Final Two Challenge Series Races in England on Tap

The final two Breeders' Cup Challenge races this year in Great Britain will take place at Newmarket starting Friday with the seven-furlong $135,000 Shadwell Rockfel Stakes (GII), which will award an automatic starting berth into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, and will be followed by Saturday's one-mile $168,750 Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes (GII), with a berth into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf on the line.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is an international series of 85 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on Nov. 2-3. 

A field of nine 2-year-old fillies is expected for the Shadwell Rockfel, led by Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Mrs. John Magnier's Just Wonderful, trained by Aidan O'Brien, and Saif Ali's Main Edition (IRE) for trainer Mark Johnston, each listed at 3-1. Both runners will try to improve upon disappointing performances in the "Win and You're In" Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) on Sept. 16 at the Curragh following group stakes wins in their prior starts.

Just Wonderful, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Dansili (GB), has won two of five starts, including the one-mile Flame of Tara Irish EBF Stakes (G3) at the Curragh on Sept. 1 by 1 1/2 lengths. Sent off as the 9-2 third choice in the Moyglare, Just Wonderful dwelt at the start, settled in the rear of the pack and did not make a serious run at the leaders, finishing seventh. She will be ridden by Ryan Moore.

Main Edition, ridden by Frankie Dettori, already has a win at Newmarket among her four victories in six starts. A bay daughter of Zoffany (IRE) out of Maine Lobster by Woodman, Main Edition captured the Sweet Solera Stakes (G2) by 1 1/4 lengths at seven furlongs over the local course on Aug. 18. Main Edition won her first three starts, including besting 17 rivals at Royal Ascot in the Group 3 six-furlong Albany Stakes on June 22. In the Moyglare Stud Stakes, she led through the halfway mark but weakened in the final furlong and finished fifth at 5-1.

Another group stakes winner in the field is Yourtimeisnow (GB) for trainer Roger Varian, who captured the six furlong Shadwell Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes (G3) at Salisbury on Sept. 6 for her second consecutive win. Owned by Sheikh Mohammad bin Obaid and ridden by Silvestre De Sousa, the bay daughter of Charm Spirit (IRE) broke her maiden in her fourth try in the Fillies' Novice Stakes at Newberry on Aug. 17.

Also of interest is Canton Queen (IRE), who broke her maiden in her second start against 17 runners in the seven-furlong Apollo Fillies' Novice at Leicester by 2 1/4 lengths on Sept. 11 for Rockcliffe Stud and trainer Richard Hannon. She will be ridden by Tom Marquand.

The Shadwell Rockfel is the third of five "Win and You're In" qualifiers this year for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, which will be contested at one mile at Churchill Downs as a part of Future Stars Friday on Nov. 2. Skitter Skatter won the Moyglare Stud and La Pelosa (IRE), second to Main Edition in the Sweet Solera, came to Canada and captured the Natalma at Woodbine on Sept. 16.

Kentucky Breds Top Royal Lodge

Saturday's Juddmonte Royal Lodge will award the third automatic bid this year into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, and the John Gosden-trained Beatboxer appears to be the one to catch among the 10 starters. Owned by Princess Haya of Jordan and ridden by Frankie Dettori, Beatboxer, a bay or brown Kentucky-bred son of Scat Daddy out of Thmoruplathlesupay by 1995 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Unbridled's Song, broke from the gate on top and never looked back in the one- mile Smarkets Betting Exchange Novice Stakes at Haydock on Aug. 10, winning by 3 3/4 lengths as the 1-3 favorite. Bred by Ramspring Farm, Beatboxer broke his maiden by two lengths at one mile on July 26 at Sandown.

A likely challenge will come from the Richard Hannon-trained Kuwait Currency off two wins in three starts, which includes a 1 3/4- length score in the Longines Stonehenge Stakes on Aug. 24 at Salisbury. Owned by Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah and bred in Kentucky by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey, the chestnut son of Kitten's Joy broke his maiden by six lengths at Lingfield in the 7 1/2- furlong Lexus Gatwick EBF Novice Stakes on Aug. 11. 

Aidan O'Brien has three runners entered in the Royal Lodge. His best chance could come from Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Cape of Good Hope (IRE), a son of Galileo (IRE) who won the 7 1/2-furlong Grenvale Stud Race at Tipperary on July 5, and nine days later ran a strong second to Quorto (IRE) in the Superlative Stakes (G2) at Newmarket. O'Brien's two other entrants are maiden winners Mohawk (IRE), by Galileo (IRE), and Sydney Opera House (GB) by Australia (GB).

Another intriguing runner is Phoenix Thoroughbreds' maiden winner Kadar, another son of Scat Daddy, who captured the one-mile 32red.com EFB Novice Stakes at Haydock by 1 1/4 lengths for trainer Karl Burke on Sept. 6. Kadar was bred in Kentucky by Frank Hutchinson.

The first two horses to earn automatic berths into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, which will be run at one mile at Churchill, were Madhmoon (IRE) in the KMPG Champions Juvenile and Fog of War, who won last week's Summer Stakes at Woodbine.