Breeders’ Cup Filly

and Mare Turf

(Grade 1)

FRONT-running Dayatthespa, making her first start at a mile and a quarter distance, skipped away in the stretch to post a mild upset in the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly And Mare Turf.

Racing over a course rated good after overnight rain in Southern California, Dayatthespa prevailed by a length and a quarter for her third consecutive win. With Javier Castellano in the irons, Dayatthespa scored at odds of 11/2.

Trainer Chad Brown earned his second win of this year’s Breeders’ Cup following Lady Eli in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf the day before. Stephanie’s Kitten, also trained by Brown, was second by half a length, with Charlie Hills’ British invader, Just The Judge, heading 2/1 favourite Dank for third. Dank was attempting to become the first two-time winner of the Filly And Mare Turf since the great Ouija Board in 2004 and 2006.

“Javier (Castellano) did an awesome job,” Brown said. “He was able to set an easy pace. We knew that if she got a little tired (on the lead), Stephanie’s Kitten would be coming, so we had it covered either way. I just wish there could be two winners. Both mares ran terrific.”

Dayatthespa came off a win in the mile Grade 1 First Lady Stakes in October at Keeneland. A three-time Grade 1 winner in her career, Dayatthespa did not begin her 2014 campaign for Brown until August, winning three of four starts. In an open year, she appears to be in prime position to collect the Eclipse Award as champion turf female with her latest score. The five-year-old daughter of City Zip set early pedestrian fractions but spurted away to lead by two at midstretch.

“I thought she could get the distance if we could get away with a slow pace,” Castellano said. “When we got the three-quarters in 1.13 I thought to myself, ‘We’re going to steal this thing,’ and we did.”

The stalking Just The Judge, coming off a victory in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine, raced evenly through the straight to pip the British raider Dank for second.

“She’s run a very game race,” trainer Sir Michael Stoute said of Dank. “They didn’t go fast enough in the middle part of the race for her. Ryan (Moore) was a little further back than he wanted to be and had to come wide, but she’s tried as always.”

Pete Bradley of Bradley Thoroughbreds purchased Dayatthespa privately from Florida-based Irishman, Niall Brennan, who bought Dayatthespa as a yearling for $50,000 out of the 2010 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred sale.