Breeders Cup Pick: Distaff?

Question

Breeders Cup Pick: Distaff?

Answer 1

Lear's Princess, Tough Tiz's Sis, Ginger Punch, Unbridled Bell

Answer 2

Ginger Punch, a streaking winner of several graded stakes this year, is likely to be a lukewarm favorite if supplemented for $180,000 in a loaded, very deep field of high-quality contenders, including several terrific 3-year-olds.

Unfortunately the best of the 3-year-olds, Rags to Riches, the Belmont Stakes winner over Preakness winner Curlin, is recuperating from a minor fracture and will not return to training until 2008. In her absence we have Carl Nafzger's Alabama (G1) winner Lady Joanne, who narrowly lost the Spinster Stakes (G1) to Todd Pletcher's strong finisher Panty Raid at Keeneland on October 7th.

Lear's Princess will also attract plenty of support, having upset Rags to Riches in the Gazelle (G1) last month. Others attracting support will be the persistent Octave, a multiple Grade 1 winner with good efforts behind Rags to Riches and Lady Joanne; and the vastly improved Tough Tiz's Sis, who was a good third in the Alabama and then narrowly out-gamed the older and highly accomplished Hystericalady in their graded stakes prep race for this.

Hystericalady is only one of several high-quality older fillies and mares to consider in a race that has no throw outs and very little to separate numerous contenders.

Todd Pletcher's Unbridled Belle and Indian Vale, for instance, were one-two in the Beldame (G1) at Belmont on October 7th, with speed figures that put them in a near dead heat with six others including the Allen Jerkens-trained longshot Teammate, who has upset fields of this quality more than once.

Answer 3

Bear Now... ditto on you being the commish