Wide-Open Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Lures Nine

A wide-open field of nine fillies and mares will contest the $1 million Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes (G2T) May 2 at Churchill Downs.

The morning-line favorite at odds of 5-2 is the Brendan Walsh trainee Sweet Rebecca , who is looking to make it three wins in a row. She began her career under Walsh, breaking her maiden first out, then was moved to trainer Chad Brown's barn. Her first two starts back in the Walsh barn were winning ones, scoring in an allowance optional claiming race and the Sand Springs Stakes, both at Gulfstream Park. Owned by Resolute Racing, the 5-year-old daughter of American Pharoah  aims to win her first graded stakes race.

Brown brings two: the lightly raced Portfolio Duration  and Maggie Go . After losing her first start by a head, Portfolio Duration then broke her maiden by 5 3/4 lengths, and followed that up with an allowance victory, which she earned by 4 3/4 lengths. The 4-year-old daughter of Night of Thunder  is owned by Klaravich Stables and jumps into stakes company for the first time at odds of 4-1. Maggie Go was third last out behind Sweet Rebecca after winning an allowance optional claiming race. At odds of 8-1, her lone graded/group stakes win came in the 2024 Eliseo Ramirez (G2) in her native Argentina. 

Italian Soiree , making her second start for trainer Graham Motion, stretches back out to a mile after running in turf sprints in her last four starts. Previously trained by John Terranova, she became a graded stakes winner when she won the July 11 Coronation Cup Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course. After a pair of off-the-board finishes, she was then moved to Motion, who sent her out to win an allowance optional claiming race April 12 at Laurel Park, which she won by 1 3/4 lengths. Owned by Hit The Bid Racing Stable and CMNWLTH, the daughter of Uncle Mo is 10-1 on the morning line. 

Mike Maker's Pin Up Betty  is cross-entered in the 1 1/8-mile Modesty Stakes (G3T) that will run May 1 at Churchill Downs, but her connections opted to stay in this race. At odds of 7-2, she enters off a fifth-place finish in the Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T), 2 lengths off the dead-heat winners. A homebred for Three Diamonds Farm, the daughter of Constitution   has won four times in her 21-race career, and all of those victories have come over the Churchill Downs turf course. 

The Churchill Distaff Turf Mile is race 7 on a jam-packed Kentucky Derby (G1) Day card.