The Three-Year-Filly Division is Loaded

As the year of racing in 2017 progresses, the Three-Year-Filly division becomes stronger and stronger with new stars like Holy Helena and Unchained Melody emerging to join the likes of Abel Tasman and Unique Bella. As it turns out there are two relative newcomers who are based in the east and two stars from the west coast who have already faced off against each other.

As the year started out, the division was all about Unique Bella. The cover had barely opened on everybody’s new 2017 thoroughbred calendars when this daughter of Tapit and Unrivaled Belle made a rousting stakes debut in the Santa Ynez (G2) on January 8, at Santa Anita. She flashed her brilliance with an easy 7 ½ length victory over the field of five. Jerry Hollendorfer brought her back a month later, again at Santa Anita, this time in the Las Virgenes (G2) and the result was similar, with a big victory against a small field. Flip the calendar page to March and Unique Bella would face five rivals in the Santa Ysabel (G3) as the .10-1 favorite. Register another win, but this time only by 2 ¼ lengths over a filly by the name of Abel Tasman.

All of the talk was about Unique Bella. Would she head to the Kentucky Oaks or the Kentucky Derby? Most felt that the Oaks was hers for the taking. In late February, she was made the even money favorite in the Future Wagers pool for the Oaks. However, at the end of March she came down with a shin injury. She was sent to the farm to recover and at this in July, she has not yet resumed training.

Unique Bella beats Abel Tasman in the Santa Ysabel

With Unique Bella sidelined and the fourth month of the year upon us, Bob Baffert sent Abel Tasman to the Santa Anita Oaks, where she was blitzed in an 11 ¾ length defeat by the speedy upstart, Paradise Woods, who ran unchallenged on the lead every step of the way. The white-haired Hall of Fame trainer was not deterred and sent Abel Tasman to the Kentucky Oaks for a shot at redemption in the biggest race of the year for the sophomore fillies. On a very sloppy Churchill Downs track, a speed duel set things up for the daughter of Quality Road and she took down the big one.

Turn to June and the Belmont Stakes undercard where Abel Tasman would win the Acorn (G1) and would erase any doubt that the Oaks victory was because of the wet track. Now the talk was that this Baffert runner had taken over the division leadership with her two grade one victories.

 Abel Tasman has two grade one wins after the Acorn

In April, out of the Belmont Park barn of trainer Jimmy Jerkens, emerged a Canadian-bred daughter of Ghostzapper named Holy Helena. The only blemish to her otherwise perfect record came in her first race at Aqueduct when she broke slowly and finished second. Lessons learned and in May she took down a maiden field at Belmont Park, although she was still a bit of a secret when sent to post at odds of 8-1. Jerkens knew what he had and knew that there was big money available north of the border. On June 11, Holy Helena won the Woodbine Oaks against a full field of twelve. No longer a secret, Jerkens took aim at the Queen’s Plate with its $1,000,000 purse and a field of 13 that included 11 males. On this day in July, she was the favorite and she did not disappoint with a dominant 3 ½ length victory.

Even with the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown won, the connections of Holy Helena have decided to head to Saratoga with a grade one victory as the goal in the August running of the Alabama.

Holy Helena beats the boys in the Queen’s Plate

The other New York newcomer, Unchained Melody, sports the same 4: 3-1-0 career record as Holy Helena. Trained by Brian Lynch, this daughter of Smart Strike, began her career in March with a gate to wire victory in her first start at Gulfstream Park. In April, Unchained Melody had her lone setback when she was beaten in a first level allowance at Keeneland. She was back in the winner’s circle in June when beat a very solid field at Belmont Park. As July began, Unchained Melody, joined the ranks of the top fillies in the division when she beat a very good field in the Mother Goose (G2).  Intriguingly, Lynch announced that his filly will also head to Saratoga and that a meeting with Holy Helena in the Alabama is likely.

Unchained Melody impressed in the Mother Goose

With six-months left in the 2017 calendar, those are four fast and talented fillies who will battle it out for the division championship.