War Like Goddess Gets Preferred Distance in F&M Turf

The $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) at Del Mar Nov. 2 is once again an international affair as nine of the remaining 12 entrants were bred outside the United States, but Kentucky-bred War Like Goddess  is the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

The connections of George Krikorian's War Like Goddess  are more than happy to see the Filly and Mare Turf distance set at 1 3/8 miles as she starts from post 4 in her fourth Breeders' Cup try. The race was held at 1 3/16 miles (2022, Keeneland) and 1 1/4 miles (2023, Santa Anita Park) over the past two years due to the host track's configuration. This caused Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott to enter his distance specialist against the boys in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) both years.

Now the 7-year-old English Channel mare has an opportunity to face the fillies at a distance for which she holds a record of 4-2-1 from seven starts. In the 2021 Filly and Mare Turf at 1 3/8 miles at Del Mar, she finished a close third with a wide trip.

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Only one other entrant has seen the distance multiple times, with Godolphin's Beautiful Love  having raced it in each of her past two starts. The first of those two efforts was against 3-year-old fillies in the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational Stakes (G3T) at Aqueduct Racetrack, her second start in the United States for trainer Charlie Appleby. She then faced her elders in the Waya Stakes (G3T) Oct. 4 and finished third.

A longshot from the rail, her stablemate two stalls to her left is likely to pull more attention from the bettors. Cinderella's Dream  is the 4-1 second choice after grade 1 victories this summer in New York. After suffering her first and only defeat in the One Thousand Guineas (G1), the daughter of Shamardal  joined Appleby's American string and won the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T) and Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T) in more impressive fashion than the margin of victory suggests.

In total, four 3-year-old fillies will face their elders, with Content  representing Aidan O'Brien's Coolmore contingent. Fourth in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), the 3-year-old Galileo filly defeated Emily Upjohn , who will compete in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), in the Aug. 22 Yorkshire Oaks (G1) while traveling 1 1/2 miles. That success was not duplicated over soft ground in each of her last two starts, finishing 10th and 11th.

The last of the 3-year-olds is another European who has already raced on American soil in Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's Soprano , second in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland Oct. 12 for trainer George Boughey.

Another intriguing foreign runner hails from South Africa in Cayton Park Stud's Beach Bomb . After a pair of group 1 victories in the winter, she was transferred stateside to the barn of Graham Motion and has placed in two stakes with the goal always being the Breeders' Cup.

American Runners

The only American-based runner to win at the 1 3/8-mile distance besides War Like Goddess is Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Bruce Treitman's Sunset Glory , who took the CTT and TOC Stakes at Del Mar in August. The Michael McCarthy trainee was fifth in the 1 1/4-mile Rodeo Drive Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Oct. 5.

Winning that Rodeo Drive was CJ Thoroughbreds' Hang the Moon , who has become a dominant force in Southern California since joining Phil D'Amato's barn this season. As a 4-year-old, the Uncle Mo   filly is 3-1-0 in four starts and also won the 1 1/8-mile John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar.

Her victory in the Mabee snapped a three-race win streak for Anisette , who has never finished off the board in nine starts since moving to the U.S. in 2023. Winner of the Gamely Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita in May, she is one of three North American-based grade 1 winners this season in the field.

Merriebelle Stable and Resolute Racing's Didia  was 10th in this race last year, but had a strong start to 2024 with victories in the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (G2T) and New York Stakes (G1T). After consecutive fourth-place finishes, the 6-year-old Orpen mare looks to finish the season the way she started.

Gold Square's Full Count Felicia  joined Kevin Attard's barn for 2024 and rewarded the move with two open-length victories at Woodbine in the Canadian Stakes (G2T) and E. P. Taylor Stakes (G1T). A proven threat on the lead, her 19-length lead diminished to 3 1/2 lengths in the Taylor, but she still comfortably defeated stablemate Moira .

X-Men Racing, Madaket Stables, and SF Racing have had a bullseye on this race for Moira for years, as the Ghostzapper   mare finished fifth at Keeneland in 2022 and third at Santa Anita last year. She's 1-2-0 from three starts this year with a Beverly D. Stakes (G2T) win and two grade 1 placings.