Only three racemares have won the Breeders’ Cup Distaff multiple times since the race debuted at the inaugural Breeders’ Cup World Championships in 1984. Monomoy Girl has an opportunity to etch her name in the history books alongside Bayakoa (1989, 1990), Royal Delta (2011, 2012), and Beholder (2013, 2016) in the $2 million Longines Distaff Nov. 7 at Keeneland Race Course.

The 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares 3 years old and older is the biggest prize on the racing calendar in the older female division. The Distaff has been won through the years by some unforgettable female stars, including the three mentioned above as well as Hall of Famers Princess Rooney (1984), Lady’s Secret (1986), Personal Ensign (1988), Dance Smartly (2003), Paseana (1992), Inside Information (1995), Azeri (2002), Ashado (2004), and Zenyatta (2009).

Eleven fillies and mares were pre-entered for the 2020 Distaff, including Preakness Stakes winner Swiss Skydiver, although recent Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes Presented by Dixiana winner Harvey’s Lil Goil has the Maker’s Mark Filly and Mare Turf listed as her first preference.

The Distaff will be the 12^th of 14 World Championships races held on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, and it will be televised live on NBC with a scheduled post time of 3:54 p.m. ET.

As usual, there is both depth and quality to the field assembled for the Distaff, so let’s take a closer look at this year’s contenders.

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Read on to learn more about all of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff contenders listed in the pre-entries. This Cheat Sheet will be updated on Monday, Nov. 2, after the post-position draw with contenders arranged in post-position order and with morning-line odds added.

Eclipse Sportswire

1. Ce Ce (12-1)

Jockey: John Velazquez

Trainer: Michael McCarthy

Owner: Bo Hirsch

Career record: 9 starts – 4 wins – 1 second – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $805,100

Earnings per start: $89,456

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 112

Pedigree: Elusive Quality – Miss Houdini, by Belong to Me

Color: Chestnut

Age: 4

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Ce Ce was arguably the top older female in training through the first third of the year with three wins in as many starts, including victories in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile Stakes in March at Santa Anita and the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap in April at Oaklawn Park. She has not maintained that elite form into the second half of the year, however, as she’s been beaten by at least 3 ½ lengths in three subsequent starts, albeit it against top competition (two Grade 1s and one Grade 2). Distance also is a bit of a question for Ce Ce, who has never competed in a race longer than 1 1/16 miles. Ce Ce is a talented filly and should be a nice price on race day, but you’d prefer to see her coming into this race nearer to peak form. Hall of Fame jockey won the Distaff in 2004 on Ashado and in 2017 on Forever Unbridled; he's also finished third three times.

Eclipse Sportswire

2. Harvest Moon (12-1)

Jockey: Flavien Prat

Trainer: Simon Callaghan

Owners: Alice Bamford and Michael B. Tabor

Career record: 5 starts – 4 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $240,720

Earnings per start: $48,144

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 107

Pedigree: Uncle Mo – Qaraaba, by Shamardal

Color: Bay

Age: 3

Running style: Press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: After running third in her career debut on the grass June 20 at Santa Anita Park, Harvest Moon has won four in a row on the dirt for trainer Simon Callaghan, most recently defeating Hard Not to Love by three-quarters of a length in the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes Sept. 27 at Santa Anita. In that race, Harvest Moon earned a career-best 107 Equibase Speed Figure and she might have the biggest upside outside of the two logical favorites in the Distaff with room to improve in only her sixth career start. On the other hand, she beat five 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes in her stakes debut Aug. 22 and only faced three challengers in the Zenyatta, so Harvest Moon is swimming with sharks for the first time in the Distaff in what will be a true test of class and ability. Out of graded stakes winner Qaraaba and a half-sister (same dam [mother], different sire [father]) to Grade 2 winner Californiagoldrush, the potential is there for Harvest Moon to elevate her game and she should be a decent price with a pair of well-regarded favorites in the field. Flavien Prat has finished third twice in the Distaff with Paradise Woods in 2017 and Serengeti Empress in 2019.

