This week’s lone Grade 1 stakes nationally will be Saturday’s $600,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland. The mile and one-eighth showcase for 3-year-old turf fillies will go as Race 9 on the card with post time set for 5:16 pm ET.

Let’s meet the contenders for the QE2:

#1-Mission of Joy (John Velazquez / Graham Motion) 20-1 ML
Winner of Tampa’s Florida Oaks and Churchill’s Regret looks to snap back from a two-race losing streak as the beaten favorite both times. Best races are when showing tactical speed just off the pace and rail helps get that position. Jockey Velazquez has won this race a record five times, most recently in 2019.

#2-Elusive Princess (Flavien Prat / Arnaud Delacour) 3-1 ML
Smashing Saratoga Oaks winner in her US debut on soft going last time out, she’s Group 1-placed in France and was a solid fifth at 9-1 odds in the French Oaks. First or second in six of her last seven starts, she’ll vie for favoritism. Jockey Prat looks for a three-peat in this race after wins aboard Shantisara and Gina Romantica the past two years.

#3-Safeen (Cristian Torres / Eddie Kenneally) 30-1 ML
Stakes winner at Horseshoe Indianapolis as well as Ellis Park’s Grade 3 Pucker Up, it all fell apart for her last time as the favorite when a distant eighth in the Dueling Grounds Oaks at Kentucky Downs. Loses prior jockeys Tyler Gaffalione to Lindy and Luis Saez to Elounda Queen. Offspring of War Front excel on the Keeneland lawn.

#4-Mawj (Oisin Murphy / Saeed bin Suroor) 2-1 ML
Prestigious Group 1 English 1000 Guineas winner looks for a fourth straight victory in the Godolphin blue. She was a Group 1-placed juvenile last fall and has developed nicely as a sophomore. Retains world-renowned jockey Murphy for her US unveiling. The last internationally based QE2 winner was Together in 2011.

#5-Be Your Best (Ricardo Santana Jr. / Horacio De Paz) 20-1 ML
Runner-up this year in turf stakes in New York and California, the well-traveled Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks second-place finisher has lost six straight since opening her career 2-for-2 at Saratoga during the summer of 2022. Partners with Santana for the first time Saturday.

#6-Lindy (Tyler Gaffalione / Brendan Walsh) 6-1 ML
French export was third in the Group 1 French 1000 Guineas and eight in the Group 1 French Oaks this year before moving to Walsh’s barn this summer. Handy allowance winner at short odds at Kentucky Downs to ready for this assignment, which will be a furlong farther than all but one of her career efforts.

#7-Sounds of Heaven (Shane Foley / Jessica Harrington) 8-1 ML
Third in the Group 1 Coronation at Royal Ascot behind superstar Tahirya, she could appreciate firmer ground in America after a dull sixth on soft going in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild in France. Sire Kingman has had some US success with offspring like Technical Analysis, Masen and Domestic Spending. The last internationally based QE2 winner was Together in 2011.

#8-Elounda Queen (Luis Saez / Jean Claude Rouget) 10-1 ML
Group 3 French winner hits the Grade 1 ranks for the first time following a career-best score at Deauville. She’s yet to stretch beyond a mile, and sire Australia (a son of the legendary Ouija Board) is best known to American players for his son Order of Australia, Keeneland’s 2020 Breeders’ Cup Mile upsetter at 73-1 odds. The last internationally based QE2 winner was Together in 2011.

#9-Heavenly Sunday (Florent Geroux / Brad Cox) 30-1 ML
Local course winner at age two, she returned this spring to run third in the Grade 2 Appalachian before finishing second in the Grade 2 Edgewood at Churchill. Expected early pace setter is by Candy Ride, sire of last week’s Keeneland dirt Alcibiades winner Candied.

#10-Liguria (Joel Rosario / Chad Brown) 15-1 ML
Stakes winner at Del Mar in last year’s Grade 3 Jimmy Durante and Belmont’s listed Wild Applause in June, she’ll need to bounce back from consecutive losses as the favorite in New York. Deep closer has won over 3 different courses and could appreciate Keeneland’s, being by strong local producer War Front. Trainer Brown has a record five wins in this race, including two straight and four of the last five years.

#11-Prerequisite (Irad Ortiz Jr. / Chad Brown) 20-1 ML
Wired the Grade 2 Wonder Again at Belmont and nearly did so when runner-up in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, so expect her near the pace. Wide trip in the Lake Placid at Saratoga and didn’t factor when unable to get near the front. Trainer Brown has a record five wins in this race, including two straight and four of the last five years.

#12-Papilio (Javier Castellano / Mark Casse) 10-1 ML
Irish export has been busy in the US with six domestic starts since March, rallying to win the Grade 2 Appalachian over this course in April. She’s continued to put her best feet forward in major races at Churchill, Belmont and Saratoga with consistency. Casse won this race in 2017 with La Coronel.

#13 (AE)-Freydis the Red (Brian Hernandez Jr. / Kenny McPeek) 10-1 ML
Dueling Grounds Oaks winner at Kentucky Downs will need a defection in the field in order to compete. Late runner took six tries to break her maiden, but has come to hand this summer with noticeable improvement.