Queen's Trust (GB)

Queen's Trust came into the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf with only a maiden win to her credit, but thundered to victory like a champion at Santa Anita Park under Frankie Dettori, nipping Lady Eli at the wire by a nose.

Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Queen’s Trust was sent off at 8-1 in a 13-horse field. While Avenge set solid fractions up front, taking the field through six furlongs in 1:10.11, and the mile in 1:34.2, Queen’s Trust was in ninth place when Dettori angled the daughter of Dansili wide into the stretch. Avenge was overtaken by favored Lady El, but Queen’s Trust kept coming, and just got up in the final stride.

"The straights are a bit short but when I got to Lady Eli's back wheels, I was confident I would catch her," Dettori said. "She dug very deep today and it's great for the team."

Queen’s Trust’s win was a result of putting all her talents together at the right time and on the biggest stage. She had been chasing and finishing close to some very good female turf specialists over the past two years. The 3-year-old British filly by won in her first out in 2015 at Kempton Park. She had five starts in 2016, and made a big run to finish second to multiple stakes winner Minding in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood July 30. She then ran third behind Seventh Heaven and the 2015 Breeders’ Cup champion Found in the G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks in August, and barely missed being second in the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stake Oct. 15 at Ascot.

In 2017, Queen’s Trust returned to the US to defend her Filly & Mare title at Del Mar in her final career race. Like her run the previous year, she came from well off the pace, closing from 12th to fifth, but could get no closer.