USA: France's Zagora takes on star fillies at Keeneland

Check The Label: Belmont Grade 1 winner faces stronger foes here

  PICTURE: EquiSport Photos/Jessie Holmes  France's Zagora takes on star fillies at Keeneland
 By Nicholas Godfrey 6:53PM 14 OCT 2010 Preview: USA, Saturday 9.43pm BST (live on ATR)

Keeneland: Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup (Grade 1) 1m1f, turf, 3yo fillies

SIX of the eight fillies taking part in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup have graded-stakes or Group-winning form to their name, making this the hottest race of its type this year in North America.

RELATED LINKS Race card  Although the Breeders' Cup is only three weeks away, the $400,000 eventis a legitimate trial for the Filly & Mare Turf with a talented field to match.

Jean-Claude Rouget has booked US-based compatriot Julien Leparoux for dual Group 3 winner Zagora, who has form with the best French fillies and must enter calculations on the basis of a comfortable victory over Bikini Babe at Deauville in July.

However, she must overcome a powerful pair of leading ladies from the home team in Evening Jewel and Check The Label, both of whom have a string of big-race wins to their name.

Evening Jewel (Jim Cassidy/Victor Espinoza) has never been worse than second in seven graded-stakes appearances, landing the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes on the Polytrack here in April before being touched off by top filly Blind Luck on the dirt in the Kentucky Oaks.

Switched to turf after that run, she has landed a hat-trick on the west coast, most recently recording a game victory over a good field in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks, where her victims included a couple of Saturday's rivals.

Here, though,she faces a new shooter in the shape of Check The Label (Graham Motion/Ramon Dominguez), whose six wins have all been achieved on turf.

She is on a five-timer in graded company, having won easily last time from off the pace in the Grade 1 Garden City at Belmont, an admittedly weak-looking contest for the grade.

In a race laden with graded-stakes winners, the other previous Grade 1 scorer is American Oaks victress Harmonious (John Shirreffs/Joel Rosario), a half-length behind Evening Jewel in the Del Mar Oaks, where Perfect Shirl (Roger Attfield/John Velazquez), a Grade 2 winner on the Saratoga turf, was third.

Harmonious' trainer John Shirreffs, best known for the exploits of Zenyatta, seldom crosses the Rockies without good reason.

Snow Top Mountain, second to Check The Label in the Garden City, was awarded the Grade 3 Arlington Oaks on a disqualification.

Also on Saturday

Hollywood Park: Oak Tree Derby (Grade 2) 1m1f, turf, 3yo (Sun 12.30am BST)

NOT one of the eight runners has a graded-stakes victory to their name, but Make Music For Me (Alexis Barba/Brice Blanc) was a closing fourth in the Kentucky Derby and has won once on grass. On the downside, he hasn't run since finishing down the pan in the Belmont in early June.

Kid Edward (Jim Cassidy/David Flores) also closed well when second to the impressive Sidney's Candy over shorter at Del Mar, while former John Best-trained Jairzihno (Simon Callaghan/Patrick Valenzuela) chased home Twirling Candy in the Del Mar Derby.

Three-time winner Blue Panis (Fabrice Chappel/Joe Talamo), having his last run for his French trainer before continuing his career in the US, has scored twice in Listed grade at home.

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