11/03 BC Distaff – Grade I
CD Race #12 1 1/8m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $2,000.00 For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward.
The BC Distaff has been run at CD 3 times since 2003 with the last winner on this track being Millionaire Hieress in 2011. The most interesting and key fact about the outcome of this raced based on its history is that 9 three year olds have won out of the 15 runnings and in the last 5 years they have proved unbeatable. In fact the other 5 winners have been four year olds suggesting that this race heavily favors the younger generation.
No trainer has won this race twice and no jockey seems dominant so on that score it is pretty even but you can’t get away from the success the younger horses have had in the past. We have two previous winners in the race Viking Vania and Wicked Heat, both of whom won as three year olds.
So onto the runners and we have a few rivalries here that will be renewed and i guess the question is, will it be two of the seasons brightest stars that fight out the finish or a new kid on the block….or even dare i say it, one of the old girls.
1 Osmium D J C Racing Stables Lanerie C J
WR 117
A four year old filly by Copper Botom
Trained by DJC Racing Stables who has 2 BC wins and a winning % of 16.1 for route races
2016 -3- Just the one start as a juvenile where she ran a nice third on debut in an FL Maiden.
2017 – 101013413 – She won her maiden on seasonal debut but then proved a little inconsistent over shorter trip winning two more but running unplaced in between. She really started to put it together when getting up over a mile eventually breaking through in the grade three Turn Back The Alarm Handicap at the end of the year.
2018 – 13021131 – It is as a four year old that she has really started to show her real class winning the La Canada Stakes first time out and setting the standard for her season so far. She ran consistently just below the top grade but really started to break through when she won two grade two handicaps and then ran a super third in the Personal Ensign from the 13 stall. That run puts her right in the mix with the big two here in Jinxed Queen and Whispering Nurse and she proved she was still improving in her last start when taking the grade One Beldame pretty comfortably. Her last mile work suggests she may have improved a little bit more and i think she could be the main danger for a win outside the obvious choices especially as she gets a good draw compared to her main rivals.
2 Shake It Off Our Athletes Smith M E
WR 112
A five year old mare by Quench
Trained by Our Athletes who has no BC wins and a 17.6% winning rate for routes
2015 – 0 – Debuted in December in a fair track maiden where she ran 5th
2016 – 113011303 – She quickly took a maiden in February on seasonal debut and then broke into the big time on her third start winning the GP Oaks by an impressive two lengths. She went on to finish a brilliant third in the KYO in only her fourth start and also won the grade one Mother Goose and The Personal Ensign before being beaten in this race. She finished the year off with a brave and close third in the grade one La Brea casting some confusion over her poor Distaff effort.
2017 – 14320323 – She came out firing as a four year old winning the Santa Maria Stakes but was to go the rest of the year without a win despite some top class efforts. One of those was another go at this race where she ran a great race to be third beaten just a quarter length and a snifter behind Whispering Nurse.
2018 – 112001 – She again started off the year in winning fashion winning the Santa Maria again before a game win in the Santa Margerita but when she took on the boys in the CT Classic running a great and memorable second it seemed to knock her back a bit and she put in two disappointing efforts in the Phipps and The Hirsch. She took a bit of time off after that and returned in the Locus Grove looking much more like her old self in winning by a length.If she is indeed back to her best she will trouble the big players in this race and she atleast looks like being involved in the run to the line if she doesnt end up winning.
3 Wicked Heat Mb Stables Lopez P
WR 107
A five year old mare by Commanding
Trained by Mb Stables who has 13 BC wins and a route winning % of 30.9
2015 – 3121132 – Pretty busy as a juvenile considering she is still around and running in the top grade. She won the grade one Chandalier before running a superb third in the BC Juvenile Fillies and then finished the season with a neck second in the grade one Starlet. This was her most consistent season and she stamped herself as a dirt router pretty early in her career.
2016 – 21100101 – Took the FG Oaks and then the KY Oaks and looked just about unbeatable but she hit a flat spot when she got a wide draw in the Acorn and was beaten by the race engine. She then took on the boys in the Queens Plate and ran pretty well to be ninth but was a little disappointing considering just how good she had been in the KYO. She got back to winning ways in the Alabama and ended the season with a thrilling and game head win in this race.
2017 – 0000110 – After 4 unplaced efforts her trainer tried the turf with her to try and rekindle her best form and she managed to win the Matchmaker and the grade one Rodeo Drive on the grass before a poor performance in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf. I am not sure she was ever a turf filly but the grass certainly got her going again with her only two wins of the year coming on that surface.
