The 1969 Triple Crown Series

The 1969 Triple Crown Series

Joseph Di Rienzi

In my next three blogs, I will examine Triple Crown series of races that are commemorating significant anniversaries in 2019. In each series, there was a horse who won the first two classics (the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes) only to lose the finale – the Belmont Stakes. In two of these stories, we will see how a stout rival, who had finished second in both previous classics, finally was able to prevail against the Triple Crown aspirant. In the third case, a rapidly improving horse, who did not compete in either the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness, was able to vanquish the heavy favorite whose defeat was attributed to, among other reasons, a proverbial needle in a haystack.

Fifty years ago in 1969, the previous year’s two year-old champion, Top Knight, was in Florida preparing for the classics. However, the U. S. racing industry’s national focus was on a newly turned three year-old who had only run twice as a juvenile without ever competing in stakes races. Majestic Prince as a yearling had catapulted into the racing consciousness when he was sold at the Keeneland Select Yearling Sales for what was then a world record $250,000 for a one year-old horse. He was bred by Leslie Combs II’s Spendthrift Farm and sold to Canadian industrialist Frank McMahon. A strapping chestnut son of Raise a Native out of the mare Gay Hostess, she by Royal Charger, Majestic Prince descended from a strong female family. Trained by retired Hall of Fame jockey John Longden who rode 1943 Triple Crown winner Count Fleet and ridden by four time leading jockey William Hartack, everything about Majestic Prince said this horse was special.

Majestic Prince made his career debut on November 28, 1968 at Bay Meadows Racetrack in Northern California when he won a maiden race by 2¾ lengths as the 1-2 favorite. He followed that on Boxing Day, the opening day at Santa Anita Park, by winning an allowance race by a nose on a very sloppy racetrack. Shortly after, he took the Loz Feliz Stakes at 6½ furlongs by 4 easy lengths. Majestic Prince’s reputation was growing when he won the 7 furlong San Vicente Stakes in early February by 5 lengths eased up over a muddy surface. With Majestic Prince’s victory in the 1 mile San Jacinto Stakes by 4 lengths, he basically ran out of opposition on the West Coast.

In Florida, there was considerably more competition among the three year-olds. Top Knight made his debut in the second division of the 7 furlong Bahamas Stakes at Hialeah Park and rallied strongly to take the lead in deep stretch, but he bore out doing so. He was subsequently disqualified from first and placed third.

In January, Rokeby Stables’ Arts and Letters, making his three year-old debut, finished third in a 7 furlong allowance race at Hialeah. Trained by Elliot Burch, the dark hued chestnut son of Ribot out of the Battlefield mare All Beautiful improved gradually with each start as a two year-old. He broke his maiden at Belmont Park in his fourth outing and then winning impressively at 1 mile prior to running a close fourth in the Pimlico-Laurel Futurity. Although Arts and Letters was beaten 6 lengths in that allowance race, it was apparently just the prep he needed to make him fit because he then proceeded to produce an upset in the Everglades Stakes at 9 furlongs. Getting 10 lb. from Top Knight, Arts and Letters came from off the pace to defeat the champion by 3 lengths. At equal weights in the Flamingo Stakes, Top Knight, sat just off the pace, surged to the front in the stretch and ran down Arts and Letters who had assumed the lead around the turn to win by 2 lengths in almost track record time.

The Santa Anita and the Florida Derbies were both run on March 29. The results seemed to show there were two dominant three year-olds and harkened back to the West Coast – East Coast rivalries of Swaps vs. Nashua, Candy Spots vs. Never Bend and Hill Rise vs. Northern Dancer. In the Florida Derby, Top Knight was facing Arts and Letters, who after the Flamingo, had finished second beaten 2 lengths by Al Hattab in the Fountain of Youth Stakes. The Florida Derby was all Top Knight, who after pressing a leisurely pace, drew out with a flourish to defeat, once again, Arts and Letters, this time by 5 lengths. Al Hattab was 2½ lengths back in third. In California, Majestic Prince had the easiest kind of win (by 8 lengths) in the Santa Anita Derby.

