Filly & Mare Turf Diary

FILLY & MARE TURF DIARY

NOVEMBER 2, 2006

by Kellie Reilly

I arrived at my top selection in the 1 3/8-mile Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare
Turf (G1) in a heartbeat, not because I have some magical key to the race, but
from pure, unadulterated loyalty. Although my second choice was equally
straightforward and inevitable, I had a moral crisis when it came to third. As
with the Mile (G1) and Turf (G1) discussed in this week’s Turf Diary, I found it
difficult to sift through this field laden with admirable performers, none of
whom I want to sell short.

Ouija Board is going for her second F&M Turf (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com) 1st — I’ve loved Lord Derby’s OUIJA BOARD (GB) (Cape Cross [Ire]) since she humbled her rivals in the Pretty Polly S. at Newmarket in May 2004. When experts claimed she wouldn’t stay the 12 furlongs of the Oaks (Eng-G1), I believed in her, and she fully justified my faith with a seven-length demolition job at Epsom, followed by a score in the Irish Oaks (Ire-G1) over the demanding terrain of the Curragh. After a troubled third in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1), the Ed Dunlop trainee swept to a 1 1/2-length victory in the 2004 Filly & Mare Turf, setting the seal on her championship season as European Horse of the Year. When her 2005 campaign was interrupted by a stress fracture, the doubters raised their voices again, arguing that Ouija Board just wasn’t the same filly and therefore couldn’t defend her title in the Filly & Mare Turf. I still believed in her, and although she couldn’t catch a loose-on-the-lead Intercontinental (GB), she finished an honorable second. Two starts later, she proved that she retained all of her ability when routing males in the Hong Kong Vase (HK-G1). As discussed in several of my International Diaries, Ouija Board has added to her considerable curriculum vitae this season, not by taking easy pickings, but by confronting world-class males in six of seven starts. Most notably, she outkicked Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) hero Electrocutionist to capture the Prince of Wales’s S. (Eng-G1) at Royal Ascot; took a stern run at reigning Breeders’ Cup Turf victor Shirocco (Ger) before settling for second in the Coronation Cup (Eng-G1); and in her latest effort, she was just outdueled by Irish Derby (Ire-G1) winner Dylan Thomas (Ire) (Danehill) in the September 9 Irish Champion S. (Ire-G1). In her lone outing against females, Ouija Board outfought the tough Alexander Goldrun (Gold Away [Ire]) in the Nassau S. (Eng-G1). Ouija Board skipped the Prix de l’Opera (Fr-G1) and Champion S. (Eng-G1) because of concerns about soft ground. She probably won’t encounter that sort of going at Churchill, and even there’s a bit of give in the ground, it shouldn’t be deep enough to compromise her. According to the Racing Post, Ouija Board has been training sharply for her third tilt at the Filly & Mare Turf, and Frankie Dettori, who piloted her to that epic Nassau success, will ride. 2nd — WAIT A WHILE (Maria’s Mon) has looked like a world-beater since switching to the turf for Todd Pletcher, and her progress has been noted in successive editions of my Filly & Mare Turf Diary. After destroying fellow sophomores in the American Oaks Invitational S. (G1) and Lake Placid S. (G2), the gray decimated older rivals in the September 30 Yellow Ribbon S. (G1) at Oak Tree last time out. That wasn’t the strongest field ever assembled, but Wait a While won it in the ruthless manner of a high-class performer.

Although Wait a While will be tackling 1 3/8 miles for the first time here,
she’s been finishing very strongly in her 10-furlong races, and there’s no
reason to suppose the extra furlong will be an obstacle. She’s been racing on
firm ground, but she broke her maiden on good turf and posted a smart work over
Belmont’s yielding inner course on Sunday. Wait a While figures to track the
pace before delivering the coup de grace on the far turn, and more than likely,
she’s the one Ouija Board will have to collar.

3rd — Pletcher’s HONEY RYDER (Lasting Approval) has been in the shadow
of her younger and flashier stablemate, but the five-year-old gray mare
shouldn’t be overlooked. She boasts a five-for-six career mark at the distance,
including tallies in the 2006 Sheepshead Bay H. (G2),  2005 Glens Falls H.
(G3) and The Very One H. (G3), along with the last two editions of the Robert G.
Dick Memorial Breeders’ Cup at Delaware Park. Honey Ryder has landed four stakes
this season, most recently the 1 1/4-mile Flower Bowl Invitational S. (G1),
getting up late at a distance that’s a bit shorter than she’d prefer. A thorough
stayer and a gritty battler, Honey Ryder will finish stoutly on any type of
ground, and that endearing quality could be enough to crack the top three.

Intriguing Longshot: SATWA QUEEN (Fr) (Muhtathir [GB]), who
came within an eyelash of being my pick for third. Last year, I regarded the
Jean de Roualle trainee as a garden variety Group 3 filly, but the chestnut’s
proven to be much better than that this season, as my latest International Diary
pointed out. In the Balanchine S. at Nad al Sheba in February, Satwa Queen was
runner-up to Team Valor’s champion Irridescence (Caesour), who subsequently took
the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (HK-G1) at Sha Tin over a classy field of males and
an unlucky Ouija Board. Sidelined until August, Satwa Queen captured the Prix
Jean Romanet (Fr-G2) at Deauville, defeating Group 1 heroines Sweet Stream (Shantou)
and Red Bloom (GB) (Selkirk). Last time out in the October 1 Prix de l’Opera at
Longchamp, Satwa Queen seized command in the stretch before surrendering to the
brilliant Mandesha (Desert Style), who nearly went to the Arc. As a game
runner-up, Satwa Queen defeated Aidan O’Brien’s triple Oaks winner Alexandrova
(Sadler’s Wells) while comprehensively turning the tables on Irridescence. Satwa
Queen hasn’t tried this distance yet, but a filly who can win a salty Group 2
event going 1 1/4 miles in soft ground at Deauville ought to stay 1 3/8 miles at
Churchill. She’s got the strongest European form of anyone in this race, except
Ouija Board, and she’ll go off at a better price.

As an interesting tidbit, de Roualle had trained Mile (G1) contender GORELLA
(Fr) (Grape Tree Road [GB]) in France.