'She's perfect'; $8.2 million filly America's Joy in training
Whisper Hill Farm’s Mandy Pope remains excited by $8.2 million yearling purchase America’s Joy, providing a glimpse Tuesday into the process of readying the filly for the racetrack and a glimpse into her demeanor.
“She’s at our new training center and has only been on the track a couple of times, but she’s doing awesome,” Pope said. “She is extremely sweet and kind. She’s very easy to work with, and on top of it she is a gorgeous mover.”
Pope has yet to decide which trainer will condition the daughter of the 2015 Triple Crown winner, who is a half-sibling to the likes of Into Mischief, Beholder and Mendelssohn.
Pope is pleased with the temperament of the filly, especially the way she handles herself around other horses.
“She stands up for herself, but she’s not snotty about it," Pope said. "She won’t let someone push her around, either. But she does not instigate, which I think is a good sign in a filly.
"If they are too tough, they could be too mental to make a good racehorse. If they are too soft, they don’t have enough heart to really get in there and try. I think she’s perfect.”
Pope is no stranger to paying top dollar at horse auctions. In 2012, she purchased 2011 Horse of the Year Havre De Grace for a record $10 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The very next day she paid $4.2 million for 2011 Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty.
A year later, Pope purchased two-time Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and Eclipse Award Champion Female Sprinter Groupie Doll for $3.1 million. In 2017, she plunked down another $9.5 million for two-time Eclipse Award Champion Songbird.
Whisper Hill's broodmare band is located at Timber Town Stables in Lexington, Ky., a farm run by Wayne and Cathy Sweezey. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope has not been able to make a trip north to inspect the newest additions to her stable of regally-bred horses.
One of her future broodmare prospects is set to return to the track following some time off for health reasons.
Graceful Princess, a 4-year-old by Tapit out of Havre de Grace, is entered in Friday's ninth race at Gulfstream Park. The allowance event going 1 1/16 miles on the main track will mark her first start in 225 days.
“Last year we had some bad luck with her, and she didn’t want to race. She won a race as a 2-year-old, but then she had feet issues last year and now she’s all fixed,” Pope said. “Todd Pletcher has her, and cross our fingers, she runs on Friday. She’s doing so super.”
With the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope is concerned about this season's major sales. Noting that 2-year-old auction prices drive the price of subsequent yearling sales, Pope expressed the urgency of conducting those events.
"If the 2-year-old people can’t get their horses sold, there goes at least half of our market to sell yearlings,” Pope said. “I’m just praying that these 2-year-old sales go in June and July and that we can get ready for Saratoga (the sales) and hopefully racing will be ready too.”
Pope acknowledged that pinhookers -- those who buy horses at one auction, then try to sell at a profit later -- will be hit hard by the pandemic, which could ultimately hamper prospects of selling any of her stock this year.
“So many of the pinhookers that had all of these horses bought and ready to go had to stop on them and now have to restart them," she said. "They are in a pickle, and that puts us in a pickle."