Soprano & She Feels Pretty Headline Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup

Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's Soprano (IRE) has been keeping company with the top 3-year-old fillies in Europe. If the company she keeps translates to North America, the runner, who is trained by George Boughey, looms as a major player in the $750,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland Racecourse on Saturday, October 12.

Third behind four-time Group 1 winner Porta Fortuna (IRE) and two-time Group 1 winner Fallen Angel in the Coolmore America Justify Matron (G1) at Leopardstown in Ireland in her most recent start, Soprano arrived in the U.S. on Friday. She spent two days in quarantine at Churchill Downs before coming to Keeneland Sunday.

"This is the main target," said Charles Eddery, who was aboard Soprano Wednesday morning. "We felt like she would take to American racing, and she likes warmer weather."

On Wednesday, Eddery took Soprano through the Paddock before jogging around to the starting gate.

"One thing that is different here is the bell at the gate," Eddery said. "I wanted to get her used to that, and she did very well."

Saturday's race at 1 1/8 miles will mark the first time Soprano has raced farther than a mile. Eddery said a good performance might prompt the connections to take a look at the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) at 1 3/8 miles at Del Mar on November 2.

Trained by Cherie DeVaux, She Feels Pretty (Lael Stables) won the Johnnie Walker Natalma (G1) at Woodbine and from there was the favorite in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) in which she was third in a field of 14, beaten only a half-length.

She Feels Pretty comes into the race off a narrow runner-up finish to Flanagan Racing's Grayosh in the Lake Placid (G2) at Saratoga. John Velazquez has the mount from post 3.

Grayosh is one of two entrants for trainer Chad Brown, who also will send out Klaravich Stables' Oversubscribed (GB). Flavien Prat will ride Grayosh from post 9 and Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount on Oversubscribed from post 6.

Invading from Europe is HH The Aga Khan's Candala (FR), a Group 3 winner trained by Francis-Henri Graffard.

Billy Loughnane has the mount on Soprano from post 5, and Florent Geroux will pilot Candala from post 10.

The most accomplished runner in the field at Keeneland is Rigney Racing's Buchu. Trained by Phil Bauer, Buchu is 2-for-2 here with the victories coming last fall in the Jessamine (G2) Presented by Keeneland November and this spring in the Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association. Junior Alvarado has the mount from post 7.

Rigney Racing's homebred Buchu has not spent a lot of time at Keeneland, but when she does, she makes the most of it.

"We are going to do the same thing we've done the past two times and that is ship over the morning of the race," trainer Phil Bauer said Thursday morning from his main base at Churchill Downs. "I know we don't train there, but it is almost like a home-field advantage for her and it works well."

Buchu comes to Keeneland Saturday in her bid to remain undefeated at the track.

Saturday's race will mark the first start for Buchu since the Del Mar Oaks (G1) on Aug. 17 in which she finished fourth in a field of eight.

"We felt like the East Coast horses were maybe a little better (than the West Coast horses)," Bauer said. "In the nominations, it looked like there was plenty of speed and then there was not. She was a victim of circumstance, something we couldn't control."

Buchu received a little time off after returning from Del Mar and has had three works since.

"She's doing well, and we freshened her after Del Mar," Bauer said. "(The Queen Elizabeth II) was our target all year. It's a lofty goal, but she's not that far off (from the top fillies). Maybe we could pick up the pieces with some early speed in there."

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The grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup highlights the Saturday card and the entry of two European shippers adds to the intrigue of the handicapping challenge in that race. Expert picks by Tom Leach:

10-Candala is the pick to win the grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup presented by Dixiana. She posted a strong run in a group 2 race last time out and the winner came back to capture a group 1 last weekend. This filly is also cutting back from longer races.

6-Oversubscribed has been favored in every start and she's never finished worse than second for the Chad Brown-Irad Ortiz combo.

3-She Feels Pretty has three wins from six starts. 5-Soprano ran very well against older distaffers in her last start but she has never been farther than a mile.