Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Berth for Birdie Gold

Stud Couet's 3-year-old Kentucky-bred filly Birdie Gold powered to a three-length victory over favored Soy Realidad (CHI) in Sunday's 1 1/4-mile $65,000 Gran Premio Pamplona (G1) at Hipodromo de Monterrico and earned an automatic berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T).

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is an international series of 81 stakes races whose winners receive free berths and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held, for the first time, at the Del Mar race track near San Diego, California, on Nov. 3-4.

As a part of the benefits of the Challenge series, the Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the connections of the Birdie Gold to start in the 1 1/8-mile Filly & Mare Turf.  Breeders' Cup will also provide a $40,000 travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships.

Breeders' Cup South American representative John Fulton confirmed following the race that the connections of Birdie Gold would accept the automatic berth and prepare for the Filly & Mare Turf.

Birdie Gold, trained by Juan Suárez Villarroel and ridden by Edwin Talaverano, won her fourth race in five starts, and reversed the results on Soy Realidad, who had defeated her in the Gran Premio Nacional (G1) on April 20 in her first start on turf and around two turns.

Breaking from the fifth post position in a 12-horse field, Talaverano angled Birdie Gold toward the rail in the early going and continued a ground-saving ride in mid-pack through the first mile of the race, while Maggie Lee (PER) set the pace. After turning for home in the stretch, Talaverano angled Birdie Gold three paths off the rail and sent her into high gear, and got the jump on Soy Realidad. Birdie Gold passed Maggie Lee, and eventual third-place finisher Chicuela (PER), who made a strong bid on the outside but was no match for the winner. Soy Realidad closed for second. Smart Choice (ARG) finished fourth, followed by Maggie Lee in fifth.

Birdie Gold, a daughter of Birdstone out of Gold Revenue by Touch Gold, was bred by Teneri Farm Inc. & Bernardo Alvarez Calderon.

Birdie Gold completed the 11/4 miles in 2:01.44. She came into Sunday's race having won three dirt allowance starts at Monterrico at six furlongs on March 4, seven furlongs on March 26, and at one mile on April 23.

The Gran Premio Pamplona was the third Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf qualifier thus far in 2017. Birdie Gold joins Bela-Bela (SAF), who won the Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes (G1) at Kenilworth in South Africa in January and Foxplay (AUS), who captured the Coolmore Legacy Queen of the Turf Stakes (G1) at Royal Randwick in Australia in April as the third horse to earn an automatic berth in this division.

About Breeders' Cup

 

The Breeders' Cup administers the Breeders' Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing's year-end Championships. The Breeders' Cup also administers the Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The 2017 Breeders' Cup World Championships, consisting of 13 Grade I races with purses and awards totaling more than $28 million, will be held November 3-4 at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. The Breeders' Cup culminates with the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic, named the Longines World's Best Horse Race in 2016 by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. Breeders' Cup press releases appear on the Breeders' Cup Web site, www.breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders' Cup on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube