Didia running big for victory in the Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Breeders’ Cup Notes
Dual Grade 1-winning mare DIDIA (ARG) continues to impress as she prepares to tackle one of the saltiest fields in the history of the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1). Owned by Merriebelle Stable and trained by Ignacio Correas IV — the same connections of 2019 upset Breeders’ Cup Distaff victress and fellow Argentine-bred Blue Prize (ARG)— Didia seeks an upset of her own against a lineup that features no fewer than seven G1 winners.
In four 2023 starts, the granddaughter of dual Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner Lure has won three times, including a dominant performance last out in the course-and-distance Rodeo Drive (G2), dismissing Del Mar Oaks (G1) winner Anisette to win by a widening 1 3/4 lengths. Her lone blemish this season came in the New York Stakes (G1) at Belmont, where she finished second by three-quarters of a length, splitting Chad Brown-trained runners Marketsegmentation and McKulick (GB). The latter reopposes in the Filly & Mare Turf.
“Her campaign has been almost perfect,” Correas said. “She lost the New York, but it was a difficult race to plan. You have four Chad Browns in there — three Grade 1 winners, one Grade 1-placed and two of his go for the lead and two stay behind you. You don’t know which to go with and on top of that you have to worry about War Like Goddess coming from off the pace. We decided to do what she does all the time and if it panned out, great, and if it didn’t pan out, that’s OK. But she ran a good race.
“We had planned to run her in the Beverly D. after the New York, but she hit her head and had some stiches and needed the time. I made an alternative plan and focused on California. She came here and ran and was super-good that day. She had to do and now we are here, and she is doing very well.”
A wicked acceleration has been Didia’s calling card thus far in her career, one that started with seven starts in South America. Thus far, she has won nine of 13 starts with a variety of running styles and finished second twice.
“The only thing that I don’t want is for her to be up on the pace,” Correas said. “In Argentina, where she won two Grade 1s, she used to be on the lead, but here I don’t want to see that. She can stalk the pace or come from farther back off the pace and I think her strength is her final quarter-mile kick. She can fly. I understand that this is a much different bunch of horses and the toughest race of her career, but she’s coming into the race in good shape.”
Didia finished up her serious work last Thursday with a 5f breeze in 1:01 4/5.
“I wanted an easy work,” Correas concluded. “She’s ready and just needed maintenance. Smooch her the last eighth and that’s what she did and galloped out well. For me, it was what I was looking for — wrong or right, that’s what I wanted.”