With the two top contenders dominating their respective races on either coast, the potential for one of the smallest Kentucky Derbies in recent times seemed likely. That prospect became inevitable after the Blue Grass Stakes when Arts and Letters, shook off his recent “seconditis” with a resounding win. Facing token opposition, he raced into the lead after a slow ½ mile and then drew away to a 15 length victory in a time 2/5 seconds off Round Table’s track record. This performance sent strong signals that this was a different animal than was seen in Florida over the winter. On opening day at Churchill Downs, Majestic Prince took his form to the Midwest and won the Stepping Stone Purse by 6 lengths in near track record time for the 7 furlong race to fortify his Derby favoritism.

The buildup to the 1969 Kentucky Derby was incredible. President Richard Nixon would be present, making him the first sitting U.S. President to watch in person the Derby. (President Nixon was actually at the 1968 Derby as a private citizen before his election.) Among the twenty six Republican governors viewing this year’s Kentucky Derby was also a future President in Ronald Reagan. (On a personal note, my future wife, Joyce, was also in attendance, albeit among the infield revelers.)

A late jockey change was made in that Arts and Letters’ rider, Bill Shoemaker, had seriously injured his pelvis and could not ride Arts and Letters, so trainer Elliot Burch substituted Braulio Baeza. The use of a jockey, even one as talented as Baeza, who had no familiarity with his mount in the biggest race of the year may have put Arts and Letters at a disadvantage. In all, there were only eight entries with the “Big Four”, Majestic Prince, Top Knight, Arts and Letters, and Claiborne Farm’s Wood Memorial winner Dike. Majestic Prince seemed the charismatic horse of destiny. Everything about him said he was extraordinary; the only question was he was untested against top horses, especially at 1¼ miles. Top Knight was the returning two year-old champion who dominated Florida racing. However, he had not raced since his Florida Derby triumph, and rumors surfaced about his soundness. Arts and Letters was the “talking horse”. Since coming to Kentucky, he seemed to be blossoming, and from his pedigree, there was no question about his ability to “get” the distance. Dike also had his supporters who reasoned that any type of speed duel among the other contenders would set up his potent closing rally.

As a horse race, this Kentucky Derby was terrific, one of the best run I can recall. Longshot Ocean Roar was sent to a daylight lead down the stretch the first time with Top Knight, Majestic Prince, and Arts and Letters grouped together in pursuit and Dike further back in seventh place. With a ½ mile to go, Top Knight slipped along the inside to grab the lead, but as he did, both Majestic Prince on the outside and Arts and Letters on the inside made their moves. Arts and Letters accelerated quickly to take the lead, followed soon after by Majestic Prince’s challenge around the final turn. Top Knight faltered and dropped suddenly out of contention. Dike meanwhile was making progress, and at the top of the stretch, he was within striking distance of the embattled pair. Majestic Prince rested the lead from his smaller rival, and though he was unable to draw away, he kept a short lead to the wire winning by a neck. Dike closed ground slowly and was getting to the leaders, eventually finishing third ½ length behind Arts and Letters. Ten lengths back was Traffic Mark in fourth with Top Knight fifth, beaten about 13 lengths. The final time was a little better than average, but the two leaders ran the last ¼ mile in 24 1/5 seconds which was outstanding. There was great jubilation and satisfaction in the winner’s circle as this picture horse accomplished what he was purchased for - win the Kentucky Derby. John Longden made history in that he is the only man to ride and train a Kentucky Derby winner. Bill Hartack also entered the record books in riding his fifth Derby winner tying him for most victories with Eddie Arcaro.

1969 Kentucky Derby
(bloodhorse.com)

With this result, thoroughbred racing had an undefeated Kentucky Derby winner on his way to the Preakness. However, the Derby also identified a formidable adversary in Arts and Letters who would make Majestic Prince’s Triple Crown quest much more difficult to accomplish.

The Preakness Stakes, two weeks later, featured a rematch of the Kentucky Derby with Majestic Prince and Arts and Letters. Dike, was reserved to await the Belmont Stakes, but Top Knight was entered to erase his subpar Derby performances. Just as in the Derby, there were eight entries, with only Al Hattab and Jay Ray, the California Derby winner, given any consideration. Majestic Prince was the prohibitive favorite with Top Knight, surprisingly, the second choice.

