Breeders’ Cup Distaff

BREEDERS’ CUP FRIDAY
PREVIEWS

BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF (G1),
9TH-SA, $2,000,000, 3YO/UP, F/M, 1 1/8M, 7:35PM, 10-31

by Jennifer Caldwell

With the defection of Beholder, Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff has turned
into a wide-open affair. Some may argue that even with that dual Eclipse-winning
filly in the mix, the 1 1/8-mile race was still up for grabs, but Beholder’s
love for Santa Anita Park would have been tough to overcome and it would have
been difficult to pick against that talented miss.

Now with 11 fillies and mares left, the Distaff has shaped up to be one of
the more contentious races of this year’s Breeders’ Cup. Any number in the field
have a shot, but the track experience angle is still quite viable and has
resulted in three price horses being tabbed below.

1ST — First up is TIZ MIDNIGHT. The four-year-old bay is 10-1 on the
morning-line after making her stakes debut last out on September 27 in the Grade
1 Zenyatta. Setting the pace from her inside post that day, the Bob Baffert
trainee was just caught in the lane by Beholder while finishing only three parts
of a length back in second.

It was a stellar effort from a filly who had never faced black-type rivals
before, but Tiz Midnight had already proven her love for Santa Anita. The
Midnight Lute miss brought a three-race win streak into the Zenyatta that
started with an 11-length romp going the same 1 1/16-mile distance at Santa
Anita on June 27. She also finished second and third in her prior two races at
Santa Anita.

Tiz Midnight may not seem a likely winner when compared to others in the
Distaff field, but her front-running style, winning experience over the track
and inside post could result in a tour de force reminiscent of Beholder in 2013.
The connections — Baffert and jockey Victor Espinoza — only enhance her
chances.

2ND — Another reason to like Tiz Midnight is that in the Zenyatta she
finished 3 1/4 lengths in front of another Santa Anita lover in IOTAPA.

That Afleet Alex four-year-old had finished worse than second just one time
this season prior to her Zenyatta effort. That came when she cut back to seven
furlongs for Churchill
Downs‘ Grade 1 Humana Distaff in early May. Prior to that, Iotapa had
finished second in both the Grade 1 Santa Margarita and Grade 2 Santa Monica
while sandwiching a win in the Grade 2 Santa Maria between those two.

All three of those starts occurred at Santa Anita, and Iotapa put her Humana
Distaff experience behind her when returning to that track for a 10 1/4-length
romp on June 14 in the Grade 1 Vanity. The John Sadler pupil also took the Grade
1 Clement L. Hirsch at Del Mar in August and performed quite well in the
Zenyatta considering she got off to a slow start.

Joe Talamo has been aboard for all but one of Iotapa’s California starts this
year, and the duo could put together a perfect stalk-and-pounce trip on Friday
at 6-1 on the morning-line.

3RD — BELLE GALLANTEY has posted 27 of her last 28 races in New York, with
the lone exception coming at Delaware Park. However, prior to that the After
Market mare began her career on the West Coast, first at Hastings Park in Canada
before traveling south to Santa Anita, Hollywood Park and Del Mar.

During those early starts, the chestnut put up a 4-2-1-1 mark at Santa Anita.
For much of her career she’s competed against claiming, starter allowance,
optional claiming and allowance competition, and has passed through many barns
after making her racing debut at Hastings in 2011 before finally ending up in
Rudy Rodriguez’s shedrow.

Belle Gallantey seems to have found new life with the trainer, who attributed
the five-year-old’s recent success to running her in longer races and getting
her to relax. She made her stakes bow as a juvenile at Hastings, but has faced
nothing but Grade 1 rivals in her past four races, starting with a fifth-placing
in the Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park in June.

Belle Gallantey was one-paced in that 1 1/16-mile contest while experience
traffic problems, but wired the 10-furlong Delaware Handicap next out by 2 3/4
lengths. She was distanced in the 1 1/8-mile Personal Ensign on August 22, but
the muddy, sealed nature of the Saratoga main track that day compromised her
chances, according to Rodriguez.

The Kentucky-bred mare seemed to prove her trainer right when returning last
out with an 8 1/4-length wire job in the Beldame Invitational back at Belmont,
but was only made 6-1 on the morning-line against this group. Based on her prior
Santa Anita experience, love of fast tracks and continued improvement, Belle
Gallantey could jump up with another big win under regular rider Jose Ortiz.

OTHERS — While all of the above picks are logical, many are focused on
UNTAPABLE and CLOSE HATCHES for the Distaff, and well they should be.

The former has captured five of six starts this year, romping in four of
those including the Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose, both Grade 1s. Untapable was
no match for the boys in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational, resulting in a
well-beaten fifth, but got back to her winning ways in the Grade 1 Cotillion
last out on September 20. The Tapit sophomore will be facing her elders for the
first time in the Distaff, though, and was well-beaten in
eighth while competing in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies over this
track. Though Untapable is not one to normally leave out of the exotics, taking
a chance against at 5-2 seems worthwhile.

Close Hatches is looking to go one better than her second in last year’s
Distaff, and the First Defence filly has done well for herself this season
(5-4-0-0) with wins in the Apple Blossom, Ogden Phipps and Personal Ensign, all
Grade 1s. However, the dark bay miss faltered on the lead in the Grade 1
Spinster last out at Keeneland, winding up fourth on that occasion, and her BRIS
Speed numbers have dropped in her past two as well. Bill Mott trainees are not
to be overlooked on big race days but, like Untapable, it seems reasonable to
play against Close Hatches at 3-1 on the morning-line.

A quick mention of two others (this really is a competitive field) who could
jump up in the exotics on Friday. DON’T TELL SOPHIA has run up a 5-4-0-1 mark
this year that includes the Spinster last out while VALIANT EMILIA might
continue the winning tradition of South American distaffers in this race. The
latter mare is exiting a nice Peruvian Group 3 victory going 1 1/4 miles on June
22.