2018 – 22010431 – Back on dirt she was sold after 3 runs to Mb Stables for no less than $600.000, a pretty good price for a five year old and the maestro of HRP has managed to find a grade one and entry into this race for the second time in her career. That win came when she dead heated with Viking Vania in the Zenyatta Stakes and whilst she doesnt look like the filly that won the KYO there is still plenty of class there. You can’t write off a previous BC winner and certainly not one that is trained by Mb Stables and drawn perfectly.
4 Diminuendo Blushing Meadows Pennington F
WR 104
A three year old filly by To A Tune
Trained by Blushing Meadows who has 4 BC wins and a route winning % of 18.2
2017 – 431412 – Broke her maiden after being bought by Smokey Stover and went on to have a successful juvenile season winning the grade three Tempted after running fourth in the grade one Alcibiades. She was to return to her breeder 8 months later when Smokey Stover slimmed down their operation.
2018 – 043302223 – Her form doesnt look great when you consider she hasnt won for almost a year but she really isnt far behind the best of her sex and it wouldnt take much to see her in at the finish. third in the FG Oaks, sixth in the KYO and then in her last three races placed in three grade ones in a row those being The Alabama, The Cottilion and the Spinster. Its true she has a length or two to find on recent form but a very nice draw will give her every chance of getting her first win of the year.
5 Misty Firefox Crocker Ggs Saez L
WR 110
A three year old filly by Nebulizer
Trained by Crocker Cgs who has 0 BC wins and a route winning % of 16.2
2017 – 0114 – Won a statebred maiden and stakes race as a two year old but wasnt tested beyond that grade.
2018 – 1111140 – This horse looked like a superstar early in the year winning the grade three Bourbonette Oaks and Fantasy before taking the KYO with a very strong late run. She didnt stop there taking the WO Oaks to make it five from five to summer but the wheels have fallen off a little in her last two starts and questions have to be asked. Her fourth in the CCA Oaks wasnt bad after running on the speed but she was a little lack lustre last time out in the Cottilion when fifth beaten three lengths. If she recaptures her early season form she will be a big threat with the three year old weight allowance but it is always dangerous when an early season star starts to struggle in the Autumn. A decent draw and a change of rider makes her an interesting entry who could well surprise.
6 Lake Wendigo Night Rider Stables Maragh Ro
WR 110
A three year old filly by Kavorka
Trained by Night Rider Stables who has 1 BC win and a route winning % of 20.1
2017 – 21213 – Took some nice purses on the statebred circuit as a two year old when trained by Barcelona Farms winning the FL Sire Stakes – My Dear when sloshing through the mud over a mile and sixteenth.
2018 – 213213 – Bought after a second on seasonal debut the new trainer has done a great job with her and she is flying under the radar for this race. A close second in the Acorn she ran a superb race in the BEL Oaks to be second before a career defining win in the grade one Alabama. That race was run on slushy ground and she powered home from a long way back to beat Diminuendo by a very easy three lengths. In her last start she was third in the Cottilion on a faster track and it does look like she needs rain to show her very best. You cannot just call her a wet tracker though as she has never been out of the first three but i just think she is a couple of lengths better in the wet.
7 Enoughs Enough Mb Stables Bejarano R
WR 119
A three year old filly by Grandeur
Trained by Mb Stables who has 13 BC wins and a route winning % of 30.9
2017 – 41 – In her second start as a juvenile she won a nice maiden over a mile and sixteenth and even back then was held in high regard by her trainer.
2018 – 11001101 – Her form this year reads a bit like binary with some great wins peppered with unplaced efforts. She started off taking an ungraded stakes and then followed up with a game win in the Alexandra Stakes where she beat her more fancied stable mate by a nose. After those good wins she went the Oaks route firstly failing in the FG Oaks and then again in the KY Oaks, Both of those runs were just OK but she stepped up after that taking the Summer Oaks before a famous victory in the Hirsch Stakes. She beat Molly Magne and Dirty Deeds that day with the likes of Viking Vania, Shake It Off and Wicked Heat behind her so that represents good form for this race, In her next start she took on the best in the Personal Ensign but faced with a poor draw she was taken back and could only make ground to finish in behind Jinxed Queen, Whispering Nurse and Osmium. If we write that effort off because of the draw and look at how she was making ground it is easy to make a case for her winning today and i know the trainer has plenty of confidence going into this race especially after her final start in the grade one Cottillion. She cruised home two lengths clear of Diminuendo that day in a race which was a bit like a division two race and so far that is pretty much where she fits clear of the division two fillies but just behind the top of division one, that may change today.
8 Viking Vania Delta Farms Albarado R J
WR 111
A four year old filly by Viking Rage
Trained by Delta Farms who has 2 BC wins and a route winning % of 16.8
2016 – 24 – Still a maiden at two she gave no clue as to what sort of three year old she would become.
