The Breeders' Cup Distaff brings together the best female dirt horses for a championship showdown at 1 1/8 miles on the main track. This race was won by the great Zenyatta at Santa Anita in 2008.

The 2022 Breeders' Cup Distaff will be held at Keeneland on Saturday, November 5th. Bet & watch the race with OffTrackBetting.com (OTB) - US Legal Online Wagering.

Breeders' Cup Distaff

The Breeders' Cup Distaff (formerly Ladies Classic) is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Distaff from its inception in 1984 through 2007, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup thoroughbred championships.

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Malathaat

Malathaat, a Curlin filly owned by Shadwell Stable and trained by Todd Pletcher, won her career debut on Oct. 9 at Belmont Park by 1 ¾ lengths and then stepped up from seven furlongs to mile and easily took the Tempted Stakes at Aqueduct by 7 ¾ lengths on Nov. 6.

Pletcher next entered Malathaat in the 1 1/8-mile, Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct on Dec. 5, and she rallied from off the pace through the center of a sloppy stretch to defeat Millefeuille by three-quarters of a length as the odds-on favorite.

Malathaat made her 3-year-old debut in the Grade 1 Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland on Apr. 3, 2021. She came from behind off a slow early pace to nail front-running Pass the Champagne on the wire, stopping the clock in 1:42.94 for 1 1/16 miles. For that win, Malathaat earned 100 qualifying points for the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks on Apr. 30.

Malathaat took a perfect 4-for-4 record into the Longines Kentucky Oaks on April 30 and went off as the 5-2 favorite in a competitive field. She sat a stalking trip through the backstretch and was all out to defeat Search Results by a neck in a thrilling stretch duel, giving Todd Pletcher his fourth Kentucky Oaks win and jockey John Velazquez his second.

After some time off, Malathaat made her next start in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga on July 24. She went off as the overwhelming odds-on favorite. However, she finished second, as longshot Maracuja pulled off a shocking upset. Undeterred, Malathaat bounced back with a 1 1/2-length victory in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes on Aug. 21.

Malathaat made her final start of 2021 in the Grade 1 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar on Nov. 6. She rated off an extremely fast pace and closed to finish third. She was an overwhelming choice as champion 3-year-old female when the 2021 Eclipse Awards were announced, securing 227 out of 235 votes.

After a break of 5 ½ months, Malathaat came back for her 4-year-old campaign in the April 22 Baird Doubledogdare Stakes at Keeneland. She rallied from off the pace and raced a bit erratically in the stretch, not switching leads until near the finish, but still had enough class to defeat defending race winner Bonny South by three-quarters of a length and tally her fifth graded stakes win.

Malathaat made her next start of 2022 against a small but accomplished field of four other fillies and mares in the Ogden Phipps Stakes at Belmont Park on June 11. She came from off the pace along with Clairiere and battled that foe to the finish before settling for second by a head in a game effort.

Shadwell purchased Malathaat for $1.05 million at the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale. She is out of the Grade 1-winning A.P. Indy mare Dreaming of Julia, and her second dam is Grade 1 winner Dream Rush.

Blue Stripe

A multiple graded stakes winner in Argentina, Blue Stripe won her first American graded stakes on April 30, 2022, when she won the Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita Park from off the pace with Tyler Baze in the irons. The Equal Stripes mare won three of six starts before shipping to the U.S. for a start in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff on dirt at Del Mar in November 2021, where she finished seventh.

Argentine-bred Blue Stripe is owned by Pozo de Luna and trained by Marcelo Polanco.

Clairiere

Clairiere won her debut by half a length at Churchill Downs on Oct. 25, 2020, rallying from the back of the pack. She once again closed from behind to finish second in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes at the same track on Nov. 28.

In her 3-year-old debut, the Curlin filly outfinished Golden Rod winner Travel Column to turn the tables on her familiar rival in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes Presented by Fasig-Tipton Feb. 13 at Fair Grounds to earn $180,000 and 50 points toward qualifying for the Longines Kentucky Oaks.

Clairiere made her final Oaks prep in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks on Mar. 20. Once again, she sat off the pace, then rallied in the stretch. Despite racing a bit greenly, she came on to finish second, behind Travel Column. She earned 40 more qualifying points towards the Oaks with that effort.