The race had controversy right from the beginning with Majestic Prince bumping Arts and Letters shortly after the break. Then going to the first turn, Majestic Prince bore out slightly into Al Hattab, squeezing Arts and Letters, who was racing in between them, sufficient enough that Baeza on Arts and Letters had to steady and drop his mount several lengths back of the leaders. Longshots Glad’s Flame and Greengrass Green contested the pace several lengths ahead of Majestic Prince and Top Knight. Arts and Letters, back in sixth place, began to make up the lost ground down the 

backstretch. As they approached the far turn, Majestic Prince made his move with Top Knight. Just as in the Derby, last year’s two year-old champion was unable to sustain his rally and dropped back before the stretch run. However, Arts and Letters, although forced the go wide on the final turn, was launching a powerful rally. In the stretch Majestic Prince had a clear lead, but Arts and Letters was closing relentlessly on the far outside. He seemed to be getting to the leader, but Majestic Prince had enough left to hold him off, albeit by a diminishing head. Jay Ray was 4 lengths back in third with Top Knight another 4 lengths back in fourth place and Al Hattab fifth. Soon afterward there was a jockey’s claim of foul by Baeza for interference on the part of Majestic Prince early in the race, but after a lengthy deliberation, the Pimlico stewards let the result stand in a very controversial decision.

   

1969 Preakness Stakes
(Winants Brothers photo)

In the immediate afterward, trainer John Longden announced that Majestic Prince would not contest the Belmont Stakes, thereby foregoing the opportunity to complete the Triple Crown. Longden indicated that Majestic Prince (and he) were tired from their joint efforts in the Derby and Preakness. The racing press and public thought this was heretical. Was Majestic Prince really just tired of Arts and Letters, especially the prospect of facing him at the 1½ mile Belmont distance, which seemed to favor the Rokeby colt?  Added was the feeling among some that Arts and Letters was really best in the Preakness and denied by the stewards’ failure to disqualify Majestic Prince. In any case, by midweek owner Frank McMahon made an executive decision that, indeed, Majestic Prince, would contest the Belmont Stakes and have his date with racing history.

In the intervening three weeks between the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, Elliot Burch used the 1 mile Metropolitan Handicap for Arts and Letters, just as he employed it for his two previous Belmont Stakes winners, Sword Dancer and Quadrangle, as a prep for the Belmont Stakes. In the Metropolitan field, there was the leading older horse at the time, Nodouble. The four year-old was assigned 129 lb. to three year-old Arts and Letters’ feathery 111 lb. This differential was too much for the older horse to concede. Arts and Letters, very sharp, won with authority by 2½ lengths over Nodouble.  So once again, Elliot Burch had found the perfect prep for his Belmont Stakes candidate.

The Belmont Stakes drew six entries, but only three were considered to have legitimate chances -Majestic Prince, Arts and Letters and Dike. They each had their supporters, but the general public was rooting for Majestic Prince to complete the Triple Crown. The betting public, however, made Arts and Letters the close second choice. The running of the race was completely unexpected. Dike, who was known for his closing rallies, went out to set the pace, if you could call it that. The fractions were glacial, with horses barely getting out of a gallop. Arts and Letter tracked Dike about 3 lengths back and Majestic Prince, who in his previous races was always eager to run, was well back in fifth. At the ½ mile pole, Arts and Letters made his challenge inside Dike and easily pulled away. Around the turn, Baeza on Arts and Letters was cruising on the lead waiting for the challenge from Majestic Prince that effectively never came. Running the last ½ mile in a swift 48 3/5 seconds, Arts and Letters powered to the finish 5½ lengths in front. Majestic Prince passed Dike in the stretch for second by 2 lengths.

1969 Belmont Stakes
(bloodhorse.com)

So a Triple Crown bid was foiled, and Majestic Prince’s unbeaten streak broken. Was Majestic Prince as tired as the trainer intimated, or was he unsound as Longden admitted afterward? Did the race shape undo him, or was Arts and Letters just the superior horse, especially at the Belmont distance? 

These questions were never answered. Majestic Prince was returned to California where efforts to return him to racing were unsuccessful. In 1970 his retirement was announced, and he returned to his birthplace at Spendthrift Farm to stand stud. In the Belmont winner’s circle, the master of Rokeby Stables, Paul Mellon, celebrated his second Belmont Stakes victory with Elliot Burch and Braulio Baeza each gaining, respectively their third Belmont trophies. Arts and Letters raced the rest of the year unbeaten, marching toward the three year-old championship and Horse of the Year honors.