2017 – 221112121 – Her form figures say it all about her 2017 season, never out of the first two and the winner of over $2K. She actually started with a couple of seconds in maidens before starting her remarkable run to the BC taking the IA Oaks and the Personal Ensign and finally onto that game win in the BC Distaff. She beat Whispering Nurse in that finish and anything close to that sort of form puts her right into contention to win a second Distaff.
2018 – 103001 – Things started well with a good win in the HOU Classic again beating Whispering Nurse but she then completely lost her way finishing well back in four consecutive grade ones and it was easy to ask the question about the end of her career. Answering her doubters she came out of the blue to return to form in dead heating with Wicked Heat in the Zenyatta last time out and we are left guessing as to where she stands for this race. I dont think she is quite as good as she was but she really hasnt run a bad race in her career and i may be a bit harsh with that assessment especially when you look at her prep work for this race which was blistering.
9 Dirty Deeds Aer Stables Ortiz I Jr
WR 106
a five year old mare by Folk Art
Owned by Aer Stables who has 1 bc win and a winning % in routes of 15
2015 – 4101 – Took two overnights after a failed attempt at the Frizette, she was a well regarded juvenile who failed to break through.
2016 – 132011410- Won the grade one CCA Oaks and the grade one Cotillion as a three year old but ran a horrible race in the Distaff finishing last. That run was strange considering her more than consistent season where she hadnt been beaten more than two lengths at the top level.
2017 – 341042141- Didnt take long to get back in the groove winning the grade one La Troienne and added a great win in the Beldame after a good second in the Personal Ensign. Everything pointed to a good chance to atone in the Distaff but she was given a terrible draw to work with and she look destined to fail again. The wide draw made her go to the front for the first time in her 19 starts but instead of weakening away she stuck on really gamely finishing fourth and beaten only a length.
2018 – 2122304 – She has barely taken a breath this year keeping on in the top grade and having a third great season. Second in the La Troiene and the Personal Ensign she has also run third in the Hirsch and a very close fourth in the Zenyatta making her a top contender for her third BC Distaff in a row. I guess the biggest question mark is that she has taken on the best this year and although not beaten far has seemed to find one or two too good each time.
10 Beat To The Punch Mb Stables Gallardo A A
WR 111
A three year old filly by Im Too confident.
Trained by Mb Stables who has 13 BC wins and a route winning % of 30.9
2017 – 2111210 – She was one of the top fillies as a juvenile winning the grade one Chandelier and running pretty well in the BC Juvenile Fillies when unplaced.
2018 – 021143021 – Aimed at the KYO she started the year off very well winning the Davona Dale and the GP Oaks before getting a horrible draw in the KYO and running very creditably to be fourth beaten just a length. She has run consistently since and after a second in the Ballerina she flew late to win the TC Of America over six furlongs. I am pretty sure her trainer was tempted by the sprint but i think this is more her trip and given a good run from the ten box she could be a danger. Her preparation work for this race was very quick and if she can land on an average pace through the first half of the race she will still be there at the end.
11 Jinxed Queen Gdp Inc Centeno D E
WR – 122
A three year old filly by Z Jinxed One
Trained by Gdp Inc has no BC wins and a route winning % of 18.9
2017 – 13 – She didnt race until November as a juvenile winning a little turf route at RET on debut before running past tired ones for a distant third in an ungraded stakes race again on the turf.
2018 – 11110112 – She really has gone from strength to strength this season winning a claimer first out and then running up four wins in a row which included the Gazelle and The Black Eyed Susan both at grade two. She took on the boys in the OH Derby but failed and then got back to winning ways against her own sex starting with a great win in the grade one CCA Oaks, she just beat Indian River Queen in that race by a nose. Next out in the grade one Personal Ensign she slaughtered Indian River Queen who was way behind as she beat Whispering Nurse and Osmium from a terrible draw by a cosey length. At that point with those scalps she looked like she was building to Distaff favouritism but she took on Whispering Nurse again last time out in the Spinster and was firmly put in her place when a two length second to the great filly. It will be a great rematch between these two but as we watch the weight allowance for three year olds shrink the older horses tend to get the better of them so she will have to have improved again to beat Whispering Nurse. The interesting thing here will be that the two top contenders for this are next to each other and drawn wide and it will be very interesting to see how that plays out.
12 Whispering Nurse D J C Racing Stables Velazquez J R
WR – 127
A four year old filly by Catch A Rising Star
Trained by DJC Racing Stables who has 2 BC wins and a winning % of 16.1 for route races
2016 – 211 – She ran three times as a juvenile winning two after a second on debut but was never tested beyond overnight level. Even at that age she was looking towards a route trip as her second win came over a mile and sixteenth.
