BC Distaff (Grade 1)- $2,000.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
November 4, 2016
It’s the greatest weekend of the year in horse racing. While other top weekends will be centered around one great race, there are no two days like BC weekend. I don’t need to tell anyone here this, you all know what it is on the line, and what it took to get here. For fillies and mares, the BC Distaff is the biggest race on the calendar. Sure, a top female can and has gone to the Classic, but this is the moment we all dream about when we work our female two year olds for the first time and see that they just might have some potential to do something special. Just getting to this race is an accomplishment, as it requires consistent success over the course of the year. That list of past winners allows us to reflect on such amazing fillies and mares that have come before us. Darling Harbour. Halfbaked. Mrs Bombastic. And many more, one which has a chance to win this race twice, something that we will get into a little later on. Jerry Garcia Racing has won the race twice, and is the only trainer to do so. The list of trainers that have won this event is impressive, but also shows that is a title that has eluded some greats. Will Mb Stables, for example, finally be able to accomplish victory here? It may the biggest trophy not in his mantle yet. Let’s take a moment to look at the trainers in this race, and what they have previously accomplished in the BC Distaff, or its prior name, the BC Ladies Classic.
AER STABLES- BC Distaff Debut
AML RACING
2012: Trainer made his debut in the race during this season with Daunting Ravine, however she would not be able to beat any of her rivals that day.
AUSTRALIA WIDE
2004: Who, other then Australia Wide, remembers this? Back in 2004, Australia Wide accomplished an amazing feat by sweeping the top three positions. That’s right, not only did he win the race with the legendary Darling Harbour, but he also had the second and third place finishers in Laurel Canyon and Paris. I was never aware of this feat until just checking on it right now. Truly, some amazing stuff right there. May have been a different era, but that will be hard for someone else to ever duplicate.
2005: A year after, Australia Wide did not too that badly either, but was unable to get the top spot. Inanimate Object would finish second, and Darling Harbour would fall short in her bid to repeat, finishing 4th.
2006: BeautifulThing was not a factor, finishing 11th.
2007: Go For Peace would cash a check for the trainer, placing fourth.
2009: Magical Tanzania would be a disappointment, running 12th.
D J C RACING STABLES
2013: The trainer’s first runner in the Distaff/Ladies Classic would be Lucky Stripes, who put forth a fifth place run.
2015: Years Go Bye would finish 7th.
EASYMONEY STABLES- BC Distaff Debut
KEIKOWIN STABLES- BC Distaff Debut
MB STABLES
2013: The trainer qualified three for the race in his first official appearance. Stella Artois’ third place finish would be the highlight. Carnegie Steel would run 6th and Desired 10th, as well.
2014: The good ol’ days when we didn’t have the silly rule limiting BC entries for a race saw Mb Stables qualify five in the distaff. Little Jen, Stellar Artois, Desired, Secret Danzer, and Resolute Ruby would run in succession to one another, but from 8th to 12th instead of 1st to 5th.
2015: Two entries which would not be a factor in this race. Little Jen would run 9th and Pure Lisa 12th.
PRISTINE STABLES– BC Distaff Debut
SAMIAM- BC Distaff Debut
SANNY VILLAGE
2013: The third of the 2016 trainers to debut in the Distaff during this season. Chili King would not be a threat, however, running 9th.
2014: Its Taco Time finishes one spot ahead of Mb’s five this year, running 7th.
TEAM 7 ILLUSIONS
2006: The trainer first appeared during this season by bringing both Maxim and Smiley Monk to the gate, but they would only finish 7th and 9th.
2007: Miss Kriss Kross would not be a factor, finishing 10th.
2012: Returned to the race with Glare, but she could only run 9th.
2015: Victory!! After the prior disappointing runs, the trainer finally was able to experience BC Distaff glory with Lullaby Maker Tf. He enjoyed it so much, he wants to do it again this year. Also need to mention that he also saddled Hydro in 2015, who finished 6th.
Note: Apologies in advance if I missed a past entry or two of someone was looking through prior results.
THE 2016 FIELD:
As we can see then from the trainer history, five of the eleven trainers with a mount in this race are running in the BC Distaff for the first time, so this is a special achievement for them. It is certainly a race that Australia Wide has had success in, but its also been more then a decade since he had a top three finisher. Mb Stables and Sanny Village have accomplished a lot overall, but would still like to get a win in this race. There’s a lot on the line for these trainers, and now let’s meet the horses in which they are pinning their hopes on!
