Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies - Better Than the Colts?

 

Question: Which Breeders’ Cup Juvenile race has produced the most accomplished horses?  Surprise! It’s the Juvenile Fillies. Since the inception of this competitive race, 25 fillies who have won the Grade One contest earned the Eclipse Award as Champion Juvenile Filly. Eleven youngsters who finished in the top three in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies continued on to win Championship honors the following year. 

 

 

As we know, there has been only one colt to sweep the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Kentucky Derby. As you can see from the chart below, the fillies surpass the colts in the two classic races. Two fillies have completed the Juvenile Fillies/Oaks double, Open Mind and Silverbulletday. Four others placed in the Juvenile Fillies and won the Kentucky Oaks.  Nine fillies hit the board in both races. 

 

 

Besides Street Sense’s sweep of the Breeders’ Cup and Kentucky Derby, two colts hit the board in the Breeders’ Cup and won the Derby. Five colts have hit the board in both the Juvenile and Derby.

 

 

 

One filly, Beholder, has won back-to-back Breeders’ Cup victories in the Juvenile Fillies and the Distaff. No Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner has managed to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

 

 

Besides being powerhouses on the track, quite a few of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies heroines continued their stellar careers in the breeding shed. Let’s take a journey down memory lane and reminisce about some of the stars of this Breeders’ Cup race and see what they’ve been up to since then.

 

 

BEHOLDER (Henny Hughes - Leslie's Lady, by Tricky Creek)

Race Record: 14-9-3-0 ($3,188,300)

Trainer: Richard Mandella

Owner:  Spendthrift Farm

Breeder: Clarkland Farm

 

2012 Champion 2 Year Old Filly

2013 Champion 3 Year Old Filly

 

Beholder was a half-length shy of creating a historic Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies – Kentucky Oaks – Breeders’ Cup Distaff triple feat.  She made all of the pace in the 2012 Juvenile Fillies, beating favorite Exectutiveprivilege by a length at Santa Anita.  

 

 

A year later, after throwing a temper tantrum before the beginning of the Kentucky Oaks, Beholder had an awkward start, then tracked the pace three wide.  At one point, she looked like the winner, until Princess of Sylmar spoiled the party by a narrow ½ length.  Beholder took revenge in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Facing a small but accomplished herd of five fillies and mares, Beholder tracked the pace setter four and five wide before sailing off for a 4 ½ length victory.  After a long, seven race campaign, the Kentucky Oaks spoiler Princess of Sylmar had a bad start in the Distaff and staggered home last. Following a victory in her 2014 debut, Beholder suffered a cut on a hind pastern in the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G-1) and finished fourth.  After a brief recovery, she’s now back in training at Santa Anita and is scheduled to defend her title in the Zenyatta Stakes on September 27. Should she win the Breeders’ Cup challenge race, Beholder will defend her title in the Distaff. After the Distaff, she’ll be offered for sale just three days later in the Fasig-Tipton November All Ages Sale. Get the checkbook!

 

 

 

OPEN MIND (Deputy Minister - Stage Luck, by Stage Door Johnny)

Race Record: 19-12-2-2 ($1,844,372)

Trainer:  D. Wayne Lukas

Owner:  Gene Klein     

Breeder:  Due Process Stables

 

1988 Champion 2 Year Old Filly

1989 Champion 3 Year Old Filly

2011 Hall of Fame inductee

 

In a muddy edition of the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies held at Churchill Downs, Open Mind gave an indication of her future greatness when she stormed from the back of the pack to earn an easy 1 ¾ length victory over eleven other fillies.  

 

 

The following year, the small statured filly one again found herself on the muddy Churchill track in the Kentucky Oaks.  In a move reminiscent of her Breeders’ Cup victory, Open Mind splashed down the stretch to a 2 ¼ length win. It was her sixth triumph in a nine race winning streak.  Inexplicably, after winning the Triple Tiara (Mother Goose, Acorn and CCA Oaks) and the Alabama Stakes, Open Mind never visited the winners’ circle again. The best she could manage was two third place finishes in five starts. Open Mind was the first filly to pull off the Juvenile Fillies/Kentucky Oaks double.

