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The waiting is almost over with the Breeders’ Cup Distaff taking top billing on the opening night at Del Mar on Friday, with $2million to the winner.

Last year’s heart-pumping finish between Beholder and Songbird was a race for the ages and although that pair aren’t involved this time around, Beholder’s Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella does have a key protagonist once again in the lightly-raced three-year-old Paradise Woods.

It’s been a mixed bag for her this year but Mandella has done a "lot of schooling" to get her back on track after she appeared to lose her way in the middle of the campaign.

A look at the Zenyatta Stakes in September shows Mandella has worked his magic and got her back, though it’s probably significant she’s 3-3 at Santa Anita and 0-2 elsewhere. If we’d been at ‘The Great Race Place’ 100 miles up the coast then she’d be top of the list, but there has to be reservations here.

She’s got a turn of foot and may be suited to the tight turns of Del Mar, but it can’t be guaranteed and Bill Mott’s strong-travelling Elate would be the pick of the youngsters to overturn five-year-old market rivals Stellar Wind and Forever Unbridled.

The trainer has won more Distaffs than anyone and Elate plots a similar path to four of the five having won the Beldame Stakes in ready fashion.