"Win and You're In" Berth up for Grabs Sunday in Barclays Pretty Polly Stakes

NEW YORK (June 29, 2012) – An automatic berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (GI) is on the line Sunday in the Barclays Pretty Polly Stakes (G1) at The Curragh through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series.

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge is a global series of 73 stakes races whose winners earn automatic starting positions into a corresponding race into the Breeders’ Cup, which will be held November 2-3 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

Sunday’s race will be the first of four Breeders’ Cup Challenge races to be run in Ireland this year.

Once again Breeders’ Cup Ltd., will provide incentives for Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners. If the Pretty Polly winner is nominated to the Breeders’ Cup program by October 22:

• The winning stable will have its entry fees into the Championships paid by Breeders’ Cup Ltd.
• The winning stable will receive a US$20,000 travel allowance to California for the Championships.
• The nominator of the Challenge winner will receive a US$10,000 nominator award from Breeders’ Cup Ltd.

Non-nominated Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners have until October 22 to nominate and still receive paid entry fees and the designated travel allowance.

As many as 12 may go in the Pretty Polly, with six possible starters for trainer Aidan O’Brien, led by the 3-year-old filly Was, owned by Derrick Smith, who was a 20-1 upset winner of the Investec Oaks (G1) at Epsom on June 1. The five other O’Brien runners still under consideration are Michael Tabor’s Maybe (IRE), winner of last year’s Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) and fifth in the Oaks in her last start, and Up, Soon, Wonderful and Betterbetterbetter.

The John Gosden-trained 4-year-old filly Izzi Top (GB) has won her last three starts including the most recent Betfred Middleton Stakes (G2) at York on May 17, and Moyglare Stud’s 4-year-old filly Sapphire (IRE), trained by Dermot Weld, who has won two straight, including the Kerry Group Noblesse Stakes (G3) at Cork on June 17, are also contenders.

The four Breeders’ Cup Challenge races to be run in Ireland this year are:

DATE / TRACK / BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE RACE / BREEDERS’ CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RACE
July 1 / The Curragh / Barclays Ireland Pretty Polly Stakes / US$2 million Breeders’ Cup
Sept. 8 / Leopardstown / Red Mills Irish Champion Stakes / US$3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf
Sept. 9 / The Curragh / Moyglare Stud Stakes / US$1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
Sept. 30 / The Curragh / Juddmonte Beresford Stakes / US$1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf