Distaff

POST: 10:20 A.M. First of eight-race Breeders’ Cup card at Santa Anita.

CONDITIONS: For 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares.

DISTANCE: 1 1/8 MILES on the main track.

PURSE: $2 MILLION. First place: $1,040,000. Second place: $400,000. Third place: $240,000. Fourth place: $114,000. Fifth place: $60,000.

THE FIELD

*--* PP Jockey Wgt Trainer Owner Odds Hor se 1 Edgar Prado 123 Ken McPeek Select Stable 8-1 TAK E CHA RGE LAD Y 2 Pat Valenzula 123 David Hofmans Amerman Racing 20-1 ADO RAT ION 3 Pat Day 119 Steve Asmussen Heiligbrodt Stable 12-1 LAD Y TAK 4 John Velazquez 119 Bobby Barbara Georgica Stable 20-1 BUY THE SPO RT 5 Jerry Bailey 123 Bobby Frankel Juddmonte Farms 6-5 SIG HTS EEK 6 Corey Nakatani 119 Craig Dollase J Paul Reddam 9-2 ELL OLU V 7 Alex Solis 123 Bruce Headley Aase, Headley & Leung 2-1 GOT KOK O Not e: PP (po st pos iti on) num ber in fir st col umn wil l als o be the hor se’ s sad dle clo th num ber

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HOW TIMES HANDICAPPER BOB MIESZERSKI SEES THE DISTAFF UNFOLDING

START

With jockey Patrick Valenzuela on longshot ADORATION, she figures to be sent for the lead along with ELLOLUV, who has done all of her winning around two turns wire to wire, and LADY TAK. TAKE CHARGE LADY, who won the Spinster at Keeneland on Oct. 5 while rating off the pace, and SIGHTSEEK should drop in behind the pacesetters along with BUY THE SPORT. GOT KOKO is almost certain to be the early trailer.

AT THE HALF-MILE POLE

ADORATION will probably have called it a day by this point. The same goes for BUY THE SPORT, who has to prove that her victory in the Gazelle on Sept. 6 at Belmont Park wasn’t a fluke. ELLOLUV, who won the seven-furlong Santa Ynez over this track in January, and LADY TAK should still be vying for command with TAKE CHARGE LADY and SIGHTSEEK in close attendance. GOT KOKO will probably still have a good view of all of her rivals.

AT THE QUARTER POLE

Both suspect at 1 1/8 miles, ELLOLUV and LADY TAK will begin to tire, setting the stage for a three-horse battle through the lane among TAKE CHARGE LADY, SIGHTSEEK and GOT KOKO. Helped by what should be quick fractions in front of her and already a five-time winner over the local surface, GOT KOKO should be rolling under jockey Alex Solis, but Take Charge Lady doesn’t surrender easily -- as she showed against Azeri in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park this spring -- and SIGHTSEEK is a far better filly now than what Californians saw last winter.

FINISH

At the wire, SIGHTSEEK should prevail, although it is almost certain to be closer than it was in any of her four Grade I victories in New York. The average margin of victory was about 6 1/2 lengths. Whatever the margin, she wraps up the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding older filly or mare. GOT KOKO continues to be one of the best bargains ever -- she was purchased for $30,000 as a yearling -- and will go over $1 million in earnings with a win or a second today. TAKE CHARGE LADY will earn some redemption after finishing sixth in her starts in the last two Breeders’ Cups.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

The First Four

1. SIGHTSEEK 2. GOT KOKO 3. TAKE CHARGE LADY 4. ELLOLUV

The Rest

5. Lady Tak, 6. Buy The Sport, 7. Adoration

DISTAFF WINNERS

*--* Year Track Horse Jockey Win Margin $2 Payoff 1984 Hollywood PRINCESS Eddie 7 lengths $3.40* Park ROONEY Delahoussaye 1985 Aqueduct LIFE’S MAGIC Angel Cordero 6 1/4 lengths $2.80* Jr. 1986 Santa Anita LADY’S SECRET Pat Day 2 1/2 lengths $3.00* 1987 Hollywood SACAHUISTA Randy Romero 2 1/4 lengths $ 7.80 Park 1988 Churchill PERSONAL Randy Romero Nose $3.00* Downs ENSIGN 1989 Gulfstream BAYAKOA Laffit Pincay 1 1/2 lengths $3.40* Park Jr. 1990 Belmont BAYAKOA Laffit Pincay 6 3/4 lengths $4.20* Park Jr. 1991 Churchill DANCE SMARTLY Pat Day 1 1/2 lengths $3.00* Downs 1992 Gulfstream PASEANA Chris McCarron 4 lengths $7.20 Park 1993 Santa Anita HOLLYWOOD Eddie Nose $4.60* WILDCAT Delahoussaye 1994 Churchill ONE DREAMER Gary Stevens Neck $96.20 Downs 1995 Belmont INSIDE Mike Smith 13 1/2 lengths $3.60* Park INFORMATION 1996 Woodbine JEWEL PRINCESS Corey Nakatani 1 1/2 lengths $6.80 1997 Hollywood AJINA Mike Smith 2 lengths $11.60 Park 1998 Churchill ESCENA Gary Stevens Nose $8.00 Downs 1999 Gulfstream BEAUTIFUL Jorge Chavez 3/4 length $8.00 Park PLEASURE 2000 Churchill SPAIN Victor 1 1/2 lengths $113.80 Downs Espinoza 2001 Belmont UNBRIDLED Pat Day Head $26.60 Park ELAINE 2002 Arlington AZERI Mike Smith 5 lengths $5.60* Park

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* As favorite

THROUGH THE YEARS

HIGHLIGHTS FROM EACH BREEDERS’ CUP

* 1984 at Hollywood Park: Chief’s Crown, the 7-10 favorite, became the first winner in Breeders’ Cup history when he won the Juvenile by three-quarters of a length over 25-1 longshot Tank’s Prospect before the stewards got involved. Fran’s Valentine, a 74-1 longshot, was disqualified from first and placed 10th in the Juvenile Fillies, and 31-1 outsider Wild Again prevailed after a bump-filled stretch run, which led to the disqualification of original runner-up Gate Dancer, in the Classic. Lashkari was the biggest shocker, winning the Turf at 53-1.

* 1985 at Aqueduct: On a dreary afternoon, Precisionist, who hadn’t run six furlongs in nearly 22 months, beat a strong group, including Smile, Mt. Livermore, Pancho Villa, Fighting Fit and Ziggy’s Boy, in the sprint and was voted the top sprinter of the year. Wayne Lukas became the first trainer to win two Cup races on the same day, taking the Juvenile Fillies with Twilight Ridge and the Distaff with Life’s Magic.