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The Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes may be a Grade 1 turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies run at Keeneland, but even with the Breeders’ Cup set for the Lexington track this year it’s unlikely the top finishers on Saturday will move on to the World Championship.

Some of the best long-distance turf horses in North America, and probably a few from Europe, will be on the grounds at Keeneland late this month to compete in the $5 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf Oct. 31.

As promised, the Rookie Rankings have undergone significant revisions following the running of three Grade 1 races for juveniles last Saturday. However, our top three candidates for the 2027 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve remain unchanged.

The weekend of Oct. 2-4 was one of the busiest and most important of the year for North American Thoroughbred racing with marquee stakes races that serve as prep races for the 2026 Breeders Cup World Championships held coast to coast as well as internationally in France.

A pair of scratches left the $598,000 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes with a field of three, but it was an extreme example of quality over quantity.

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