 

 

Open Mind was sold at the 1986 November breeding sale for $4.6 million dollars and shipped to Japan.  She had a troubled career as a broodmare, bearing only two foals from five breeding attempts.  Her son and daughter, both by Easy Goer, were winners and her daughter EASY MIND was a stakes winner in Japan. Easy Mind produced a Japanese stakes winner.  Open Mind died young, at the age of 12 from unknown causes.

 

 

 

SILVERBULLETDAY (Silver Deputy - Rokeby Rose, by Tom Rolfe)

Race Record: 23-15-3-1 ($3,093,207)

Trainer:  Bob Baffert

Owner:  Mike Pegram

Breeder:  Highclere Inc. & Clear Creek

 

1998 Champion 2 Year Old Filly

1999 Champion 3 Year Old Filly

2009 Hall of Fame inductee

 

Silverbulletday entered the 1998 Breeders’ Cup with five races under her girth. A winner of all except one of those contests, Silverbulletday entered the Churchill Downs starting gate as the favorite and emerged as the winner, out-gaming Excellent Meeting by a desperate  ½ length.  The star came back just eleven days later to establish her superiority by ten lengths in the Golden Rod Stakes.  In all,   Silverbulletday raced seven times as a two year old, winning all but one start, in which she was an uncharacteristic fourth in the Del Mar Debutante. Her exploits earned the Bob Baffert trainee year-end honors. 

 

 

 

Silverbulletday returned a year later and won seven straight races, including the Kentucky Oaks and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.  Her winning streak came to a screeching halt with an ambitious run in the Belmont Stakes. The gallant filly set a sharp contested pace before fading to seventh. A month later, the filly was back to her conquering ways, reeling off three straight before bombing as the favorite in one of the strongest Breeders’ Cup Distaff fields ever assembled. Despite her sixth place finish behind Beautiful Pleasure in the Distaff, Silverbulletday compiled an 11-8-1-0 record as a three year old, once again earning an Eclipse Award.  Silverbulletday came back for one more year of racing, but her heart wasn’t in it, earning only a minor stakes win in five starts.

Many top race mares are disappointments in the breeding shed.  Silverbulletday’s offspring are a clear example of talent skipping a generation.  Only three of her ten foals of racing age made it to the track. Of those, only her first foal Tice, a gelded son of A.P. Indy, earned blacktype, finishing second in a listed stakes at Fairplex at the age of six. Silverbulletday has an unnamed two year old by Midnight Lute, an unnamed yearling by Misremembered and a weanling by Lookin at Lucky.  However, the mighty mare’s daughters are excellent producers. Silverbulletday is the grand-dam of Malibu Stakes (G-1) winner and new sire SHAKIN IT UP,  Sunland Derby hero GOVENOR CHARLIE, his full sister PACHANGERA, a Grade 1 winner in Mexico,  plus stakes winning sprinter CRISIS OF SPIRIT and stake placed Mile High Magic.

 

 

 

INDIAN BLESSING (Indian Charlie - Shameful, by Flying Chevron)    

Race Record: 16-10-5-0 ($2,995,420)

Trainer:  Bob Baffert

Owner:  Hal Earnhardt & Patti Earnhardt

Breeder:  Hal Earnhardt & Patti Earnhardt

 

2007 Champion 2 Year Old Filly

2008 Champion Female Sprinter

 

Indian Blessing entered the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies off of just two starts, a victory in a maiden race and the Frizette Stakes (G-1).  Sent to the gate as the favorite, the Bob Baffert trainee made short work of her rivals, opening up at one point by six lengths.  Runner-up Proud Spell whittled the lead to 3 ½ lengths, but was clearly no match. 

 

 

 

 

Indian Blessing’s first foal, three year old Indian Smoke (Zensational) was second in one of two starts. The young broodmare has an unnamed two year old colt by Tapit, a yearling colt by Smart Strike and a weanling filly by Tapit.

