaries are almost — but not quite — over.
Saturday’s Group I QE II Challenge Cup at Keeneland isn’t an official prep for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare turf, but if not a de jure test for that race, it’s a de facto one with some promising international runners.
And speaking of international, Newmarket has the most promising 2-year-olds on the English and Irish scene, 3-year-old fillies run in Japan and Australia has three more Group 1 events on Saturday.
So maybe things haven’t calmed down all that much, after all.
Filly & Mare Turf
A top-shelf, international field of 10 is set for Saturday’s $750,000 Grade I Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup for 3-year-old fillies at Keeneland.
The morning-line pick, She Feels Pretty, has not finished worse than third in six starts for trainer Cherie DeVaux with three wins to her credit. She finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita and comes off a second, beaten just a neck, in the Grade II Lake Placid at Saratoga.
The Lake Placid winner, Grayosh, also returns for this race. Highclere’s Soprano is in from England and the Aga Khan’s Candala invades from France, both with every chance.
S’s are wild in Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II Sands Point at Aqueduct as Spaliday and Style Points are the selections on the morning line in a field of nine 3-year-old fillies.
Turf
Bold Act and Ohana Honor, the favorites in a field of 11, drew the two outside gates for Friday’s $300,000 Grade III Sycamore at Keeneland. Bold Act, a Godolphin homebred by New Approach, won the 2023 Sycamore, but is 0-for-3 this year in the United States.
Six plus one “main-track only” entry are set for Sunday’s $175,000 Grade III Knickerbocker at Aqueduct, going 1 1/8 miles.
Turf Sprint
Godolphin’s star sprinter, Star of Mystery, is the morning-line pick in an overflow field for Sunday’s $350,000 Grade II Franklin for fillies and mares at Keeneland. The 3-year-old Kodiac filly was last seen winning the Grade III Quick Call Stakes at Saratoga and has missed a top-three finish only once in 11 starts.
An absolutely wide-open field of nine, plus one “main track only” entry, is set for Friday’s $150,000 Glen Cove for 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct. It’s 6 furlongs on the outer turf course.
Risk Threshold and Secret Money top the morning line in Saturday’s 6-furlongs $135,000 Floral Park for fillies and mares at Aqueduct.
Filly & Mare Sprint
Saturday’s $135,000 (Canadian) Grade III Ontario Fashion on the Woodbine all-weather drew 10 with Ticker Tape Home, Beauty of the Sea and Love to Shop atop the morning line.
Juvenile
Sunday’s $125,000 (Canadian) Display on the Woodbine all-weather has a field of six.
Already in the books: It’s Hammertime pressed the pace made by Tony Eclipse in Wednesday’s $125,000 Rocky Run Stakes at Delaware Park, reached parity at the furlong marker and drew away to win by 1 1/2 lengths. The Vekoma colt, trained by Gary Capuano, improved to 3-for-3.
Juvenile Fillies
Sunday’s $125,000 (Canadian) Glorious Song on the Woodbine all-weather also has six takers.
Already in the books: Beautiful Blome left her rivals well in her wake in the stretch run of Wednesday’s $125,000 White Clay Creek at Delaware Park. The Blofeld filly, at odds of 11-1, won by 8 1/4 lengths with odds-on favorite Caprice best of the rest. She got her second win from five starts.
Around the world, around the clock
Japan
Sunday’s Group 1 Shuka Sho is the final leg of Japan’s filly Triple Crown, but that title’s not available this year, as Stellenbosch won the first race in the series, the Oka Sho, or Japanese 1,000 Guineas, and Cervina took the second, the Yushun Himba, or Japanese Oaks.
Both are back for the Shuka Sho, a 2,000-meter event over the inner course at Kyoto Racecourse that will be a key to the year-end honors in the division. Queen’s Walk and Bond Girl could be the main competition.
England
It’s a spectacular weekend of 2-year-old racing at Newmarket.
Anyone needing a clue about the prestige level of Friday’s Group 1 bet365 Fillies Mile for 2-year-old fillies at Newmarket need only look at the ownership.
Coolmore has three, one in partnership with Flaxman Stables. Juddmonte and Cheveley Park Stud are there, along with Amo Racing, which has made the biggest splash at the Tattersalls sales this week.
But the favorite, at nearly even odds, is Godolphin homebred Desert Flower, an undefeated Night of Thunder filly with lots of upside potential.
The blood doesn’t get any less blue in Saturday’s 7-furlongs Group 1 Darley Dewhurst for 2-year-olds at Newmarket. But the competition is more concentrated.
Coolmore and trainer Aidan O’Brien have three of the six entries, headed by the Sea the Stars colt The Lion In Winter. Godolphin has two worthy rivals in Ancient Truth and Shadow of Light.
The same famous-name players, with notable additions, are prominent Saturday’s Group 3 Autumn Stakes at 1 mile and Group 3 Zetland Stakes at 1 1/4 miles.
Australia
Mr Brightside, who has been waging a private duel with recently named Australian Horse or the Year Pride of Jenni, returns to action in Saturday’s Group 1 Might and Power Stakes at Caulfield.
The 7-year-old nipped that rival by 1/2 length in the Makybe Diva two starts back, and then finished second to the star in the Group 2 Feehan Stakes at Moonee Valley on Sept. 27.
Godolphin was prominent in the day’s other two Group 1’s with Broadsiding well-fancied in the Caulfield Guineas, but Pericles is a non-runner in the Toorok Handicap, leaving that a tossup.
Hong Kong
With less than two months to go to Hong Kong’s biggest international day, the biggest stars are starting to emerge from the stables for their rehearsals.
Sunday’s Group 2 Sha Tin Trophy has lured the likes of Group 1 winners Voyage Bubble and Beauty Eternal, as well as the promising Beauty Joy, Galaxy Patch, Straight Arron and La City Blanche.
Zac Purton, who rides the reigning Group 1 Champions Mile champion Beauty Eternal for trainer John Size, summed up the status of training … and hopefully he can start off on the right foot and go on with it.”