Wedding Toast Bids To Be Distaff Queen

Time/Date - 17.35hrs local time/Friday, October 30, 2015
Racecourse/Country - Keeneland/USA
Surface/Distance - Dirt/1m 1f

Wedding Toast goes for a fourth straight win on her Breeders' Cup debut in the US$2-million G1 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff over nine furlongs on dirt at Keeneland, USA, on Friday, October 30.

The five-year-old mare, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, has posted a hat-trick of impressive victories at Belmont Park, including a comfortable all-the-way success over Curalina in the G1 Beldame Stakes over the same trip on September 26.

She made virtually all of the running when beating Untapable by five lengths in the extended-mile G1 Ogden Phipps Stakes on June 6 and stormed clear in the closing stages for a four-length success in the mile G2 Ruffian Stakes on May 9.

On her only previous appearance at Keeneland on April 4, Wedding Toast came home fourth in the G1 Madison Stakes over seven furlongs.

Jose Lezcano, who has ridden Wedding Toast on all of her starts this year, partners the daughter of Street Sense again.

She meets 13 fillies and mares headed by Sheer Drama, who has also won G1 races on her two latest starts, Madison Stakes runner-up Stopchargingmaria and Curalina.

Kiaran McLaughlin said: "Wedding Toast drew well in gate seven, which is right in the middle of the field, whereas her main rival Sheer Drama will break widest of all from stall 14.

"She is doing very well and we hope that she will be on or near the lead, as she has been in the past.

"There is a little bit of speed around her but, hopefully, she can break well and get to the lead or lay close to it if something goes off in front.

"She was having to be hustled along when running over seven furlongs in the Madison at Keeneland earlier in the year but she is a much better filly over this trip.

"Running over two turns is a tiny concern - she is better around one turn at Belmont - but she couldn't be doing better.

"We think that she is the one to beat in the race."