#1- Shake It Off (Australia Wide, ridden by J R Velazquez)- If there is one thing (ok, there are several in reality), that AW can say that he is still the king of, it is the BC Distaff. There is no one who has accomplished what he has done in this race. It’s been seven years since he has had an entry, but Shake It Off is quite a good one to have. She only raced once at two, and has gone on to have a fantastic season this year that included winning the Mother Goose and the Personal Ensign. Raced strong in both the KYO and the Acorn as well. Most recently she was at PRX for the Cotillion and ran third, but beaten by two she sees again. I like this distance for her a little more then I like the Cotillion distance in the terms of how I feel she stacks up against the elite of her division. She’s got the rail, and we need to look no further in the gate then her to find the one I am picking to win.
#2- Notarized Kate (Pristine Stables, ridden by J R Leparoux)- One of my favorite horses in the game that I do not have any kind of connection to, probably because I always end up reviewing her races. I’d love to see her pull this one out for that reason, but I just do not think she is at a stage in her career where she is about to become a BC Champion. This gritty filly always knows how to make her presence felt on race day, and it is really beneficial for her to be starting on the inside like this. She’ll run great, and may hit the board, but when she is up against the best of the best, she simply has not been able to come out on top. While still great, I think her heyday may have passed by. Love to be wrong, as I like I said, this is a favorite of mine.
#3- Distant Cousin (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by R J Albarado)- This four year old filly has shown to be dominant at seven furlongs over the course of her career, and even recently, winning the Humana at CD, and then the Ballerina at beautiful SAR. She will be most known for her success in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint, becoming a BC champion on that Halloween night. She is not only a sprinter, though, and has also scored some nice results when stretching out, so no one should feel as though distance will be an issue here. The Grade 1 Phipps was a longer race that she won, coming in June, over fellow BC Champion Lullaby Maker Tf. I may have been tempted to take on the challenge of winning the Sprint race two consecutive years, but Distant Cousin is not a distant choice here.
#4- Track Queen (Mb Stables, ridden by F Pennington)- Recently was sold for the third time in 2016, and will be making her debut with Mb Stables for this race. The purchase price of $150.000 seems like a bargain if you believe she is still on top form, and that is the question with her. It’s not the race results necessarily that cause that concern, but moreso the SRF figures, as after all her 95 in the Alabama still got her a third place finish that day. The Grade 1 Spinster was not her best effort, and led to Heavens Own selling her that day to Mb. Exhibit B with her, however, is the fact that her trainer is indeed now, Mb Stables. We have seen him turnaround many great horses in the past, and Track Queen doesn’t really need a turnaround, she just needs a positive jolt. Let’s see if he can make it happen!
#5- Heart Nebulae (SamIam, ridden by L S Quinones)- Last month, Heart Nebulae was victorious in the Grade 1 Spinster out at KEE, helping her punch her ticket to the BC Distaff. In 2016, she has been able to win four out of seven, wins that began very modestly and then culminated so far with that Spinster win. In the midst of all that, I see a filly who has run well in some top notch races, including the SA Oaks, but then seem to go missing from running against the best by looking for smaller stakes. The talent is there, but I would have preferred to see her run in bigger races after the SA Oaks and before the Spinster as the others in here have done in order to have more confidence in her.
#6- The Hanging Tree (Mb Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- When this filly won the Acorn back it June, it seemed as though some people wanted to crown her BC Distaff champion right then and there. It was a fantastic effort, but is now still the last time she has won a race. In July, Mb Stables spent quite a bit to acquire her from Riggins Racing in an $800.000 private sales transaction. With her new trainer, The Hanging Tree ran second in the CCA Oaks, as well as in the Personal Ensign. Both strong results that would make happy, but an outsider like myself can wonder if this is really what Mb was after in spending $800.000 when he still has all the amazing talent in his stable that he doesn’t have to pay a lot for. Most recently, she was off the board in the Cotillion. She has great breeding for this time of year.
#7- Dirty Deeds (Aer Stables, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Two of the races just mentioned with The Hanging Tree, a filly that likely gets more name recognition here, that The Hanging Tree did not win, were won by Dirty Deeds. She was the winner of the CCA Oaks at SAR and is also coming off of racing in the Cotillion. However, she would come out on top that day (in dead heat with Way Up) against many of these that she’s up against here. Back in September, I referenced the Cotillion as essentially BC Distaff preview, and it is certainly ended up being that way. We will see now, if Dirty Deeds can do it again, and I believe she can. But there’s just that thing about HRP, and BC Time. Horses like this that seem like everything is pointed in the right direction to get the win, just never really seem too.