 

 

MY MISS AURELIA (Smart Strike - My Miss Storm Cat, by Sea of Secrets) 

Race Record: 11-6-2-3 ($2,547,000)

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owner: Stonestreet Stables

Breeder:  Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings

 

2011 Champion 2 Year Old Filly

 

My Miss Aurelia entered the 2011 Breeders’ Cup as an undefeated favorite after a 5 ½ length score in the Frizette Stakes.  Facing a huge field of thirteen other hopefuls at Churchill Downs, the Todd Pletcher trainee took control after ¾ a mile and galloped to an easy 3 length victory. 

 

 

 

My Miss Aurelia came back in August of her three year old season after battling shin and foot issues and quickly got into the swing of things, winning her first two races.  The young filly then faced seven other fillies and mares in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, including defending champ Royal Delta. My Miss Aurelia gave it her best shot, but suffered her first defeat. She was still the best of the rest and beaten only 1 ½ lengths by the champion mare.  Since her second place finish in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup, My Miss Aurelia dealt with physical issues and didn't visited the winners’ circle in four starts. She has recently been retired and will be bred in the spring.

 

 

 

STORM FLAG FLYING  (Storm Cat - My Flag, by Easy Goer)

Race Record: 14-7-3-3 ($1,951,828)

Trainer:  Claude McGaughey III

Owner:  Ogden Mills Phipps

Breeder:  Phipps Stable

 

2002 Champion 2 Year Old Filly

 

Storm Flag Flying and her dam My Flag hold the distinction of being the only mother/daughter duo to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.  Owned and trained by the same connections as her daughter, My Flag was the 1995 Juvenile Fillies heroine. Storm Flag Flying entered the Breeders’ Cup contest at Arlington Park as an undefeated favorite after a two length victory in the Frizette Stakes.  Her victory was one of the most exciting finishes in the Juvenile Fillies, as she battled it out with Composure.

 

 

After a five month layoff, Storm Flag Flying raced only twice as a three year old.  She suffered her first defeat as the favorite in the Comely Stakes, receiving a five length drubbing by Cyber Secret.  Two months later, the regally bred daughter of Storm Cat was a shocking sixth in the Acorn Stakes. Trainer Shug McGaughey gave the filly the rest of the year off and instead of hitting the breeding shed, the Phipps decided to give her another chance as a four year old. Storm Flag Flying had a full dance card of eight races in 2004. She earned three victories, including a 1 ¼ length triumph over the champion Azeri in the Personal Ensign Stakes (G-1) a race named in honor of Storm Flag Flying’s second dam. In the final start of her racing career, Storm Flag Flying faced a field of ten other fillies and mares in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.  She made a desperate bid but ran out of real estate, finishing second by 1 ½ lengths to Ashado. 

 

 

Unlike her blue hen grand-dam Personal Ensign and stakes producing dam, Storm Flag Flying has had a troubled history as a broodmare. Her offspring haven’t distinguished themselves. Only three of her five  foals of racing age have run and one is a winner.  In three years, the mare has slipped her foal (aborted) or was barren.  Her two year old filly Playtime (Street Cry) has yet to record a breeze.  Storm Flag Flying has a yearling Candy Ride colt named Revved Up and an unnamed Street Cry weanling colt. 

 

 

 

GO FOR WAND (Deputy Minister - Obeah, by Cyane)

Race Record: 13-10-2-0 ($1,373,338)

Trainer:  William Badgett, Jr.

Owner: Christiana Stables

Breeder:  Christiana Stables

 

1989 Champion 2 Year Old Filly

1990 Champion 3 Year Old Filly

1996 Hall of Fame inductee

 

Go For Wand’s story is one of dazzling highs and heartbreaking lows. The filly won her debut in September 1989.  After an allowance win and a runner-up finish in the Frizette, she captured the 1989 Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park by 2 ½ lengths as the second favorite. The exploit earned her year-end championship honors. 

 

 

 

 

 

This year’s field is starting to shape up.  The Pocahontas heroine Cristina's Journey,Spinaway star Condo Commando and possiblyDel Mar Debutante winner Sunset Glow could make this year’s Breeders’ Cup contest at Santa Anita a memorable match up.  Perhaps we’ll see the future Kentucky Oaks Champ.