BC Distaff J

BREEDERS’ CUP
PREVIEWS

A field of 12 fillies and mares has been entered in Saturday’s $2 million
Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), and this year’s edition features a stellar group of
three-year-olds. The sophomores have traded wins throughout the entire year, but
we’re looking for LADY JOANNE (Orientate) to top everyone at Monmouth Park.

Trainer Carl Nafzger has taken his time with Lady Joanne, giving her a long
vacation after she ended her juvenile season with a win in the Golden Rod S.
(G2) instead of rushing her back for the Kentucky Oaks (G1). That patience paid
off as the bay miss returned to score in an allowance and the Dogwood Breeders’ Cup
S. (G3), both at Churchill Downs. She suffered her first loss as a sophomore
when stretching out to nine furlongs for the Mother Goose S. (G1), just missing
by a half-length to OCTAVE (Unbridled’s Song) in that event. Lady Joanne proved
the distance wasn’t a problem when taking on her elders for the first time in
the Banshee Breeze S. at Saratoga, posting a 3 1/4-length score and earning a
nice 103 BRIS Speed rating.

The lass returned to the three-year-old filly ranks with a hard-fought neck
victory in the Alabama S. (G1), holding off a game LEAR’S PRINCESS (Lear Fan)
and Octave to take her first Grade 1 win. Like stablemate Street Sense (Street
Cry [Ire]), Lady Joanne didn’t appear to get a hold of Keeneland’s Polytrack
last out in the Spinster S. (G1), but still managed to cross under the wire
just a half-length back in second to set herself up for this one. She’s a
versatile type, who can win on the lead or coming from behind, and will have top
jockey Calvin Borel back in the saddle for Saturday. The pair appears ready to
add another top race to their resume and could even offer some value at 6-1 on
the morning line.

Indian Vale will try to continue her good year in the Distaff (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com) INDIAN VALE (A.P. Indy) owns stellar numbers, recording triple-digit Speed figures in five of her six outings this season. The Todd Pletcher charge will be staying at her preferred nine furlongs for the Distaff, a distance over which she’s posted six wins and a second from seven career starts. Two of those wins came in the Fleur de Lis H. (G2) and Next Move H. (G3) earlier in the season, and the chestnut mare just missed by a head in the 1 1/8-mile Beldame S. (G1) last out. She’s been working well at Belmont to prepare for this one, and is one of the few in this field with racing experience at Monmouth, taking her maiden debut over the track in the summer of 2005. The only true knock against Indian Vale is her trainer, who just can’t seem to get his runners into the winner’s circle on Breeders’ Cup day. Despite that, the five-year-old is a top threat on Saturday and could easily add a first Grade 1 win to her record here. Regular rider John Velazquez has the call. PROP ME UP (Reparations) carries the hopes of the locals, as she has run up a 9-4-4-1 line at Monmouth. The Greg Sacco trainee could use that experience to good effect and is listed as the 50-1 longest shot on the morning line. Her numbers aren’t that bad, as the five-year-old earned a 97 Speed rating for her five-length score in the Long Look S. at Meadowlands most recently. The chestnut mare has graded experience this season, running second in the Rampart H. (G2), and enters this one off three straight scores. Prop Me Up may normally be out of her class against these, but in the Distaff anything can happen and she could show up in the top three at a major price.

UNBRIDLED BELLE (Broken Vow) burst onto the scene with a dominating 7
3/4-length score in the rich Delaware H. (G2) three back. The dark bay miss was
a game competitor as a sophomore last season, running a well-beaten fourth in
the Alabama and Gazelle S. (G1), but has shown an entirely new dimension as a
four-year-old. The Pletcher charge began the year late, finishing second in the
Obeah S. prior to her Delaware victory. She didn’t get away clean in the
Personal Ensign S. (G1) at Saratoga, but still managed to make up ground at the
end to finish second, then got back on the winning track with a game head win in
the Beldame in her last one. Unbridled Belle might prefer a bit more
distance, but proved with the Beldame she could still compete at the top level
going nine furlongs. She’ll be tough to hold off late, but the Pletcher factor
comes into play once again so we’ll just tab for the bottom of the exotics under
Ramon Dominguez.

GINGER PUNCH (Awesome Again) was well on her way to a championship title
before running third in the Beldame. She just missed by a neck in the Ogden
Phipps H. (G1) in mid-June, then scored in the First Flight H. (G2), Go for Wand
H. (G1) and Ruffian H. (G1) in succession. The Bobby Frankel-conditioned
four-year-old earned five straight triple-digit Speed numbers and could easily
find herself threatening for it all. Lear’s Princess has the least experience of
any other runner in this field, owning just six starts. However, the Kiaran
McLaughlin-trained sophomore captured four of those and placed in the other two.
Of her wins, the bay shows the Tweedside S. and the Gazelle, and she just missed in the
Alabama and Coaching Club American Oaks (G1). Lear’s Princess could easily
challenge in the top three, but we feel the lack of seasoning could catch up
with her late here so we’ll just use to fill out some gimmicks.

Balance won her only start over an off-track by 4 1/4 lengths (Frank Sorge/Horsephotos.com) BALANCE (Thunder Gulch) is something of an enigma. The bay four-year-old was on the top rung of the ladder in California before the tracks switched over to synthetic surfaces, and since then, just hasn’t been the same filly. The multiple Grade 1-winning lass got her chance back on a dirt track in the Beldame last out, but was a one-paced fourth for much of the race before crossing under the wire in that same position. She may have just needed a race on a normal track, but we really need to see a semblance of her past form before endorsing for more than just the bottom of the exotics. HYSTERICALADY (Distorted Humor) has done her best when going 8 1/2 furlongs, and that final sixteenth could make all the difference. The chestnut filly’s only try at nine furlongs came as a third in the Vanity Invitational H. (G1) during the summer, but we don’t envision her making it into the top four on Saturday. Octave is a really nice three-year-old who’s spent much of the year being overshadowed by stable star Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy). The Pletcher charge always seemed to end up in the races her stablemate didn’t run in for whatever reason, winning the CCA Oaks and Mother Goose. However, she’s dropped her past two starts and her numbers have also fallen, so this year’s campaign may finally be catching up with her. We’ll let her beat us. TEAMMATE (A.P Indy) earned her last win in the Shuvee H. (G2), then proceeded to throw in three well-beaten performances. She’s rebounded a bit in her past two, running third in the Ruffian and Spinster, but might find these too much. We’ll take a stand against.

BEAR NOW (Tiznow) and TOUGH TIZ’S SIS (Tiznow) are both game competitors who
deserve a shot, but they lose just as much as they win. The latter miss captured
the Lady’s Secret S. (G1) at Oak Tree to earn a spot in this field, and we don’t
think she would have been supplemented otherwise. Bear Now will be stretching out
and seems to do her best work at shorter distances. We don’t think either one
will factor on Saturday.