Clairiere finished fourth in the Oaks, then was third in the Grade 2 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park on June 26 and second in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 21. After that stretch of fine performances, she broke through with a Grade 1 victory in the $1 million Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing on Sept. 25, defeating Obligatory by 2 ½ lengths. Clairiere closed out her 3-year-old season with a good fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, finishing three-quarters of a length behind longshot winner Marche Lorraine.

Clairiere made her 4-year-old debut in a third-level allowance optional claiming race at Fair Grounds on Mar. 16, 2022. Sent off as the 1-10 favorite, she rated well off the pace in the early stages of the 1 1/16-mile contest. She lacked racing room turning for home, but once she found space, she effortlessly took the lead and won going away.

With that warmup in the bag, Clairiere returned to Grade 1 company and squared off with Letrustka in the Apple Blossom Stakes at Oaklawn Park on April 23. She moved up from last of five and continued well through the stretch to finish second, 1 ¼ lengths behind Letruska.

Those two returned in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes on the June 11 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets undercard as part of a five-horse field comprised of elite fillies and mares. Clairiere sat in her customary rear position in the 1 1/16-mile, one-turn race while Letruska and Search Results shot clear of the rest and set a swift pace. At the top of the stretch, Clairiere and champion Malathaat paired up for a strong rally, and moved past Search Results in the final sixteenth. The pair dueled to the wire, and Clairiere proved best in a thriller, edging Malathaat by a head.

Clairiere is out of Cavorting, a three-time Grade 1 winner. Cavorting was a graded stakes winner at ages 2, 3, and 4.

Nest

Nest was the odds-on favorite in her career debut at Belmont Park on Sept. 25, 2021. She drew off from the others and won by five lengths for owners Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Michael House.

Off that victory, Nest was the 3.95-1 third choice in the Tempted Stakes at Belmont on Nov. 7. She closed strongly in the stretch, and finished third, beaten 3/4 of a length by gate-to-wire winner Gerrymander. She lost a photo for second to Magic Circle.

The Todd Pletcher trainee bounced back with a neck victory in the Grade 2 Demosielle Stakes at Aqueduct on Dec. 4.

Nest made her 3-year-old debut in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 12, 2022. The Curlin filly was a 3-10 favorite to start her season on a winning note, and did just that. She rated off the early pace and drew off to a six-length victory.

That race set Nest up for a try at the Grade 1 level for a final prep before she targeted the Longines Kentucky Oaks. She faced a tough field in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes April 8 at Keeneland and made short work of her opponents, sweeping into contention in the far turn under Irad Ortiz Jr. and shooting clear in early stretch before being geared down late in a dominant 8 ¼-length victory. Nest earned 100 qualifying points for the May 6 Kentucky Oaks with the win, adding to the 10 she earned in the Demoiselle and 10 from the Suncoast Stakes.

Nest came up with a strong effort in the Longines Kentucky Oaks, finishing powerfully in the stretch but coming up short of winner Secret Oath in a runner-up finish in the $1.25-million race May 6 at Churchill Downs.

For her next start, Nest competed against the boys in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets on June 11. She rated off the early leaders, and chased stablemate Mo Donegal down the stretch. Although she could not catch him, she held on for a game second-place finish.

Repole Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners purchased Nest for $350,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September auction in 2020. She is out of the stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Marion Ravenwood and is a full sister (same sire [father] and dam [mother] to 2021 Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap winner Idol.

Secret Oath

After a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes, Secret Oath bounced back with a dominant 8 1/4-length win in a first-level allowance race at Oaklawn Park on Dec. 31. That set her up nicely for the Martha Washington Stakes on Jan. 29, 2022. She stamped herself as a legitimate Longines Kentucky Oaks contender with a very impressive 7 1/4-length win under Luis Contreras. With that win, Secret Oath earned ten points on the road to the Oaks.

Secret Oath earned her first graded stakes win in impressive fashion. As the odds-on favorite in the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes on Feb. 26, she rallied up the inside and drew away to win by 7 1/2 lengths. She earned 50 more Oaks qualifying points with that win.

