Who was Waya?
Today’s Waya Stakes at Saratoga was won by a promising daughter of Dynaformer named Cat’s Claw. While the four-year-old Jonathan Sheppard charge may have a real future on the lawn, I cannot watch this race without thinking about a special string of races put together by one of my favorite turf horses of all-time.
1978 may well have been the greatest year of racing that I’ve seen, and like Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Alydar, and Spectacular Bid, Waya was a big reason why. I was lucky enough to attend four consecutive races in which Waya ran, and let me tell you, she was spectacular!
It all started with the Diana Handicap at Saratoga on August 21. The French import exploded down the lane, and despite the top notch mare, Pearl Necklace running one of her best, Waya ran by her like she was standing still. The 2 ¾ length victory resulted in a final time of 1:45 2/5. That time for the nine furlongs on the grass was a world record. It remains a performance that I will never forget. Six weeks later she came back at Belmont to methodically wear down the leader and add the Flower Bowl to her new winning streak, despite giving 12 pounds to the fillies closest to her at the finish.
Although she had defeated older females in a Group 2 in France the year before as a three-year-old, the daughter of Faraway Son had never before defeated males, having gone 0-for-2 in her native land. That record would soon change, as her trainer Angel Penna felt like the time was right to take on the males in the Man o' War.
These were no ordinary males either. Tiller and Mac Diarmada were the real deal on grass. No matter, in a performance that may have even outdone the Diana, and only six days after her Flower Bowl victory, Waya powered on by the two best male turf horses in the land to win the Grade 1 race going away. For good measure, she came back two weeks later to edge Tiller in the Turf Classic on October 21. Within two months, Waya had put together a string of four straight victories that rival anything I’ve ever seen in turf racing.
Back then there was no such thing as an Eclipse Award for Turf Female, so when Mac Diarmada turned the tables on Waya in the DC International, he snared the only award for turf horses away from the fantastic filly, much to my dismay. After her tremendous season, Waya was purchased for seven figures from Daniel Wildenstein, in a private transaction, by American Peter Brant.
Ironically, I thought Waya was not quite as dominant at five as she had been on four, but big wins on both turf and dirt, while carrying major weight, secured her the Eclipse Award as the best older female of 1979 for her new owner. Be it a year late or not, Waya was everything a champion should be.
So the next time the Waya Stakes rolls around at Saratoga, take a moment to remember the fantastic mare, Waya. She was truly one of a kind. And thanks to NYRA for putting together this video highlighting the four race streak of Waya in the Summer and Fall of 1978...