The 2017 Breeders’ Cup is less than a week away, so I thought it would be a good idea to discuss some of the contenders that I believe will make a lot of noise on Breeders’ Cup Day. Today we are going to look at some horses in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
There are three horses that really stand out to me in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff. They are Stellar Wind, Elate, and Paradise Woods. Stellar Wind is the oldest and most accomplished of the three, and has had a perfect year of racing so far. The intrepid daughter of Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, Curlin, has claimed decisive victory in all three of her starts this year, and has an impressive total of ten wins out of fifteen career starts overall. Stellar Wind is a fearless horse that somehow always seems to find a way to reach the wire just in time. It’s as if she knows exactly where the wire is, and knows exactly when to launch her devastating attack. She feeds off of the challenge of her opponents, appearing to be inflamed by the fight. She is the type of horse that will match any foe, pushing them to their limit and fueling her speed from theirs. If the horse in front of her runs faster, she’ll use them as a target, forcing them faster and harder until she takes them down at the wire.
Things will most likely get tough in the stretch when the Distaff is run, but Stellar Wind is a horse that is completely fearless when it comes to chasing down a rival. This determined filly loves a fight. Stellar Wind does not make it easy for anyone who wants to win, and it’s that gutsy attitude that may very well lead her to the winner’s circle once again on Friday.
An up and coming filly who I expect to give Stellar Wind a run for her money is Elate. Elate has blossomed into a highly talented filly and continues to improve with each start she makes. She has won three of her eight starts so far this year, and ran second in three of them. Overall, she has marched to victory in four of her nine career starts. She is currently on a two race winning streak after taking down rivals in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes and Grade 1 Beldame Stakes. Her win in the Beldame Stakes really caught my attention because she overcame adversity to breakthrough traffic in the stretch and pull away easily from her older competition. The ease in which she won was amazing and it proved that once this filly gets rolling, she is hard to stop.
Since winning the Beldame Stakes, Elate has been training flawlessly for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She could not look any more imposing coming into the biggest race of her life. It will not be an easy feat to dethrone Stellar Wind, but if anyone can do it, I think it’s Elate. I expect this filly to run the race of her life on Friday.
The third horse that I like in the Distaff is Paradise Woods. She has won three of her six races, including a runaway win in the Santa Anita Oaks where she went crazy on her competition, scoring by 11 ¾ lengths. She then competed in the Kentucky Oaks, where she tired to 11th after an intense speed duel, and then went on to finish sixth in the Torrey Pines after having a rough trip. Since then she has now come back to her winning ways. In her last start she led the field gate to wire in the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes, drawing clear of the field and winning in a hand ride. She won easily and has looked sensational ever since as she trains up to the Distaff. I don’t know if she can beat Stellar Wind or Elate, but this filly has dangerous speed, and if she gets loose on the lead, everyone better watch out.
I want to end the Distaff segment with Abel Tasman as an honorable mention. When this filly is right she is tough to beat. She has won half of her six starts this year with runner up efforts in her other half. All three of her wins this year have been in Grade 1 races, such as the Kentucky Oaks, the Acorn Stakes, and the Coaching Club American Oaks. She is coming off of a second place finish in the Cotillion Stakes but has been looking strong in her workouts since then. I don’t think Abel Tasman is going to win the Distaff, but I will not be surprised at all if she runs a big race and hits the board.