Farewell, Princess of Sylmar

Nearly every racing fan has that one special horse they will hold in their heart forever. There's that one horse who stands out among the rest, who you love and admire as your own, who you have been following for their entire career, and who you anticipate each of their races with a flurrying mixture of nerves and excitement. As many people already know, for me that horse was Princess of Sylmar. The past year of my life has been a crazy journey of dreams coming true and opportunities thought to be unrealistic actually become a reality, all thanks to one incredible family and their filly who overcame all odds.

I knew the sand in the hourglass was running low for Princess's racing career the past couple of months. It's one of those things you don't want to believe even though you know you're eventually going to have to believe. The past couple weeks, I became suspicious even though it was decided to keep her in training. Stopchargingmaria scratching out of the Cotillion sealed the deal for me. I knew it was coming any day now, but I still wasn't prepared when her retirement was made official on Friday evening. It was the time when you are forced to accept what you had been dreading for so long.

But why did I cry? I wanted nothing more than for her to retire happy and sound. She had done everything that was ever asked of her and so much more. I was living in a dream I never wanted to wake from. She was the reason my dreams became plausible and the reason I'm able to write this blog, and all my other blogs. I've told my story of how I came to love Princess many times before, but this is the in depth version of the horse who I owe everything to and fell in love with through a television screen in the waking moments of 2013.

I never could have imagined the little Pennsylvania-bred filly making her stakes debut on that freezing cold afternoon at Aqueduct would eventually become the thing I loved the most, and ultimately change my life. I was just another person half heartedly looking for their early season Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses. "That filly was impressive winning the Busanda". Make note, move on. Nothing major. The same thing four weeks later following a playful romp in the Busher, "Alright, so this horse may actually turn out being a pretty legit Oaks contender. My favorite three-year-old filly by far." I remember my excitement seeing her name on the entries for the Gazelle on the Wood Memorial undercard in April, telling my dad, "My favorite 3-year-old filly and Kentucky Oaks horse is running today," as we got out of the car and walked across the blustery parking lot to the track.

Of course I was bummed she didn't win the Gazelle, in what would be her first foray against an absolute monster in Close Hatches, but I still stood by Princess's side approaching the Kentucky Oaks. I'm one who usually goes with the, most of the time unsuccessful, method of staying loyal to a horse over who may have the better shot. It was half and half for me going into the Oaks. At first glance, it looked as if she was outclassed. After all, it was arguably the deepest rendition of the Kentucky Oaks in history. But I had my reasons to like her other than the fact that I picked her out four months earlier. She was incredibly consistent, having won four of five since November along with a not so bad second in the Gazelle. When she won, she obliterated every horse in her wake, winning all four of her races by a combined 38 3/4 lengths even though it wasn't against the classiest competition. The Oaks was clearly a race featuring a ton of speed and with Princess's natural closing ability, why not take a shot? Yes, I very much regret waving my dad off when he asked if I wanted to put anything down on the Oaks and Derby.

I was away at Six Flags for school the day of the Oaks but that wasn't stopping me from knowing what was happening. I pulled up an HRTV livestream even though they couldn't show the race and sat down for the results as I ate my Cold Stone ice cream. "38-1? I didn't think she would be that high. Am I crazy?" I said to my friends who could honestly care less. I'm not gonna lie, I had my doubts after seeing the odds board. Most of what ensued after was a blur. I remember hearing "They just broke from the gate in the Kentucky Oaks," about two minutes later having my phone blowing up with notifications from my friend who was watching from home, and then hearing "So it was a huge upset. Princess of Sylmar is the unofficial winner of the Kentucky Oaks."

So I instinctively freaked out and started running through this amusement park like a maniac screaming, "My horse just won! My horse just won the Kentucky Oaks!" I lost count of how many people gave me odd looks, but I didn't care, my horse just won. The horse I picked out four months earlier crossed the finish line in the Kentucky Oaks in front at odds of 38-1. That was the defining moment for me; running through Six Flags like a crazy person. By the way, I never finished that ice cream. I'm pretty sure I actually gave it to a random person.