2017 – 3211212121 – She started early in the season running her fourth start in May and winning the grade two Eight Belles and after that was never again to race outside top company. She won three grade ones, the CCA Oaks, The Cottillion and the La Brea and was close seconds in the Alabama and the BC Distaff. She raced from the ten box last year and was running down Viking Vania down the stretch only failing by a head and many felt that she was the best filly in training in 2017.
2018 – 321121 – She has just started where she left off last year winning three grade ones this year and finishing second in the other two. She really is one of the most consistent horses on HRP and has never been outside the top three in 19 starts. She has beaten all her main rivals over her career and last time out in The Spinster toyed with Jinxed Queen beating her two lengths. She really does look one of the best bets of the BC series and its implausible to see her outside the top three although this horrible draw really does open the race up somewhat.
13 Molly Magne Gdp Inc Sanchez M J
WR 106
A three year old filly by Charlemagne
Trained by Gdp Inc has no BC wins and a route winning % of 18.9
2017 – 430110 – Took a while to break her maiden but followed it up with a good win in the Juvenile Filly Stallion Stakes before a poor effort in the DED Princess saw her go away for the year.
2018 – 321001200 – She built nicely at the start of the year running two good places at graded level before winning the Santa Ysabel Stakes by a fairly easy two lengths. She then took on the best three year olds in the Ashland and the KYO but only ran fairly, out of the money. She got back to winning ways when taking the Mother Goose before taking on the olders in the Hirsch and running a super race to be a close second to Enoughs Enough with Dirty Deeds, Wicked Heat and Viking Vania behind. She was poor in the Ballerina over an inadequate seven furlongs but better again in her last start when running just a length behind the winner when seventh in the Zanyatta. This is a good filly if not a little inconsistent and at her best would be within a length of the best of these but this bad draw will make it very tough when she needed plenty of things to go her way in order to win.
14 La Terrifiant Our Athletes Geroux F
WR 105
A three year old filly by Pinkman
Trained by Our Athletes who has 0 BC wins and a route winning % of 17.6
2017 – 21211 – She had a huge season as a juvenile with a very impressive two length win in the BC Juvenile Fillies a real highlight and she added to that success with a gritty win in the Demoiselle at the end of the year.
2018 – 00230214 – Like most that are successful as a juvenile in the BC she lost her way in the months between two and three and after two disappointing efforts was sold for $375.000. Her new owner managed to find some of that old form when she ran a great race in the KYO finishing third beaten under a length. That race really showed that she wasnt done yet and since that run has been right back to her best. A hard closing sixth in the Acorn and then a narrow loss in the IND Oaks preceded a really good win in the MTH Oaks. With things going so much better i expected a little more in her last start in the Cottilion but she ran pretty well to be fourth two lengths behind Enoughs Enough. It’s hard to really weigh up her chances in this race, she loves the track and clearly retains the sort of ability that saw her so impressive at this meet last year so you cant write her off and if she gets a decent run from the car park draw she could be involved in the finish.
15 Sports Creek Estero Farms – Also Eligible –
WR 103
A three year old filly by Lannisport
Trained by Estero Farms who has 0 BC wins and a route winning % of 16
2017 – 2111002- A good juvenile she finished the season on a high with a good second in the DED Princess after three wins over the sprint distances.
2018 – 02004103 – Early on her trainer went the KYO qualifying route but after a good second in the Davona Dale behind Beat To The Punch she lost her way and never made the KYO. She finally got a win with a game neck victory in the DEL Oaks in July and then after a disappointing effort n the Personal Ensign she was only a head behind Wicked Heat and Viking Vania in a driving finish for the Zenyatta. She has to be an outsider here to win or even get in the race but i know her trainer thinks a lot of her and you can never tell with these three year olds as they can improve a length overnight.
16 Ivanka Winning Link Stables – Also Eligible –
WR 103
A three year old filly by Chai Latte
Trained by Winning Link Stables
2017 – 10141 – A nice two year old she took an ungraded stakes in her final start as a juvenile.
2018 – 120000 – Started off the year winning the grade two Las Virgenes and followed that with a great second in the SA Oaks, since then though it has all gone wrong. In the off chance she gets in the race she would be at very long odds to win.
SUMMARY
Before the draw was announced i felt this race was a match between Whispering Nurse and Jinxed Queen but with both of those fillies getting horrible draws this race has really opened up. I am at a bit of a loss now as this was my best hope of an exacta but those two are still good enough to finish first and second. I may have a little each way on Osmium.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
