2013 Breeders’ Cup Distaff: Risk and Reward

Saturday morning the decision became final: Princess of Sylmar is going to run in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. This is a decision that carries significant risk and reward.

 

After her final workout, an easy four furlongs run in :48.42, owner Ed Stanco and trainer Todd Pletcher weighed in about the risk of losing three year-old filly divisional title and the reward of contending for Horse of the Year.

 

Owner Ed Stanco has made a complete turnaround about running Princess of Sylmar in the Distaff. “I was adamant about not running in the Breeders’ Cup: no way, no how. After the Alabama I said that there was zero percent chance that we were going [to the Distaff], but three days later when she was galloping, she just wanted more. It was pretty clear that she could step up to a higher level after having beaten all of the three year-olds. At that point we decided: let’s take on the champ.”

 

“Then when she came out of the Beldame, she looked like she breezed by Royal Delta, who had a very fast time, her fastest time at nine furlongs. Then I said maybe there’s a 20% chance and then she’s been coming along and so it didn’t take anything out of her. After two weeks she looked just terrific and Todd said to me he’s never had a horse like this that keeps coming back and moving along, step by step. It looked like she wanted to go, so we should go.”

 

Pletcher seemed more interested in taking things one race at a time, never having ruled anything out as a possibility. “I have seen no reasons not to keep going so far.  She keeps winning. She keeps training well.  Generally my philosophy is: if you don’t have to stop, why stop. There’s always going to be plenty of reasons when you have to. So at the same time there’s no urgency to commit to running right when she crossed the wire at the Beldame.”

 

Although well aware of the risk that they are taking should Princess of Sylmar run a bad race, both Stanco and Pletcher seemed to be quite confident about the reward side of the trip to California.

 

On the risk and reward Pletcher said, “Oh, I suppose that there is always a chance [that she loses the divisional title]. I think that people are going to look at her body of work probably more so than just the one Breeders’ Cup race. The way I look at it is the Breeders’ Cup Distaff is a $2 million race. You get a nice trophy and an Eclipse Award and another nice trophy. Also, I think that she has put herself in the mix for Horse of the Year and if she wins the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and certain things unfold on Saturday a little bit differently than what the odds board say they are, then I think that she could make a big statement. I think it is a risk, but I think it’s a pretty positive risk-reward scenario, especially since she is doing so well.”

 

Stanco works in the insurance business, so risk and reward is how he makes a living.  “She has the three year-old championship locked in, why would we risk that? But, it’s gotten to the point now that it is a lot more than all of that. This is really a big event. She is absolutely outstanding and it’s not for us to hold her back. The fans deserve to have her in the race."

 

"We aren’t trading up to try to be Horse of the Year. It’s more a question of do we want to race her? Do we want to race her for everyone else? There’s also a little hidden factor that I want to tell you: This winning of grade one races gets pretty addicting, pretty exciting stuff, and that’s probably the bottom line.”