Coady Photography

3. Dunbar Road (12-1)

Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Trainer: Chad Brown

Owner: Peter M. Brant

Career record: 10 starts – 6 wins – 1 second – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $1,016,040

Earnings per start: $101,604

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 109

Pedigree: Quality Road – Gift List, by Bernardini

Color: Bay

Age: 4

Running style: Closer/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Unplaced at 7.10-1 odds in the 2019 Distaff after winning the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes over that summer, Dunbar Road entered her 4-year-old season in 2020 with high expectations. She won the Shawnee Stakes at Churchill Downs in May and the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap in July, both by open lengths, before coming up short as the even-money favorite when third in the Grade 2 Beldame Stakes Oct. 4 at Belmont Park. Beaten 5 ¼ lengths by Horologist, Dunbar Road lost some of the luster she carried into the Beldame in defeat, but to be fair the it was an oddly run race with only four horses and a pacesetter who was seven lengths clear after a fast three-quarters of a mile before she faded to last. Dunbar Road is a quality filly with a good chance to hit the board in the Distaff, but she would need to run the race of her life to beat Monomoy Girl at her best. Jose Ortiz finished second in the Distaff aboard Wow Cat in 2018; Wow Cat was co-owned by Peter Brant and also gave Brown his best finish with four Distaff starters.

Eclipse Sportswire

4. Horologist (8-1)

Jockey: Junior Alvarado

Trainer: Bill Mott

Owners: There’s A Chance Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Medallion Racing, and Abbondanza Racing

Career record: 19 starts – 7 wins – 2 seconds – 4 thirds

Career earnings: $695,439

Earnings per start: $36,602

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 110

Pedigree: Gemologist – Cinderella Time, by Stephen Got Even

Color: Bay

Age: 4

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: A graded stakes winner in 2019, Horologist emerged in 2020, and really in the last four months, as a serious player in the older female division. She won the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher Stakes by two lengths at Monmouth Park July 18. After running third behind Monomoy Girl, beaten by 4 ½ lengths, in the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes Presented by Oak Grove Racing and Gaming Sept. 4 at Churchill Downs, she bounced back to win the Grade 2 Beldame Stakes by three lengths Oct. 4 at Belmont Park. Horologist is in career-best form right now, but she showed in the La Troienne that she had some improving to do to close the gap on Monomoy Girl. While that is possible, it’s probably just as likely that Monomoy Girl takes another step forward in her fourth race off the long layoff. For that reason, I think the ceiling in the Distaff might be a minor award for Horologist. Of course, the Gemologist filly gets significant boost from her Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott, who has won this race five times: Ajina (1997), Escena (1998), Unrivaled Belle (2010), and Royal Delta (2011, 2012).

Eclipse Sportswire

5. Swiss Skydiver (2-1)

Jockey: Robby Albarado

Trainer: Ken McPeek

Owner: Peter J. Callahan

Career record: 11 starts – 6 wins – 3 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $1,792,980

Earnings per start: $162,998

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 109

Pedigree: Daredevil – Expo Gold, by Johannesburg

Color: Chestnut

Age: 3

Running style: Stalker/press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Swiss Skydiver became only the sixth filly ever to win the Preakness Stakes when she outfinished Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve winner Authentic in a thrilling stretch duel Oct. 3 at Pimlico. Cross-entered in the Longines Classic, Swiss Skydiver also won the 1 ¼-mile Alabama Stakes in August and in between that race and the Preakness ran second in the Longines Kentucky Oaks. She is a stout filly who has won five of nine starts this year with a consistent recent pattern of Equibase Speed Figures (106-109-109). Expect Monomoy Girl to be the favorite in this race, but Swiss Skydiver should be a close second choice and she profiles as a major win candidate with a slight improvement.

Coady Photography

6. Lady Kate (15-1)

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

Trainer: Eddie Kenneally

Owner: Anderson Stables

Career record: 13 starts – 5 wins – 3 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $366,470

Earnings per start: $28,190

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 103

Pedigree: Bernardini – Princess Haya, by Street Cry

Color: Bay

Age: 4

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Winless in three starts at Keeneland and coming off a fourth-place finish (beaten by nine lengths) in the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes, Lady Kate figures to be one of the longest shots in the field for the Distaff. She is seeking her first graded stakes win but two starts back showed should could compete against top competition when second to Monomoy Girl in the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes Presented by Oak Grove Racing and Gaming Sept. 4 at Churchill Downs. That said, it’s hard to envision a breakthrough graded stakes victory coming against a group this deep and talented. Lady Kate probably will need to improve her best Equibase Speed Figure by at least 12 points to be a win contender.