I was a diehard Princess of Sylmar fan now. I anticipated her return at Saratoga and my love for her grew following her dominating wins in the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama. Following the Alabama, the phrase "Pennsylvania's Pride" popped into my head. It had a nice ring to it. I was thrilled to know I would be seeing the filly again a few weeks later when I went to Belmont for Super Saturday. That's when I first decided to wanted to be more than just another fan there that day. Her owners seemed like great people, very humble and down to earth. I wanted to get a simple smile or wave from them even if she didn't win. So I begged my mom to bring me to get a poster board from the local craft store and threw together a homemade fan sign. Other teenage girls made poster boards for concerts they went to for their favorite bands, why couldn't I do the same for a horse at a racetrack?

"Pennsylvania's Pride, Princess of Sylmar's #1 Fan" my sign boldly stated. After taking a wrong turn and having to travel through the craziness of New York City we arrived in time for the race right before the Beldame. I had no idea whether she could dethrone the queen of racing, Royal Delta, but still held my head high with confidence. Not soon after I found myself jumping and screaming as she roared down the stretch, "She's going to win! She's going to win!". I held my sign high as she entered the winner's circle. I just wanted someone, anyone from her stable to notice my sign. As I waited, though, I started to be asked if people could get pictures of my sign. To my surprise, more requests to do the same rolled in and some of King of Prussia noticed also. "I just have to try and get her main owner to see it, dad," speaking of Ed Stanco, of course. And as he walked by, he did, coming over and shaking my hand and talking to me. I wasn't prepared for what was to happen just seconds later by any means. "Well how about after the races you come back and meet her?"

After meeting the filly who I loved that entire year, I assumed it was just my lucky day and all that had happened was a once and done thing. That was far from the case, I found articles noting me and my homemade sign left and right. As the year came to a close I received the honor of being named the 2013 Tim Reynolds Memorial Fan of the Year, which led to me being asked to have this blog this past May when I was in town for my first Derby and finally received my award. All the while, I stayed in close contact with the Stancos and continued to grow closer with them which led to me loving Princess more each day, something I didn't think was possible.

I was along for the ride during every up and down of Princess's four-year-old season, forming a special bond with her during the time I spent with her on the backstretch. She became my best friend and I loved her as if she was my very own. Through countless smiles and tears, pride, and heartbreak the time I spent with Princess and the past year has been the greatest time of my life. I find myself living my dream, writing for this great website and pursuing my growing passion in photography (I'll be assisting Eclipse Sportswire at this year's Breeders Cup). I would have none of the incredible opportunities I find myself with now if it wasn't for the filly who I now consider my own and the amazing family, who I now consider my family also, who owns her. Sometimes dreams really do come true.

Princess's racing career coming to a close has forced me to wake up from one dream, but I find myself still living in another, that one being the possible lifelong career I hope to develop over the next few years. My feet were placed upon their starting path thanks to this fairy tale of a filly and I truly would not have been able to do it without her and all of King of Prussia Stable. No words will ever be great enough to express my gratitude. "You are part of our family. You are part of our stable. And Princess is your horse," Ed told me. I'm so thankful for all the friendships I've been able to develop and incredible people I was introduced to.

I personally believe Princess was the same horse this year that she was last year, but everything eventually has to come to a close, even the great things in life. I'll surely never forget the time I got to spend with the horse who changed my life and made my dreams a reality. Princess will always hold a special place in my heart. She's the type of horse who I'll tell stories about for generations. It's amazing to see how many people she has touched and how many people adore her. She has done more than what any of us could have ever dreamed of.

So thank you, King of Prussia Stable. Thank you, Stanco Family. And most of all, thank you, Princess of Sylmar. There's a very likely chance the last time I saw her may really have been the last time I ever saw her, and my heart aches at the thought. Wherever she may be heading when the gavel falls on November 3rd, I'll still love her with every fiber of my being as if she was still my own. Patting her on the nose and kissing her between the eyes, I turned to leave Pletcher's barn on the morning of Woodward Day at Saratoga, August 30th, "I'll see you in four weeks, girly. I love you so much."