Inspiral has a phalanx of reasons why she looks like a logical choice in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T). The race frequently goes to a European, and Inspiral has superior credentials in both her race record and pedigree.
And then there is the trainer angle. John Gosden, who conditions Inspiral with his son, Thady, is well-known for what he has accomplished in Europe, not to mention his five Breeders' Cup victories. But Gosden also knows a thing or two about winning filly and mare turf races at Santa Anita Park.
Before there ever was a Filly & Mare Turf race as part of the Breeders' Cup, or even an Eclipse Award division for turf females, the Oak Tree Racing Association created the Yellow Ribbon Stakes (G1T), run at Santa Anita. Gosden won it twice when he was based in Southern California, in 1986 with Bonne Ile and in 1997 with Ryafan, that year's Eclipse Award champion turf female.
The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita encompasses the same 1 1/4 miles that the Yellow Ribbon—now the Rodeo Drive Stakes (G2T)—does.
Inspiral has never run in the United States. However, the past seven editions of the race have gone to foreign-bred runners, and only one—Chad Brown-trained Sistercharlie—was based in the U.S.
A 4-year-old daughter of superstar Frankel (GB), Inspiral has won eight of her 12 races with two seconds. She is coming off victories in the Prix Jacques Le Marois (G1) and the Sun Chariot Stakes (G1). Inspiral had finished fifth in the Sussex Stakes (G1) on soft ground, and so her connections elected to bypass the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) on British Champions Day and head to the Breeders' Cup instead.
The only question for Inspiral is the distance, as her specialty is a mile. The configuration of American tracks, however, often add distance to Europeans' abilities, plus the initial part of a 1 1/4-mile turf race at Santa Anita is downhill.
While several other Europeans could also perform well in the Filly & Mare Turf, an Argentine-bred mare with a penchant for North American courses merits serious consideration. Didia has the most lifetime victories of the entire field—nine—and her U.S. record is practically perfect.
Ignacio "Nacho" Correas IV trains Didia and did well with another Argentine-bred mare, Blue Prize, who captured the 2019 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) when conditioned by Correas. Didia won her only two races in 2022 for Correas. This year she is 3-for-4, all in stakes; her only loss coming when she was fractious at the gate. She finished second that day in the New York Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park | BloodHorse.com Track Profile">Belmont Park and followed it up with a 1 3/4-length victory in the Rodeo Drive.
The Rodeo Drive earned Didia a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In berth to the Filly & Mare Turf. Notably, that race has never produced a Filly & Mare Turf winner.
Two horses who competed in last year's Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland are returning for this year's edition. In Italian finished second to Tuesday in 2022, while Moira finished fifth.
In Italian is one of two Chad Brown trainees entered. A 5-year-old daughter of Dubawi, In Italian since the 2022 Breeders' Cup has won the Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland and Just a Game Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park and finished second by a nose in the Diana Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course | BloodHorse.com Track Profile">Saratoga Race Course and second by a head in the First Lady Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland.
McKulick, like Inspiral a 4-year-old daughter of Frankel, is Brown's other runner. In five 2023 starts, the filly has won the Glens Falls Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga and Waya Stakes (G3T) at Aqueduct Racetrack and placed in two other stakes.
While European-trained horses excel in the Filly & Mare Turf, Brown also has done well. He won the race in 2018 with Sistercharlie, 2015 with Stephanie's Kitten, 2014 with Dayatthespa, and 2012 with Zagora. Brown has saddled the second and third finishers in the race eight times.
Inspiral isn't the only European with a chance of victory. The always-dangerous O'Brien family has two. Aidan O'Brien trains Warm Heart, a 3-year-old daughter of Galileo whose five 2023 wins include the Prix Vermeille (G1) and Yorkshire Oaks (G1). Aidan's son Joseph trains Lumiere Rock, a 3-year-old daughter of Saxon Warrior who won the Blandford Stakes (G2).
Two years ago at Del Mar, Japanese-bred Loves Only You won the Filly & Mare Turf, and Japan has another entrant this year: Win Marilyn. Though she hasn't won a race in three starts in Japan this year, Win Marilyn took the Hong Kong Vase (G1) last December.
Both Win Marilyn and Loves Only You come from Sunday Silence sire lines, Loves Only You by the Sunday Silence sire Deep Impact and Win Marilyn by Screen Hero, whose maternal grandsire is Sunday Silence. Sunday Silence won one of the most memorable Breeders' Cup races ever when he defeated Easy Goer by a neck in the 1989 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, November 4, 2023, Race 4Entries: Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1In Italian (GB) Joel Rosario 124 Chad C. Brown 4/1 2 2Warm Heart (IRE) Ryan L. Moore 120 Aidan P. O'Brien 3/1 3 3With The Moonlight (IRE) William Buick 124 Charles Appleby 20/1 4 4Moira (ON) Flavien Prat 124 Kevin Attard 12/1 5 5Win Marilyn (JPN) Cristian Demuro 124 Takahisa Tezuka 20/1 6 6Inspiral (GB) Lanfranco Dettori 124 John H. M. Gosden 5/2 7 7Lindy (FR) Tyler Gaffalione 120 Brendan P. Walsh 12/1 8 8Fev Rover (IRE) Javier Castellano 124 Mark E. Casse 8/1 9 9Didia (ARG) Vincent Cheminaud 124 Ignacio Correas, IV 8/1 10 10McKulick (GB) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 124 Chad C. Brown 15/1 11 11Lumiere Rock (IRE) Dylan Browne McMonagle 120 Joseph Patrick O'Brien 12/1 12 12State Occasion (GB) Rossa Ryan 124 Ralph Beckett 20/1
