Foxplay Picks Up Breeders' Cup Slot at Royal Randwick

Chris Waller trainee Foxplay (AUS) capped a huge day at Royal Randwick April 8 for the conditioner, who also sent out supermare Winx to her 17th straight win earlier on the card.

Powering to the front in the $1 million Coolmore Legacy Queen of the Turf Stakes (G1), the 3-year-old filly landed a half-length win over Zanbagh (AUS) and earned an automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge.

 

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is an international series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held for the first time at Del Mar Nov. 3-4.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge series, the Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the connections of Foxplay to start in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, which will be run at 1 3/8 miles. Breeders' Cup will also provide a $40,000 travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 23 to receive the rewards.

Foxplay, who races for Mrs. C.M. Cook and Mrs. J.L. Van Buynder and partners, became the first 3-year-old filly to win the Coolmore Legacy since Forensics (AUS) in 2008. A grey daughter of Foxwedge, Foxplay garnered her first group 1 victory and her fourth win in 11 starts.

Breaking from post 10 against 16 rival fillies and mares, Foxplay stayed close to the pace in fourth place on the outside of pacesetters First Seal (AUS), 4-1 favorite Silent Sedition (AUS), and Dixie Blossoms (AUS). With 300 meters remaining, McEvoy angled Foxplay to the outside, and she hit top gear, passing Dixie Blossoms as Silent Sedition and First Seal faded.

Foxplay continued strongly through the finish, staying just in front of the fast-closing Zanbagh (20-1). Dixie Blossoms finished a half-length back in third. Foxplay completed the one mile in 1:39.65 over a course listed as soft.

"Foxplay has been a very special horse to us, we call her the Winx junior, there are lots of similarities,'' Waller said afterward to the Morning Herald. "She started off with a winning bang and has sort of been a little bit forgotten, had a few hard luck stories go against her and funnily enough has run in the same races as Winx. I decided not to run Foxplay in the (Australian) Oaks because I still think she has some brilliance and speed so fortunately we got away with it."

"It was a lovely win by this filly, she's just done a great job," McEvoy said. "I wanted to be a bit closer with the lack of speed in the race, I gave her a kick out of the gates and she was much closer than I thought I'd be. I was wide but full credit to the horse she did a good job, I just had her travelling and she picked up well. She deserves a group 1, she's just a little star.''

Foxplay returned to her most accustomed shorter distances today after a fourth-place finish in the 1 1/2-mile Vinery Stud Stakes (G1) at Rosehill March 25, as the 14-5 favorite. Foxplay won the 7 1/2-furlong Celebrations Phar Lap Stakes (G2) against 3-year-old fillies at Rosehill March 11. Last September, she scored consecutive sprint stakes wins at Randwick in the six-furlong Fast and Furious (G2), and in the seven-furlong Tea Rose Stakes (G2). Foxplay opened 2017 at Randwick with a second-place finish to Global Glamour (AUS) in the Light Fingers Stakes (G2) against 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs.