Princess of Sylmar and Beholder shine against their elders
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Gone are the
days when fall was the season of facing new challenges. Before the rise of
slots funded purses and the decrease in number of starts per year, three-year
olds faced their elders on a regular basis as the leaves began to change and
summer lazily drifted into fall. Championship caliber horses took their game to
their elders, and some such as Kelso
came away victorious while others such as Spectacular Bid gave it a darn good try but finished second best. In those days it was
not enough for a three-year old to just be the best of the division. In order
for their accomplishments to be given serious merit, they needed to have
stepped outside of their division with success.
These days
you don’t often see three-year olds stepping outside of their division prior to
the Breeders’ Cup races due to the allure of $1 million races such as the
Cotillion and the Pennsylvania Derby that are restricted to 3-year olds. Rather
than having their fillies or colts step up prior to when it’s absolutely
necessary, owners and trainers choose to take the easier route and the easier
money. Why push them to probably only run for second or third money when they
can easily win first money elsewhere? When you do see 3-year olds step outside
their division, however, it usually doesn’t result in a win, at least not
recently.
Yesterday
was thankfully a whole different story. Super Saturday featured no less than 10
Grade 1 stakes races split between Belmont Park and Santa Anita. A majority of
those stakes were billed for 3-year olds and upward, and rather than seeing
solely older runners in these spots, a handful of 3-year olds were peppered in
there. Some like Palace Malice ran
well without actually getting the win, but when it came to statement making
performances, it was that 3-year old fillies that stood out.
The most
anticipated match-up of the week was the first performance of the day, and it
featured racing’s newest royalty Princess of Sylmar attempting to best a two-time champion in the G1 Beldame. Earlier
in the year, not many had heard of the Pennsylvania bred filly who was actually
left behind when trainer Todd Pletcher took his string to Florida, but in just
a few short months, The Princess went from a virtual unknown to a star in her
own right. After dominating her divisional rivals in three of the most
important races for 3-year old fillies, there was only one other thing she
could do to prove that she was a legitimate star: face her elders and beat
them.
She did not
face just any field of elders. No, she took her challenge directly to the
two-time Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Royal Delta. Many said there was no way The Princess could beat Royal Delta
because the older mare was just too good. She did not just beat her foes, she
ran them into submission. When the dust settled, however, it was Princess of
Sylmar that came away the winner. After tracking Royal Delta through the early
stages of the race, Princess drew on even terms with her during the stretch
drive before drawing away to win by two. It did indeed take a champion to beat
a champion.
Not to be
outdone, West Coast 3-year old filly standout Beholder equaled Princess of Sylmar’s victory over elders with a
scintillating performance of her own. The lone 3-year old in the G1 Zenyatta
Stakes faced a field of graded stakes winning older fillies and mares. Unlike
on the opposite coast, this race was more than just a two horse affair. These
were all serious contenders, and only a special 3-year old field would be able
to do it. As it turns out, Beholder was just such a filly. Breaking on top, the
West Coast star streaked straight to the lead and never relinquished it,
crossing the wire a 1 ¼-length winner.
While the
field Beholder faced was a very solid field, her feat paled in comparison to
what Princess of Sylmar had accomplished earlier in the afternoon. Royal Delta’s
trainer Bill Mott pointed out after
the race that he had more Breeders’ Cup by losing the Beldame than by winning
it, a sure indication that Royal Delta hadn’t been trained to peak in this
spot. That does not in any way, however, diminish the quality of The Princess’
victory. Royal Delta has run other fields into submission with hardly any
effort in previous races, so it truly would take a special filly or mare to
beat her. It is no wonder that for most of the year, the 3-year old fillies
have outshone their male counterparts. When it came right down to it, the
ladies were able to face and defeat their elders while the boys, except for Palace Malice, struggled to hold their
own.
With 5 weeks
left to the Breeders’ Cup, racing fans are anxious to see all the stars align.
Unfortunately, as of right now, a rematch between Royal Delta and Princess of
Sylmar seems unlikely. The owners of King of Prussia Stable want to make sure
they have their star around for her 4-year old season and will only ship to
Santa Anita if they feel the Beldame did not take too much out of their filly. For
all intents and purposes, yesterday’s race was Princess of Sylmar’s Breeders’
Cup race, and she all but locked up divisional year-end honors. Regardless,
though, I would love nothing more than to see a rematch of the nation’s leading
ladies when they are both at their absolute best and everything is on the line.
For this is what horse racing is all
about. Champions facing champions.
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