DEL MAR, Calif. – War Like Goddess makes her fourth consecutive Breeders’ Cup appearance in Saturday’s Grade 1, $2 million Filly and Mare Turf at 1 3/8 miles. A close third as the favorite in the 2021 Filly and Mare Turf over this course and distance, War Like Goddess faced the boys in the Turf the following two years, placing third and seventh, respectively. Distance was the reason that War Like Goddess ran in the Turf as it’s the longer, the better for the 7-year-old mare. When the Filly and Mare Turf was contested at 1 3/16 miles at Keeneland in 2022 and 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita last year, trainer Bill Mott opted for the potentially tougher 12-furlong races. War Like Goddess hit the board in all four starts this year, including a Grade 3 victory in Delaware’s Robert G. Dick Memorial on July 7. Wired in the slow-paced Grade 2 Flower Bowl at Saratoga in her very next start, War Like Goddess then placed second when attempting a three-peat against males in Aqueduct’s Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. “I don’t think I have any big excuses,” Mott said about the Joe Hirsch. “Our trip was very smooth. We saved ground on the first two turns and tipped out around one horse. We had a clear run. If we were good enough, we were going to win.” :: BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY AND MARE TURF: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more War Like Goddess is a late-runner that always appreciates a little pace help, and the early speed in the Filly and Mare Turf might be supplied by Full Count Felicia, who utilized run-and-gun tactics to win the Grade 2 Canadian and Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine. “The first time I ran her” – a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Nassau on June 29 – “I thought she got away early on [jockey Rafael Hernandez],” trainer Kevin Attard said. “It was a taxing second quarter. We’ve worked hard with her in the morning to get her to settle, but she’s a very light-mouthed filly and likes to do things her way. The jockey has to be cognizant of that and keep her happy and not fight good energy by restraining her.” Full Count Felicia opened a 14-length lead on the backstretch of the 1 1/4-mile E.P. Taylor, and still had enough to last by 3 1/2 lengths. For that effort, Full Count Felicia received a 101 Beyer Speed Figure. “I think she’s a very good horse,” said Attard. “She may have been disrespected in the E.P. Taylor by the other horses and jockeys. She showed that she’s a horse to be reckoned with. Obviously, the slower she goes early, the more dangerous she’ll be.” Full Count Felicia will attempt to stretch her speed another furlong at Del Mar. “The farther you stretch her out and the fact that she can be aggressive on the front end concerns you in that sense,” Attard admitted. “I think it all depends on how the race unfolds.” Attard also trains Moira, who won the Queen’s Plate in 2022, finished third in last year’s Filly and Mare Turf, and chased Full Count Felicia home in second in the E.P. Taylor. “It was an oddly run race with Felicia opening up the way she did on the field,” Attard analyzed. “Horses aren’t used to running in those types of races. Moira did well. She was trying right to the end, galloped out really well, and I think the extra furlong from the E.P. Taylor to the Breeders’ Cup should benefit her.” Content finished fourth in last year’s Juvenile Fillies Turf for Aidan O’Brien, and the Galileo filly has had a successful 3-year-old campaign, winning the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks at 1 1/2 miles on Aug. 22. She didn’t run well at all in her last two races, but O’Brien felt that the soft conditions and slow paces in both the Prix de l’Opera and British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes worked against her. O’Brien’s other entrant, Ylang Ylang, was scratched on Wednesday after running a slight fever. Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby will be represented by two 3-year-old fillies. Cinderella’s Dream stretches out past 1 3/16 miles for the first time, but she was very visually impressive winning both of her races in North America. She missed a scheduled run in the E.P. Taylor and will start on Saturday following a 92-day layoff. Cinderella’s Dream breezed a half-mile on turf at Keeneland on Oct. 27 in company with multiple stakes-placed filly Star Guest and seemed to be traveling the better of the two. Beautiful Love benefited from a quick pace to win the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks at Aqueduct on Sept. 14, then finished third three weeks later in the Grade 3 Waya. She has blossomed since stretching out to 11 furlongs. Hang the Moon and Anisette might be the two best turf fillies based in Southern California. The former has won three of four starts since moving into the Phil D’Amato barn, including the Grade 2 Rodeo Drive at 1 1/4 miles last month. Anisette had a three-race graded stakes winning streak snapped when third, beaten a half-length by Hang the Moon in the Grade 2 John C. Mabee at Del Mar on Sept. 7. The usually consistent Didia seemed a bit flat when fourth in the Mabee, but she’s been given time to recover from that effort. Didia, winner of the Grade 1 New York on June 7, stretched her legs with an easy half-mile drill over the main track on Oct. 27. Beach Bomb, a multiple Group 1 winner in South Africa, makes her third start in North America for trainer Graham Motion. Third in the Rodeo Drive, Beach Bomb worked a bullet half mile on turf here on Oct. 26. French Group 3 winner Soprano ran second against 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Keeneland on Oct. 12. She’ll race beyond 1 1/8 miles for the first time in her career. Sunset Glory won the listed CTT and TOC Stakes over this course and distance two back before finishing fifth with trouble in the Rodeo Drive. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.