Golden Award joins the Breeders' Cup Distaff party

The division for the top fillies and mares leading up to the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) has been a busy one in recent weeks. The superb Elate started things off two weeks ago with a sublime tally in the Delaware Handicap (G2) at 1 1/4 miles for conditioner Bill Mott. Five-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro is the queen of the10-furlong affair, and if she continues to run with her gender, the Kentucky-bred mare will be tough to upend. But, this weekend showcased a handful of other standout fillies and mares that put their best foot forward in the most exciting division in racing right now. The sublime Midnight Bisou kicked things off on Saturday with a facile triumph in the Molly Pitcher (G3) on the Haskell Invitational undercard. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the classy filly settled just off the pace while saving ground inside to late stretch against her overmatched foes, and she won at ease once clear at Monmouth Park. Four-year-old is perfect from a quartet of starts in 2019 and is currently a clear leader in the division. She is halfway through a historic season with triumphs in the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1), Ogden Phipps (G1) and Azeri (G2), prior to her most recent waltz. Saratoga played host to the Shuvee (G3) on Sunday and displayed a trio of fantastic horses. The up-and-coming Golden Award sent notice to her fellow distaffers that she will be a horse to deal with throughout the second half of 2019. Also conditioned by Mott, the half-sister to 2012 Kentucky Derby (G1) hero I'll Have Another beat a pair of accomplished ladies by 2 1/4 lengths in posting her biggest win to date. Golden Award, who is also by Medaglia d'Oro, earned her first of what could be multiple graded wins this campaign. The bay filly is getting really good at the right time of the year. Second in the Shuvee was Wow Cat, the multiple Group-1 winning Chilean import who finished an excellent second in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Distaff. The Chad Brown trainee was making her first run since the fall and has a lot of room for improvement as a high-class mare with a proven track record. Shuvee third She's a Julie might be a notch below a few of the other in the Distaff race, but she is no slouch. The Asmussen pupil bagged the La Troienne (G1) and Bayakoa (G3) this season and is consistently excellent. Brown's Guarana is a rapidly rising three-year-old filly who is unbeaten from three lifetime runs. The Ghostzapper sophomore added the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) on Saturday to her previous Acorn (G1) trophy, and there is no telling what her limits might be. The Three Chimneys homebred is a fantastic prospect that might be ready to challenge her older counterparts in the near future. With apologies to the brilliant Monomoy Girl, who is unraced in 2019, here is my current Top 6 in the Distaff Division: 1. Midnight Bisou -- Four-for-four this season, and she does it with panache 2. Elate -- Robust mare would be a clear number 1 if the Distaff was at 1 1/4 miles 3. Guarana -- Unbeaten lass passed her two-turn test with aplomb at The Spa 4. Wow Cat -- Great comeback race for the defending Distaff runner-up 5. Golden Award -- Mott trainee is peaking at the right time 6. Dunbar Road -- Exquisite Mother Goose (G2) heroine just scratching the surface   Golden Award (c) Adam Coglianese Photography/Joe Labozzetta