By J. Keeler Johnson (“Keelerman”) Twitter: @J_Keelerman
It is thought that fillings and mares will win at least five of the 14 races at the 2022 Breeders’ Cup. After all, five of the races are restricted to fills and horses.
But it’s not uncommon to see the cannon and mares conquering males in Breeders’ Cup Open races. History is filled with famous names like Zenyatta, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1); Goldikova, three-time Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1); Turn on, the popular heroine of Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1)….
The list of mares and mares expected to face men at the 2022 Breeders Cup is impressive. In fact, it’s not hard to think that female winners will outnumber male winners in 14 races.
Let’s highlight five of the most formidable fillets and mares set to deal with the males at Keeneland this fall:
Breeders ‘Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1): Platinum Queen and Love Reign
A Europe-based horse is yet to win the Breeders’ Cup Junior Sprint, but no horse has come close to the feat like the Platinum Queen has ever made the trip. . Not only is the Platinum Queen a proven Group 1 winner, she’s also guaranteed her exceptional victory in the face of older opponents!
The platinum queen has run seven times this year, all the way to four wins. Her first foray against older horses was at the five-haired Nunthorpe S. (G1) in York, where she finished 2 1/2 in length against Highfield Princess, the sprinter. European achievements (see below). But the Platinum Queen took her game to the next level in the five-way Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp (G1) at ParisLongchamp, going up against her elders to win by a short shot. neck.
Abbaye takes place on very weak ground, but The Platinum Queen is versatile and handles the court from good to solid in Nunthorpe. She has a lot of pace and early stats to find the competition at least a little easier at Keeneland, so don’t be surprised if The Plantinum Queen takes the top spot while competing against the peers two-year-old career in the Junior Sprint.
Platinum Queen’s biggest rival in America is another horror movie: Love Reigns. The two young sprinters have actually met once before, when Love Reigns placed fourth and Queen Platinum 13th in the Queen Mary S. (G2) at Royal Ascot.
Both fillings have clearly improved since then. Love Reigns returned to the United States with a bold 2 1/2-length victory at Bolton Landing S. in Saratoga, in which she ran the fastest final leg sixteen miles per mile: 17.16. Coached by Wesley Ward (who won the most recent three editions of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint), Love Reigns skipped Indian Summer S. Keeneland.
Breeders ‘Cup Turf Sprint (G1): Highfield Princess
It looked like European turf sprinters took turns beating each other without establishing a clear hierarchy between them, but Highfield Princess did the exact opposite, taking Group 1’s three consecutive wins. in three different countries over a one-month period.
Highfield Princess kicked things off with a nasty win in the 6th 1 1/2 Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1) at Deauville in France, and then the cut to five feathers did nothing. could hinder her success. She beat the Platinum Queen with 2 1/2 lengths at Nunthorpe S. (G1) at York in the UK, then traveled to Ireland for the Flying Five S. (G1) at Curragh and quickly dominated with 3 1/4 length.
Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint isn’t particularly kind to European drivers; The home team has won 13 of the 14 events, with only Glass Slippers in 2020 winning top honors from outside the US. But Highfield Princess’s hot form is enticing, and she could give the defending Sprint Golden Pal champion a showdown for supremacy.
Breeders ‘Cup Mile (G1): Reign of Glory
After a few failures in popularity at short prices, it’s easy to forget Regal Glory’s dazzling winning streak compiled from November 2021 to June 2022, when she won back-to-back at Matriarch S (G1), Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational S. (G3), Jenny Wiley S. (G1) and Just a Game S. (G1).
But forgetting those wins could be a mistake, because on her best day, Regal Glory was a top-notch pitch. Do you remember her score of 3 1/2 in Just a Game, when she beat the future two-time No. 1 winner In Italy and the next winner was Dance Smartly S. (G2) Wakanaka in fast time 1: 32.00?
Regal Glory ran a very good donkey in Keeneland’s mile-long First Lady S. (G1) tournament earlier this month. Coming in fourth place as the final winner In Italian with modest scores of: 23.37, :47.00 and 1: 10.45, Regal Glory accelerated twice rapidly. His final stretch between :11.25 and :11.27 to finish another stretch is victorious.
The First Lady’s early/fast race shape doesn’t like Regal Glory, so the fact that she’s dabbling in hard to slide with just a long stretch is testament to her talent. Trainer Chad Brown led mare Uni to victory at Breeders’ Cup Mile 2019, and mares and mares won five of the last 14 editions of the race, so Regal Glory qualifies to beat expectations if she gets a better pace setup next month.
Breeders ‘Cup Turf (G1): War Like Goddess
European drivers tend to have the upper hand at Breeders’ Cup Turf, but the home team takes first place every now and then, and the best bet for the winner at the US-based 2022 Grass Grounds might be War Like Goddess.
A remarkably stable five-year-old mare with seven ranked wins below her belt, War Like Goddess defeated the male without difficulty in a Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) 1 1/2 mile bout. in Belmont at Big A earlier this month. Her performance that day was impressive: catching a decent pace for the first time this season, War Like Goddess showed more tactical speed than usual when tracking head tempo from third place before the final quarter-mile acceleration in approx: 23.64 to go home in a 2 3/4-length lead.
War Like Goddess has beaten a successful field of graded bet winners in Joe Hirsch, including Tier 1 heroes Rockempanga, Adhamo and Gufo. She never fails to deliver a powerful main kick, but the improved tactical speed she showcases in Joe Hirsch’s stats comes in handy at Breeders’ Cup, giving her an edge. options to find a smooth ride regardless of speed scenario.
Now it’s your turn! Which mares and foals are you planning to bet on at Breeders’ Cup?
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J. Keeler Johnson (also known as “Keelerman”) is a writer, cinematographer, voice actor, amputee, and horse racing enthusiast. A huge fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager the greatest racehorse ever made in America, but considers the Zenyatta his all-time favorite.
