Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf

The record-setting Grade I-winning turf sprinter Cogburn (Not This Time) was represented by his first foal on Jan. 4 when a filly was born at Jay Goodwin's Goodwin Farm. The filly was bred by Goodwin in partnership with David Rogers and Brooke Buffkin. "This is a really good filly," said Jay Goodwin. "She bounced right up and was whipping around the paddock in no time. We love fast horses." The foal is the 10th to hit the ground out of the 15-year-old Posset (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), a full-sister to...

Canadian-based Moira (Ghostzapper) was given an A-plus steer by Flavien Prat and outlasted Godolphin's fast-finishing Cinderella's Dream (GB) (Shamardal) to scoop the statuette as the nation's leading Turf Distaffer for 2024. Kept in training after being purchased or $3 million at Fasig-Tipton November in 2023, Moira was also victorious in the GII Beverly D. S. and was a cracking second first off the layoff in the GI Diana Stakes at Saratoga. Ghostzapper is the sire of nine champions (Moira is a previous Canadian Horse of the Year). In between her...

Kathynmarissa became the 50th stakes winner worldwide for American Pharoah in Wednesday's $1.5-million Pepsi Dueling Grounds Oaks Invitational Stakes at Kentucky Downs. A close third in the Tepin Stakes at Churchill Downs June 29 and second after leading in the stretch in the GII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes Aug. 2, the Michael Caruso and Michael Dubb colorbearer was backed as the 5-2 favorite here. She was bumped at the start and raced in seventh through a half mile in :48.60. The $200,000 KEESEP yearling made a four-wide bid off...

ARCADIA, CA - You've got company Groupie Doll. Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) successfully defended her title at Santa Anita on Saturday and joined the 2012-13 champion female sprinter as the only repeat winners of the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Longshots Yuugiri (Shackleford) and Three Witches (Into Mischief) collected the minors. Favored at even-money, Goodnight Olive broke nicely from her rail draw and found a good spot beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. in a joint third behind the first-time blinkered Eda (Munnings) and second-choice Society (Gun Runner) through an opening...

ELMONT, NY -- Peter Brant's 'TDN Rising Star' In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) took her customary spot on the front end and never looked back en route to a dominating 3 3/4-length wire-to-wire tally as the 1-5 favorite in Friday's GI Just a Game S. at Belmont Park. Last year's GI Del Mar Oaks heroine and G1 Coronation S. runner-up Spendarella (Karakontie {Jpn}) was second; Wakanaka (Ire) (Power {GB}) was third. In Italian left the gate from her rail draw running beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. and led through an opening...

Last year after earning a spot in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile via her win in June's G1 Yasuda Kinen over this course--a Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifying event--Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna) was headed to America before a throat issue found after a fifth-place finish in September's G2 Centaur S. sent her to the sidelines for five months. Back in action on the G1 Saudi Cup undercard in February, she was a distant 10th in the G3 1351 Turf Sprint at King Abdulaziz Racetrack, a race she won in 2022, and sent...

While all eyes were on where undefeated superstar Flightline (Tapit) would be slotted at Monday's Breeders' Cup draw, and overall the dirt races this weekend have gotten a bit more attention, the fields for the turf contests also bring plenty of interesting storylines. George Krikorian's War Like Goddess (English Channel) was the beaten favorite when finishing a close third in last year's GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and received that betting attention because of her utter dominance over her fellow American turf mares. This year, trainer...

Moira (Ghostzapper), the dominant winner of this year's Queen's Plate over males, will start Saturday at Woodbine in the GI E.P. Taylor S. It will be her first try against older horses and her first on the turf. Trainer Kevin Attard had also been considering the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S., a turf race at Keeneland restricted to 3-year-old fillies. "The race is at home and at a distance of a mile and a quarter," Attard said. "She had a work over the turf course [five furlongs in...

Peter Brant's Blowout (GB) (Dansili {GB} gave trainer Chad Brown his fourth consecutive victory in Keeneland's GI First Lady S., leading every step of the way to just stave off a final-furlong rally from the commonly owned 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) to punch her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar Nov. 6. Empress Josephine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire} x Lillie Langtry {Ire}) ran with merit to be third. Blowout was kicked straight into the lead by Flavien Prat from an outside...

Though not nominated to the Breeders' Cup, it appears that GI Rodeo Drive S. winner Going to Vegas (Goldencents) will put her three-race winning streak on the line in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. "The owners haven't collectively come together, but all indications are that she's going to the Breeders' Cup," said Myracehorse Founder and CEO Michael Behrens. "That was our expectation going into the Rodeo Drive, that if she ran well, the plan would be to go to the Breeders' Cup." It will cost $100,000 to...

Having run with credit when fourth trying the 2000-metres for the first time in the G1 Osaka Hai last month, champion Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) returns to a much more manageable trip as the warm favourite for the G1 Victoria Mile at the Fuchu Racecourse in Tokyo. The race serves as a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar in November. After taking down the colours of 2020 Victoria Mile heroine and former Horse of the Year Almond...

Six-time Grade I winner Rushing Fall (More Than Ready--Autumnal, by Forestry) sparked a bidding war at Newtown Paddocks Sunday night and hammered to Jamie McCalmont, agent for M.V. Magnier, for $5.5 million at Fasig-Tipton November's 'Night of the Stars'. A 'TDN Rising Star', the e Five Racing Thoroughbreds colorbearer established herself with a GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf score in 2017 and added top-level conquests of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S., Jenny Wiley S. (twice), Just A Game S. and Diana S. over the past three seasons...