For her next start, Secret Oath decided to challenge the boys in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn on Apr. 2. She raced wide towards the back of the pack in the early stages, then made a promising move on the turn. She flattened out late and finished third, earning her 20 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. That placed her on the bubble for the big race.

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas decided to point to the Longines Kentucky Oaks with Secret Oath, and the filly validated that decision on May 6. Breaking from the inside post under Luis Saez, she traveled in midpack through the backstretch, stalking a fast pace, before moving up through the far turn. Secret Oath barreled five-wide into the stretch and put away stubborn champion Echo Zulu at the eighth pole, and then outlasted Nest and Desert Dawn for a thrilling win. That victory moved Lukas into a tie with Woody Stephens for most Kentucky Oaks wins at five.

Tested next against males again in the Preakness Stakes, Secret Oath again held her own but was not quite good enough in a fourth-place finish.

Robert and Stacy Mitchell's Briland Farm owns and bred Secret Oath. Her sire (father) is Arrogate, the 2016 Horse of the Year. Her dam (mother), Absinthe Minded, was a three-time stakes winner at Oaklawn.

Search Results

Search Results started her career with a four-length win in a maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 2, 2021. As the 1.80-1 favorite, she recovered from a slow break to win going away, under Irad Ortiz Jr. for trainer Chad Brown.

In her stakes debut, Search Results won the Busher Invitational Stakes at Aqueduct on Mar. 6. She battled in the stretch, then took the lead late and held on for a half-length win. Off that victory, she was the heavy favorite in the Grade 3 Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct on Apr. 3, where she delivered with a handy win. She covered 1 1/8 miles that afternoon in 1:54.14, which was 0.27 seconds faster than older males covered the distance one race prior in the Excelsior Stakes. Her Gazelle win gave her 100 qualifying points towards the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks on April 30.

Search Results put her unbeaten career record on the line in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, and suffered her first defeat by a neck after losing a heated stretch battle with another undefeated filly in Malathaat.

In her next start, the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park on June 5, Search Results bounced back to win as the 0.90-1 favorite by half a length, covering one mile in 1:35.50. She stalked the pace, pulled clear in the stretch, and held off the late rally of Obligatory for her first Grade 1 win.

Search Results earned the first victory of her 4-year-old season on May 8, 2022 at Belmont, when she won the Grade 2 Ruffian Stakes by three lengths. In her next start, she finished third in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes on the June 11 Belmont Stakes undercard.

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan purchased Search Results for Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, spending $310,000. She is out of the winning and graded stakes-placed Candy Ride mare Co Cola.

Society

Society won her only start as a 2-year-old, winning her debut in October 2021 at Keeneland by a length from off the pace while overcoming a troubled start at 27-1.

The chestnut filly by Gun Runner made her first start as a 3-year-old on the May 6 Longines Kentucky Oaks undercard and won an allowance race by 1 ¾ lengths, leading from start to finish at Churchill Downs. Six weeks later, Society stretched out in distance to 1 1/16 miles and made her stakes debut in the Monomoy Girl overnight stakes at Churchill Downs, where she set an uncontested pace and won by a half-length for her third win in as many starts.

Tested against graded stakes competition in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks July 23, 2022, at Saratoga Race Course, Society tasted defeat for the first time when she stumbled at the start and faded late in a distant fourth-place finish.

Society regained her winning form in her next start and secured her first graded stakes win when she set the pace going seven furlongs in the $500,440 Charles Town Oaks, where she coasted to a 6 ¾-length romp in the Grade 3 race.

Society showed her class, ability, and versatility in her next race, a victory in the Grade 1 $1 million Cotillion Stakes at Parx, which was a stretch-out to two turns for the first time since her only career loss in the Coaching Club Oaks. Society. She proved she could win a top-level race over a route of ground and left no doubt about it as she sprinted to the lead, gained a large lead, and then never let any of the challengers get close to her in a wire-to-wire romp. The victory under jockey Florent Geroux marked her fifth career win in six outings to date. She went the 1 1/16 miles unchallenged at any point in the race in a time of 1:42.4 over a field that included Kentucky Oaks winner, Secret Oath.

From the first crop of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, Society is out of the winning Tapit mare Etiquette

Recent Breeders' Cup Distaff Winners

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2024 BREEDERS' CUP RACE SCHEDULE