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| Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Winners Chart |

Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf

The 2018 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf will be held at Churchill Downs on Saturday, November 3rd.

The Filly & Mare Turf race is open to 14 entrants total, and they can either be nominated for consideration or earn an automatic berth through one of 11 prep races that take place under the umbrella of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. These races take place all over the world in an effort to draw international competition.

The Filly & Mare Turf Winners

The Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf showcases the world’s best female grass horses. The race is an international attraction drawing strong fields annually to the U.S. for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The BC Filly & Mare Turf has been run at various distances and for the first time in 2017 it was contested at 1 1/8 miles on the turf course for a purse of $2 million. Ten of the 18 editions of the BC Filly & Mare Turf have been contested at 1 ¼ miles while most others at 1 3/8 miles.  

The only multiple winner is Ouija Board (2004, 2006) who won each at 1 3/8 miles. Five jockeys have won the race twice, and in 2016, Queen’s Trust set the 1 ¼ mile BC Filly & Mare Turf speed record in a final time of 1:57.75 at Santa Anita. Trainers Chad Brown and Sir Michael Stoute have won the race a record three times.

The 2016 edition was one to remember, as race favorite Lady Eli (Chad Brown) and winner Queen’s Trust came flying down the middle of the stretch to pass pace setter Avenge and cross the line in a photo finish. Five post-time favorites have won the BC Filly & Mare Turf with Dank the most recent in 2013.

Since 2000, the Filly & Mare Turf winner has been named Champion Female Turf Horse at the Eclipse Awards 11 times.

Seven BC Filly & Mare Turf winners won their final prep before going on to win at the Breeders’ Cup.

Three horses won the Filly & Mare Turf after failing to win any of their three starts prior to the Breeders’ Cup race. Those three were Starine (2002), Perfect Shirl (2011) and Queen’s Trust (2016), who had not won in six straight starts until beating the favorite Lady Eli.

Only three three-year-olds have won the race — Banks Hill (GB) in 2001, Midday (GB) in 2009 and Queen’s Trust in 2016. 

The History of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf

The Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf was inaugurated in 1999, fifteen years following the first running of the World Championships. The race is eligible for female horses aged three-years-old and up and offers a purse of $2,000,000 towards many of the best turf runners from across the world.

Unlike other races at the Breeders’ Cup, what makes the Filly & Mare Turf unique is that it is run at varying distances, dependent on the shape of the hosting track. The race can be held on a turf track covering either 1 ¼ miles or 1 3/8  miles. In 2015, the distance was adjusted to 1 3/16th miles at Keeneland and was again adjusted to 1 1/8th miles for the 2017 renewal at Del Mar. Most of this simply depends on the venue.

The current speed record for the 1 ¼ mile distance was set by Dank in 2013 with a time of 1:58.73. Perfect Sting established the record for 1 3/8th miles at 2:13.07 in 2000.

Five jockeys became tied in 2017 with the most wins in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. These include Jerry Bailey, Kieren Fallon, John Velazquez, Javier Castellano and Frankie Dettori.

Chad Brown and SirMichael Stoute are the winningest trainers and have clinched four of the last five up until 2016.

The majority of the horses that win the Filly & Mare Turf go on to be named the American Champion Female Turf Horse at the Eclipse Awards. and only five horses have not earned this distinction in the race’s brief history.

BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY & MARE TURF WINNERS & RECORDS

Historical Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Results:

2016 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf Results

The $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf was expected to go to the favorite, Lady Eli (8-5). And when the Chad Brown-trained champion split rivals on the second turn and made her move four wide at the top of the lane, it looked like her strong burst in the stretch would get her home in front.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. rallied Lady Eli past the pace setter Avenge in the deep stretch, but European Invader Queen’s Trust rallied even stronger down the middle of the track. In a thrilling finish, Queen’s Trust nipped Lady Eli in the final strides to win the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita.

Queen’s Trust came to Santa Anita with just one maiden win in seven starts. But she was well-regarded having finished in the money in three-straight Group 1 races entering the Breeders’ Cup.

A 3-year-old daughter of Dansili, Queen’s Trust completed the 1 ¼ miles on firm turf in 1:57.75, breaking the Breeders’ Cup record of 1:58.73 established by Dank in 2013 at Santa Anita.  

Queen’s Trust went off at 8-1 and returned $18.00 to win, $8.40 to place and $5.80 to show. Lady Eli, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Champion, ran very well for 2nd and paid $3.20 and $2.80. Avenge finished a length back in third for $7.40. Seventh Heaven, the second wagering choice, rallied for fourth. A $1 exacta paid $32.90 and the $1 trifecta returned $418.80.

Queen’s Trust is trained by Sir Michael Stoute and was ridden by Frankie Dettori. The victory was the seventh for Stoute in the World Championships and third in the Filly & Mare Turf.