The 2024 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes on Sunday has drawn a six-horse subject of fillies and mares headlined by Idiomatic, the defending winner of the race. Final 12 months, Idiomatic turned the newest in an extended line of females that used this staple of the Keeneland fall meet as a springboard to Breeders’ Cup success when she went on to win the 2023 Longines Distaff in her subsequent begin.
Few races from coast to coast have had as robust a historic influence on the Breeders’ Cup World Championships because the Spinster Stakes has had on the Distaff. The race was a key prep race for the likes of Princess Rooney (1984), Sacahuista (1987), Bayakoa (1989, 1990), Inside Info (1995), Blue Prize (2019), and Malathaat, who all accomplished the Spinster-Distaff sweep in the identical 12 months. Life’s Magic, Paseana, Spain, Unbridled Elaine, and Nice Residence additionally had been all next-out Distaff winners that exited the Spinster at Keeneland of their remaining pre-Breeders’ Cup race.
The 2024 Spinster Stakes is a Breeders’ Cup Problem Sequence “Win and You’re In” race, and a number of of those contenders ought to graduate from this spot to determine prominently in subsequent month’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar.
1. Idiomatic (3-5 morning line odds): The 2023 Eclipse Award winner as champion older grime feminine used a win on this race to propel her to Breeders’ Cup Distaff glory final 12 months and hopes to repeat the feat in 2024 beginning with a win on this race. Final 12 months, Idiomatic was a fearsome presence all through the 2023 season when unbeatable in top-level two-turn stakes races. Whereas Idiomatic has continued to carry out at a excessive degree in 2024, she has misplaced a bit of her aura of invincibility with losses in two of her final three begins — second within the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes Introduced by Ford at Saratoga and second within the Grade 1 Private Ensign Stakes final time. Even her victory sandwiched in-between these losses within the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher Stakes at Monmouth Park was a close-call head choice at 1-10 odds over Soul of an Angel, who appeared on paper to be overmatched. So, whereas it will be inconceivable for any of at the moment’s 5 rivals to stack-up in opposition to Idiomatic primarily based on credentials and profession accomplishments, there have been vulnerabilities in Idiomatic’s kind this season that bettors ought to take note of earlier than backing her to win the Spinster at anticipated very low odds. 4 horses have gained back-to-back runnings of the Spinster within the historical past of the race (Blue Prize, 2018-’19, Take Cost Girl, 2002-’03, Bayakoa, 1989-’90, Bornastar, 1957-’58), and Idiomatic will search so as to add her identify to that stylish record. The champ is the almost definitely winner of this race, however she shouldn’t be thought-about unbeatable.
JOCKEY: Florent Geroux; TRAINER: Brad Cox
2. Candied (9-2): Three-year-old filly steps up in opposition to older females, and whereas that is likely to be difficult, the hurdle is not going to be insurmountable for this trainee from the barn of Todd Pletcher, who has gained the Spinster 5 instances in his profession, together with twice within the final 4 years with Malathaat in 2022 and Valiance in 2020 when he teamed up with at the moment’s jockey Luis Saez. Candied exits a head-bob loss when caught late within the 1 ¼-mile, Grade 1 Alabama Stakes Introduced by Keeneland Gross sales at Saratoga in a race she very doubtless would have gained if it had been run at at the moment’s 1 1/8-mile distance. Her two races earlier than that had been a runner-up end behind main 3-year-old filly and possible Distaff favourite Thorpedo Anna within the Grade 1 Teaching Membership American Oaks, and a 4 ½-length win over Honor D Girl within the Girl’s Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park, the place she earned a 99 Beyer Pace Determine in her solely prior foray versus older horses to this point in her profession. Candied is already a Grade 1 winner on this racetrack, having taken the 2023 Darley Alcibiades Stakes nearly a 12 months in the past to the day.
JOCKEY: Luis Saez; TRAINER: Todd Pletcher
3. Liked (10-1): Owns wins in half of her eight lifetime outings and has typically been spectacular in these victories. That success, nevertheless, has not translated in any respect into wins on the graded-stakes degree for Liked, with the mare failing to hit the board in any of her three profession graded stakes tries to this point, together with a fourth-place end final time within the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Locust Grove Stakes Sept. 14 at Churchill Downs. The feather in her cap in three begins to this point this 12 months was a $100,000 stakes win at Horseshoe Indianapolis, and whereas that victory is sweet to see in her previous performances, it’s a far cry from this kind of Grade 1 spot at Keeneland. She provides blinkers at the moment, and her power appears to lie in her tempo versatility, however that might not be sufficient to translate to a win versus this competitors.
JOCKEY: Tyler Gaffalione; TRAINER: Brendan Walsh
4. Honor D Girl (4-1): Exits a 5 ½-length victory within the 1 3/16-mile, Grade 2 Delaware Handicap, and whereas that race didn’t characteristic a standout subject, she did show a robust stretch kick, and it positively was the kind of effort you want to see from a horse able to step up into at the moment’s harder spot. If you mix the Del ’Cap win with Honor D Girl’s victory earlier this 12 months within the Grade 3 Royal Delta Stakes at Gulfstream Park, you may have a horse that’s within the midst of constructing a stable 4-year-old resume in 2024. Jockey Jose Ortiz, who was aboard for each the aforementioned stakes wins this 12 months, will as an alternative experience #6 Occult, however the presence of Corridor of Famer John Velazquez aboard at the moment definitely lessens the blow. Velazquez gained this race twice with Malathaat in 2022 and In Lingerie in 2012. Notice that Honor D Girl confronted Candied earlier this season within the Girl’s Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park and was crushed by that acquainted rival by 4 ½ lengths.
JOCKEY: John Velazquez; TRAINER: Saffie Joseph Jr.
5. Field Draw (30-1): Longshot within the subject is a 6-year-old who has accrued 4 wins in 23 lifetime races, together with a 2-for-9 document in 2024 with a first-level allowance win over the winter at Oaklawn Park and an allowance optional-claiming win through DQ two races in the past at Ellis Park. Her velocity figures are far under the opposite horses on this subject, and he or she has didn’t hit the board when ambitiously positioned in simpler stakes spots 5 prior instances in her profession.
JOCKEY: Aubrie Inexperienced; TRAINER: Henry West Jr.
6. Occult (8-1): Had a promising 3-year-old marketing campaign in 2023 when she gained the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks and was third in races just like the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes, Grade 1 Acorn Stakes Introduced by Nice Jones Distilling Co., and Grade 2 Mom Goose Stakes. Occult, nevertheless, has didn’t take a major step ahead throughout her 4-year-old season to this point with no wins from three outings this 12 months, together with a fourth-place end within the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Fleur de Lis Stakes. Her foremost attraction at the moment appears to be her top-notch human connections, coach Chad Brown and jockey Jose Ortiz, each of whom are looking for their first profession wins on this race.
JOCKEY: Jose Ortiz; TRAINER: Chad Brown
THE PICK: Candied
LIVE LONGSHOT: Occult
SUPERFECTA: 2-1-4-6