Starlet Series: Rachel Alexandra

Starlet Series
Number 4: Rachel Alexandra

Joseph Di Rienzi

This is the third of an occasional series on the careers of the six best female thoroughbred horses I have observed racing in the years 1959 to the present. I have chosen these females based on their performances in their respective races. This is my assessment alone and will undoubtedly differ with others’ opinions. This issue discusses the career of fourth ranked Rachel Alexandra.

(bloodhorse.com)

Although the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro campaigned three years, unlike my previous two starlets (Azeri and Beholder), Rachel Alexandra only had one year when she was absolutely brilliant. In her juvenile season (2008), Rachel Alexandra took most of the year to establish herself and did not compete in the champion deciding Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. She was initially owned by L and M Partners (Michael Lauffer and Dolphus Morrison, with the latter her breeder). Rachel Alexandra’s trainer during the first half of her career was the veteran Hal Wiggins. The attractive bay began racing in May at Churchill Downs, breaking her maiden in her second start, a 5 furlong race. After finishing second in the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs in June, “Rachel” was given time off to prepare for a fall campaign. Returning in October, she won an allowance race at Keeneland Racecourse and finished second in the Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill Downs. Rachel Alexandra concluded her juvenile season with an eye-opening 4¾ length victory in late November at Churchill Downs in the Golden Rod Stakes under new jockey Calvin Borel. This impressive victory signaled she was a filly to watch in 2009, particularly concerning the Kentucky Oaks. 

Rachel Alexandra made her sophomore debut at Oaklawn Park in the Martha Washington Stakes and romped by 8 lengths. Shipping to New Orleans for the Fair Grounds Oaks, she took the lead from the start, and Calvin Borel throttled her down in the stretch for an eased up 1¾ length victory. Back at Oaklawn for the Fantasy Stakes, Rachel Alexandra could not have won more easily with Borel spending more time in the stretch looking backward (for non-existent threats) than forward as she won by 8¼ lengths.

In her races, Rachel’s final times were competitive to the best her sophomore male counterparts accomplished, so there was speculation that the best three year-old heading to Kentucky in May was going to run in the Kentucky Oaks not the Kentucky Derby. During Derby Week, Rachel Alexandra was seen in the morning gliding around the Churchill Downs racetrack effortlessly as observers bemoaned the fact that she was not going to be entered in the Derby. Nevertheless, her owners and trainer were steadfast that they did not like the idea of females running against males.

In the Oaks, Rachel was the 3-10 favorite, but the way she ran made that price seem generous. Settled by Calvin Borel right behind early leader Gabby’s Golden Girl, Rachel, all on her own, cruised to the front around the far turn. Having a clear lead by the time she straightened out for the stretch, Borel never seemed to ask her to run as she, with consummate ease, put space between herself and the rest of the field. At the finish, Rachel Alexandra was a staggering 20¼ lengths (an Oaks record) ahead of Stone Legacy who had 4¼ lengths in front of Flying Spur. Her final time was nearly a stakes record and everything about her performance was spectacular. In the winner’s circle, Michael Lauffer, Dolphus Morrison, and trainer Hal Wiggins celebrated their horse of a lifetime and again expressed no reservations about not running Rachel in the Derby. Their restraint was anachronistic and refreshing in this time and age, but upcoming events would soon overtake this conservative philosophy of racing.

The major news during the two week interval between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes did not involve the upstart Derby winner, Mine That Bird but was focused on the Kentucky Oaks victress, Rachel Alexandra. She was sold to Stonestreet Stables (Jess Jackson, owner) and Harold T. McCormick leaving the barn of trainer Hal Wiggins and turned over to Steve Asmussen. In taking control of the filly’s racing career, principal owner Jackson boldly announced, she would run in the Preakness for an unprecedented meeting between Derby and Oaks winners. To further underline Rachel’s eminence, Calvin Borel chose her as his Preakness mount over Mine That Bird who he had ridden to victory in the Kentucky Derby.

