Midnight Bisou the One to Beat in Breeders' Cup Distaff
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Photo: Zoe Metz
Midnight Bisou will try to complete a perfect season in the Breeders' Cup Distaff at Santa Anita Park
Regionalism won't play a role in anyone selecting Midnight Bisou to win the $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) Nov. 2 at Santa Anita Park. Foaled in Kentucky and sold in Florida to Californian Jeff Bloom, she has competed at nine tracks in seven states, from California to New York.
Midnight Bisou's performances across the country have merited a healthy respect from anyone with a filly or mare pointing for the Distaff. As a result, the field did not overfill, with 11 entered in the 1 1/8-mile event.
Steve Asmussen—who has won six Breeders' Cup races, including the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) with Curlin and Gun Runner —trains Midnight Bisou. The 4-year-old Midnight Lute filly races for Bloom, Sol Kumin's Madaket Stables, and Lori and Chuck Allen's Allen Racing, and she is 7-for-7 this year, all in graded stakes. Her last loss came when she finished third in the 2018 Distaff.
Midnight Bisou could very well be the shortest-priced favorite of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. One of her rivals, the talented Elate, was cross-entered in the Classic, her first preference to take on males instead of Midnight Bisou, who has beaten her three times this year.
Asmussen sent Midnight Bisou to Santa Anita early so she could get acclimated and she has posted four works at the track where she won the 2018 Santa Anita Oaks (G1), Santa Ynez Stakes (G2), and Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) while trained by Bill Spawr.
"She's just such a special filly, and she has proved to be such a good traveler," Bloom said. "Obviously she has performed extremely well racing at Santa Anita, but even more importantly, since returning she has trained exceptionally well. This is as good as she's been training."
Midnight Bisou will still have formidable foes. Paradise Woods won the 2017 Santa Anita Oaks by 11 3/4 lengths while under the care of trainer Richard Mandella. John Shirreffs now conditions Paradise Woods, who most recently captured the Zenyatta Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita, the race named for Shirreffs' most famous charge.
Midnight Bisou and Paradise Woods earned automatic berths into the Distaff through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, as did Elate, Blue Prize, Ollie's Candy, and Street Band. All are grade 1 winners, as are Dunbar Road, Secret Spice, Serengeti Empress, and Wow Cat. La Force is a grade 2 winner, and Mo See Cal is a multiple allowance winner.
There are three 3-year-olds in the field: Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Serengeti Empress, Alabama Stakes (G1) winner Dunbar Road, and Cotillion Stakes (G1) winner Street Band.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, November 02, 2019, Race 10Entries: Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Paradise Woods (KY)
Abel Cedillo
124
John A. Shirreffs
5/1
2
2Ollie's Candy (KY)
Joel Rosario
124
John W. Sadler
15/1
3
3Street Band (KY)
Sophie Doyle
121
J. Larry Jones
10/1
4
4Midnight Bisou (KY)
Mike E. Smith
124
Steven M. Asmussen
6/5
5
5Dunbar Road (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
121
Chad C. Brown
6/1
6
6Wow Cat (CHI)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
124
Chad C. Brown
15/1
7
7Secret Spice (KY)
John R. Velazquez
124
Richard Baltas
10/1
8
8La Force (GER)
Drayden Van Dyke
124
Patrick Gallagher
30/1
9
9Serengeti Empress (KY)
Flavien Prat
121
Thomas M. Amoss
12/1
10
10Mo See Cal (CA)
Paco Lopez
124
Peter Miller
30/1
11
11Blue Prize (ARG)
Joe Bravo
124
Ignacio Correas, IV
6/1
