The Breeders’ Cup Distaff is the gift that keeps giving for horseplayers. It has produced five next-out winners since its Nov. 6 running and the list could grow Sunday when Royal Flag launches her 6-year-old season in the Grade 2, $200,000 Ruffian at Belmont Park. The one-turn mile race drew six fillies and mares and every one of them is a stakes winner, including Grade 1 winner Search Results, Grade 2 winner Zaajel, and Grade 3 winner Lady Rocket. Royal Flag, a three-time graded stakes winner, wrapped up her campaign last year with a fifth-place finish in the BC Distaff at Del Mar. Since the race, starters Malathaat, Clairiere, Blue Stripe, As Time Goes By, and Letruska all returned to win in their next start, with four of them accounting for graded stakes. :: For the first time ever, our premium past performances are free! Get free Formulator now! Royal Flag was beaten just 1 1/4 lengths in the BC Distaff. In her final prep for her return, she breezed a half-mile over a fast Belmont surface in 48 seconds April 30. Trainer Chad Brown said there were a couple of reasons to target the Ruffian. “She runs good at Belmont,” he said. “I like the mile distance and the timing works for us.” Will Farish bred and owns Royal Flag, who won last year’s Grade 2 Beldame Invitational at Belmont one start before the BC Distaff. In the championship race, Royal Flag had one horse beat early, moved up to second, and ended up fifth to Marche Lorraine. “She just moved too early,” Brown said. “The pace was flying. I was a little disappointed with that. It is what it is. We rested her after that. Mr. Farish decided to run her at 6. “Mr. Farish wanted to give it another shot and see if we could get back to the Breeders’ Cup at his home track at Keeneland. We’ll see if she takes us there. She’s been quite a consistent horse for us.” Royal Flag, who is 6 for 13, is a half-sister to multiple Grade 2 winner Catalina Cruiser. She will break from post 3 under regular rider Joel Rosario. “She appreciates pace in front of her,” Brown said. “Making a late move, that’s her preferred style.” Brown also will send out Search Results, the winner of the Grade 1 Acorn at a mile last June at Belmont for Klaravich Stables. She is making her second start of the year, after finishing a distant third as the 3-5 favorite in the Grade 3 Distaff on April 9 at Aqueduct. “I was surprised she didn’t pick her feet up,” Brown said. “She had been training well. Big head-scratcher in that race. I don’t have a good excuse as to why she did that. :: Want to start playing with a $510 bankroll and have access to free Formulator? Learn more “I’m excited to get her back over to Belmont, a track that I trust a little more for her maybe, even though she had some success at Aqueduct, but that track changes a lot, too. It looked to me that for whatever reason she was climbing around and not happy over there. At Belmont, she had a breeze recently over the main track and breezed as good as she breezed all year, so I’m optimistic that she can get back into form.” Search Results, who has tactical speed, will break from post 4 under Irad Ortiz Jr. Lady Rocket shipped to Belmont on Thursday for the Ruffian. She was entered in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff, which was to have been run Saturday at Churchill Downs, but after drawing the rail in the eight-horse field her connections decided to scratch and enter in the Ruffian. Lady Rocket exits the Grade 1 Madison, a seven-furlong race in which she finished fourth in the mud April 9 at Keeneland. She “got hung up in a fast pace, did too much too early,” said trainer Brad Cox. “She bounced out it good and had two good works since.” Cox noted that Lady Rocket’s best race was going a one-turn mile last December at Aqueduct, where she won the Grade 3 Go for Wand Handicap by nine lengths. Lady Rocket earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 107. John Velazquez has the mount from post 2 for Frank Fletcher and Ten Strike Racing. Bank Sting is looking for her fourth straight win. Her streak has been built in stakes dating back to Dec. 5 at Aqueduct. Zaajel won last year’s Grade 2 Mother Goose at Belmont and last out was fourth in the Distaff at Aqueduct. Make Mischief popped a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 99 last out in a two-other-than allowance win at a mile at Aqueduct. The best last-race number in the Ruffian is the 101 earned by Royal Flag in the key-race BC Distaff. – additional reporting by David Grening