#8- Wu Wei (Keikowin Racing, ridden by Mar Garcia)- The filly has had a busy three year old season as this will be her 11th race of the year. In that time, she won three races, but the last win is the reason she is here. She was victorious in the Grade 1 Zenyatta, a race that may not have been as strong as the Cotillion, but she did have to beat Distant Cousin there, and that one seems to be on great form right now, too. Wu Wei is the only filly in this field who was not BC-nominated, so Keikowin has had to pay the full entry fee. A win would be a great moment for the game as this trainer has been with us since 2004 and would love to record their first BC win. No reason why she can’t, either.
#9- Wicked Heat (EasyMoney Stables, ridden G L Stevens)- In order to have more confidence in her, I would love to know if there was a reason why was not a threat in the Cotillion. It looks like the start is key for her, as when you look at the Queens Plate as well, you see a race where she was at the back and could never recover. When she is at the front, as she was in the Alabama, she seems to be a lot better. After all, she won the Alabama. Inconsistency has never really been a trait for her until this recent run. Earlier this year, she was the filly to beat, and proved that by winning the KYO. Does she have one more great moment in her? Her sire (Commanding) knows what its like to win the KYD and the Classic in the same year.
#10- Lullaby Maker Tf (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by D Moran)- The defending BC Distaff champion is in the house and ready to become the first horse to win this race twice, and could do it back to back. I’m looking at her a little differently, as she was hot going into the Distaff last year, winning four straight, including that year’s Spinster and Personal Ensign. The victory at KEE culminated an amazing run, but was it her peak? In 2016, Lullaby Maker Tf has just one win, and it was a good one in May’s La Troienne at CD. Last year, it was four wins in a row coming here. This year, it’s nearly four thirds in a row. (Three thirds and a fifth). She knows what it takes, and you got to like that.
#11- Way Up (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- The trainer will get to have his two entries next to one another, but would have preferred them to have been better posts. Way Up doesn’t have the resume that Lullaby Maker Tf has, but I see her as being the trainer’s best chance to win this race. She is peaking now, and is coming off a dead heat victory in the Cotillion that I have referenced many times already since that was a big preview for this race. She drew even with Dirty Deeds that day. I recall being very impressed with her stretch fight that day when Dirty Deeds wanted to get by and could not quite complete the pass, fully. She wore #11 that day too, so maybe that will bring back memories for her. Interestingly, two weeks after the Cotillion, she was sent to the Spinster, and ran second. It’s been a full month, essentially, since then, so she’ll be ready to fire.
#12- Google Maps (Aml Racing, J Talamo)- Since it’s the BC, I’ll avoid the GPS puns here. This four year old filly participated in the BC Distaff last year as well, but would drop to a fifth place finish after setting the pace. It was a great overall season for her, and in 2016, if you look at her season earnings, she has been about equal. The biggest win of the year for her came at the end of the July with a very impressive score in the Hirsch Stakes against a few she sees here such as Brawl Dead End, Wu Wei, and Distant Cousin. After a couple months to rest, she returned to the track and ran a great race, but simply came up short to her neighbor here in the starting gate.
#13- Chili King (Sanny Village, ridden by J L Ortiz)- Another one of our great virtual trainers that would love to add a BC Distaff trophy to their already impressive list of accomplishments. Chili King is the old lady of the group, at six years of age. She ran in this race so long ago that we called it something else! That would be the 2013 edition known as the Ladies Classic. More currently, Chili King has done some great things in 2016, and you need to look back no further then her last start, the Grade 1 Beldame. She topped Google Maps that day in what was a solid field. The start of the race will be very important for her.
#14- Brawl Dead End (Mb Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- Finally, on the outside we get to the third of the entries from Mb Stables. This four year old has overcome a lot this year, and won three races, including the Grade 1 Vanity right here at SA in June. Overall, she is two-for-two on this racetrack. Following that race, she would run in the Hirsch and not end up being a factor. While others were going to the Cotillion in September, Brawl Dead End went to the Grade 3 Locust Grove to get her mojo back for this race. Thing is, she didn’t win that race. She has earned the right to compete against these, but Mb is probably glad that if he had to have won in this field draw post 14, that it was this one.
Prediction: 1-7-9-12
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES, THE BREEDERS CUP
