Midday ascends for Juddmonte, Cecil in Filly and Mare Turf

Posted: Friday, November 06, 2009 5:35 PM

Midday ascends for Cecil in Filly and Mare Turf

MIDDAY

PhotosByZ.com/Eliot Schecter

To view the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, click here.

Midday (GB) unleashed a powerful drive to win the $1,818,000 Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) on Friday at Santa Anita Park, lifting trainer Henry Cecil to his first Breeders’ Cup victory and owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms to its third win in the race this decade.

Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte scored in the Filly and Mare Turf with full sisters Banks Hill (GB) in 2001 and Intercontinental (GB) in ’05. Guided by jockey Tom Queally in his first Breeders’ Cup mount, Midday stalked along the rail in fifth then third while Juddmonte-owned Visit (GB) controlled the pace through a mile in 1:36.08.

Approaching the quarter pole, Queally called on Midday and she surged past Visit and kicked home to win by a length as the 2.30-to-1 second choice. In upstaging defending winner Forever Together, Midday covered 1¼ miles in 1:59.14.

Midday finished second by a head to Sariska in the Investec Epsom Oaks (Eng-G1) on June 5, narrowly missing a ninth victory for Cecil in the English classic. The clear winner of the Blue Square Nassau Stakes (Eng-G1) on August 1 at Goodwood, Midday was Cecil’s seventh Breeders’ Cup starter. He finished third with Juddmonte’s favored Passage of Time (GB) in the 2007 Filly and Mare Turf.

“I think it's a lovely feeling, I tell you,” Cecil said. “The prince [Abdullah] has always been a great sort of friend and supporter for me and very loyal through my bad times. It's lovely to be able to repay him with a win here, because he loves the Breeders’ Cup. He adores it, and he deserves winners.”

Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes (G1) winner Pure Clan closed from seventh to finish second, 1¼ lengths in front of Forever Together, who trailed the field into the stretch and came up short with her rally, finishing third as the 2.20-to-1 favorite.

Midday is by Juddmonte’s English sire Oasis Dream (GB) and out of stakes-placed winner Midsummer, by Kingmambo. She has registered four wins in 11 career starts and earned $1,561,105

For video of Midday's jockey Tom Queally, click here.

For video of Midday's trainer Henry Cecil, click here.

For video of Juddmonte racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe, click here.

For an Equibase chart, click here.

Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer