Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Catch a Glimpse goes for 8 in a row in the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes

The Belmont Oaks Invitational is this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup Challenge race to be run at 1 1/4 miles for 3YO fillies.

It’s a G1 stakes race with a purse of $1,000,000 with the winner earning a guaranteed spot in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf to be run on Saturday November 5, 2016 at Santa Anita.

The field for the Belmont Oaks includes Catch a Glimpse who will open as the 2-1 morning line favorite over 12 other runners entered.

Catch a Glimpse Goes for More

Catch a Glimpse (2-1) has been nothing short of spectacular winning her last seven races on the turf. Her only loss was when she split a field of 10 in the first start of her career at Saratoga in a race that was originally carded for the turf at 5 1/2 but was moved to the sloppy main track last July.

She returned to break her maiden the following month at Woodbine going 7F in an allowance and hasn’t looked back since. She returned to win the G2 Natalma on her way to winning last year’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland.

Her 2016 campaign started with a win in the G3 Homebride at Gulfstream followed by three more G3 wins including the Appalachian at Keeneland, the Edgewood at Churchill, and most recently the Penn Mile when facing males last month.

She hasn’t raced beyond 1 1/16 miles so this will be a true Breeders’ Cup Challenge and a test of her stamina and ability to go the 1 1/4 mile distance of the Filly & Mare Turf where she would also possibly face older mares.

British Invaders Offer Stiff Challenge

Three European runners will be making their first appearances in the U.S. in preparation for a possible run in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup and all three will have the added benefit of racing with Lasix for the first time in their careers.

Ballydoyle (3-1) is probably the most accomplished of the three. She’s the daughter of the Irish bred Galileo who has 3 wins and 3 seconds from 8 lifetime starts and is conditioned by Aidan O’Brien for owners Tabor and Magnier. She was sixth in her most recent start at Chantilly(FR) going 1 5/16th mile over a soft turf surface and will have the services of Colm O’Donoghue for the first time.

Coolmore (12-1) is another daughter of Galileo, the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland for the past 5 years. She has 1 win, a 7F G3 at the Curragh(IRE) beating Last Waltz who will go for trainer Chad Brown in tomorrow’s Oaks. Coolmore will break from post 13 with Jamie Spencer for O’Brien, Tabor and Magnier.

Magnanime (10-1) has 2 wins and a second from 5 starts for trainer Fabrice Chappet. Of the three Euro runners she’s the most seasoned at longer distances as both of her wins came at Chantilly(FR) going 1 1/8 miles. Julien Leparoux will ride.

Noteworthy

There are a couple of things that caught my eye while handicapping the race:

Harmonize (10-1), who has three wins from seven starts, will get blinkers for the first time. She was third behind Catch a Glimpse in the Edgewood two back, and 7th beaten 4 lengths in the BC Juvenile Filly Turf last year in her only two graded stakes efforts.

Land Over Sea (20-1) has won twice in her career including her only start on the turf when she broke her maiden going 1 mile at Del Mar last summer. Since then she’s been competitive in graded company but hasn’t managed to crack the runner up spot (5 seconds) except for a win in the G2 Fair Grounds Oaks. She was second behind Cathryn Sophia in the G1 Kentucky Oaks two back. And was steadied and checked in the Black Eyed Susan in her most recent start as the favorite. Toss that race and it’ll be interesting to see how this daughter of Bellamy Road will fare when back on the lawn.

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