Eclipse Sportswire

7. Point of Honor (30-1)

Jockey: Javier Castellano

Trainer: George Weaver

Owners: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Stetson Racing

Career record: 11 starts – 3 wins – 5 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $684,040

Earnings per start: $62,185

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 106

Pedigree: Curlin – Zayanna, by Bernardini

Color: Chestnut

Age: 4

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Point of Honor is winless in five starts this season, but she has finished in the top three in each of her starts this year and, from and Equibase Speed Figure perspective, has run the three best races of her life in her three most recent starts. I think it’s fair to be a bit skeptical, however, as she was beaten by 6 ½ lengths when third in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes Aug. 1 at Saratoga and lost by three lengths despite when runner-up in the Grade 2 Beldame Stakes Oct. 4 at Belmont Park. There is a lot of early speed in this race that could provide an ideal setup for Point of Honor in the Distaff, but even she’s more likely to add value underneath on exacta or trifecta tickets that to wind up in the winner’s circle. She has only finished outside of the top three once in 11 career starts. Jockey Javier Castellano won the 2015 Distaff at Keeneland aboard Stopchargingmaria.

Eclipse Sportswire

8. Valiance (12-1)

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owners: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Martin S. Schwartz, and CHC Inc.

Career record: 8 starts – 6 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $469,575

Earnings per start: $58,697

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 113

Pedigree: Tapit – Last Full Measure, by Empire Maker

Color: Gray or roan

Age: 4

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Shifting from turf to dirt has unleashed the best from Valiance, who won the Eatontown Stakes Aug. 29 at Monmouth Park after it was moved off the grass onto a sloppy main track. Entered in a dirt race in her next start, Valiance was tested in a Grade 1 race for the first time and came through with a career-best effort to win the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes by three-quarters of a length over Ollie’s Candy. The 113 Equibase Speed Figure was an 11-point improvement over her previous best and came at the track and distance of the Distaff. This 4-year-old filly by leading sire Tapit clearly is talented regardless of surface having won six of her eight starts, but if she is as fast as she showed in the Spinster she is a legitimate threat in the Distaff. Valince’s dam (mother), Last Full Measure, was a Grade 1 winner at Keeneland. Todd Pletcher won the Distaff in 2004 with Ashado and 2015 with Stopchargingmaria and has finished third four times in the race.

Eclipse Sportswire

9. Ollie’s Candy (10-1)

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Trainer: John Sadler

Owners: Paul Eggert and Karen Eggert

Career record: 15 starts – 4 wins – 6 seconds – 3 thirds

Career earnings: $910,151

Earnings per start: $60,677

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 112

Pedigree: Candy Ride – Afternoon Stroll, by Stroll

Color: Dark bay or brown

Age: 5

Running style: Stalker/press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Ollie’s Candy has only finished outside the top three once in her last nine races, running fourth a year ago in the 2019 Longines Distaff at Santa Anita Park, so this is a very consistent racemare who rarely runs a poor race. A Grade 1 winner in 2019, Ollie’s Candy has not won in five starts in 2020 but she’s come very close, finishing within a length of the winner in four straight Grade 1 races. She enters the Distaff off a runner-up finish by three-quarters of a length in the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes Oct. 4 at Keeneland. With Equibase Speed Figures of 111-112 in her two most recent starts, Ollie’s Candy would need to take only an incremental step forward to be a win candidate and it was good to see her run well on this main track. Trainer John Sadler finished second in the Distaff in 2015 with Stellar Wind. Jockey Joel Rosario has a pair of seconds (Blind Luck, 2010; Close Hatches, 2013) and two thirds with six starters in the Distaff.

Coady Photography

10. Monomoy Girl (8-5)

Jockey: Florent Geroux

Trainer: Brad Cox

Owners: Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group (Stuart Grant), and Bethlehem Stables

Career record: 14 starts – 12 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $3,386,818

Earnings per start: $241,916

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 118

Pedigree: Tapizar – Drumette, by Henny Hughes

Color: Chestnut

Age: 5

Running style: Stalker/press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Monomoy Girl, winner of the 2018 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff and the 2018 champion 3-year-old filly, was sidelined for more than 18 months from Nov. 3, 2018 until May 16, 2020, when she won an allowance race by open lengths on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs. She followed with a two-length win in the Grade 2 Ruffian Stakes July 11 at Belmont Park before a 1 ¾-length score in the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes Presented by Oak Grove Racing and Gaming Sept. 4 at Churchill Downs. Since her return, Monomoy Girl has been a little more tactical with her speed, rating comfortably early on and accelerating when called upon, but she still has a step forward she can take to get to some of her fastest races in 2018. That might not bode well for the opposition in this race, especially since she proven she can set or press a fast pace and still finish well. At her best, Monomoy Girl is a dominant force on track for the Racing Hall of Fame with 12 wins and two seconds from 14 career starts … and one of the seconds was a disqualification from first. Expect her to be a heavy favorite even if Preakness Stakes winner Swiss Skydiver winds up in this race to challenge her. These connections will be seeking their second win in the Distaff with Monomoy Girl after her one-length win in 2018.