A field of thirteen went postward in the Preakness with Rachel Alexandra the clear betting choice over Mine That Bird (with Mike Smith aboard). From her no. 13 post, Borel broke Rachel alertly, and she went head-and-head for the lead with Big Drama with Friesan Fire close back in third position. Meanwhile, Mine That Bird, as in the Derby, was lopping along in last place. Nearing the far turn, Rachel Alexandra, with her ears pricked, dispatched her pursuers and gained a daylight lead by the time she straightened out for the stretch run. At the same time, Mike Smith had Mine That Bird in full flight passing horses readily, but unlike the Kentucky Derby when he came up the inside, Mine That Bird was fanned very wide on the tighter Pimlico turns. In mid-stretch, Rachel had opened up a 4 length lead, and her victory seemed secure. Mine That Bird, though, provided some drama by closing dramatically so that at the finish the margin had diminished to a length. Musket Man, replicating his Derby placing, was third only a ½ length further back.

The final time was average, but the achievement by Rachel Alexandra was at the highest level. For the record, her Preakness victory was the second time it was won by a filly with Nellie Morse in 1924 being the first. It demonstrated that Jess Jackson’s aggressive approach to campaigning horses can produce startling achievements. Calvin Borel, emotional in the winner’s circle, claimed that Rachel Alexandra was the best horse he had ever ridden. Despite these superlative declarations, it must be stated that Mine That Bird ran a strong race, and if he would have not lost so much ground around the stretch turn, he might have caught the filly.

After some deliberation, Rachel Alexandra’s new team decided to bypass the Belmont Stakes and point her for the Mother Goose Stakes later in June. The reason given was she had done a lot lately and needed more time between races. I think her connections feared that the 1½ mile distance of the Belmont was beyond her capabilities. In her absence, Mine That Bird (with Calvin Borel back aboard) was the strong favorite in the field, but he finished third to the somewhat overlooked (at nearly 12-1) Summer Bird, who although finishing a well beaten sixth in the Kentucky Derby, had shown steady improvement in his four race career.

In the 9 furlong Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park, Rachel faced only two others. In her first start since the Preakness, Rachel showed she was in a different league than her sophomore filly peers rolling to a 19¼ length victory in stakes record time. By the end of June, it was clear that the two best racehorses in America were females: the unbeaten five year-old Zenyatta and three year-old Rachel Alexandra. Not only did they tower over their contemporaries, but they both drew favorable comparisons with the great females of the past. A meeting between the two was highly anticipated at the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park, but problematic in that Rachel’s principal owner Jess Jackson, fresh off his champion Curlin’s defeat in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic on Santa Anita’s synthetic surface, vowed he would never run his filly on such a track.

In August at Monmouth Park, Rachel ventured back into competition with males in the 9 furlong Haskell Invitational Stakes. Facing Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird and the speedy Munnings, Rachel Alexandra was the overwhelming favorite in the seven horse field. Rating just off Munnings’ quick pace over the sloppy Monmouth oval, Rachel Alexandra raced side by side with Summer Bird. Borel moved his filly to challenge for the lead around the stretch turn, and she readily drew clear once in the straight. Kept under a drive, Rachel was 6 lengths in front at the finish as Summer Bird wrested second from Munnings by a length. Underlining Rachel’s superiority, Summer Bird came back after the Haskell to win both the Travers Stakes and the Jockey Club Gold Cup on route to being named Three Year-Old Male Champion. 

                                        

The Woodward Stakes at 9 furlongs attracted Rachel Alexandra despite the fact she would be facing older male horses (albeit, getting 8 lb. from her seven opponents). Taking the lead down the backstretch after dueling with the 2008 Belmont Stakes winner Da’ Tara, she faced a two pronged challenge in the stretch from Bullsbay and Macho Again. Responding under Calvin Borel’s insistent whipping, Rachel just held off Macho Again’s final surge for a head victory to the elation of the Saratoga crowd with Bullsbay another 1½ lengths back in third place. As a result of this unprecedented victory by a filly (a sophomore at that) in the Woodward, Jess Jackson declared that Rachel Alexandra had staked her claim for Horse of the Year and would not race again in 2009.

In year end honors, Rachel Alexandra won the Eclipse Award for Three-Year Old Female Horse. Zenyatta, still undefeated and winner of the Breeders’ Classic against males, was Champion Older Female Horse. In a much discussed and debated decision, Horse of the Year went to Rachel Alexandra over Zenyatta, a result I cannot agree with. (Zenyatta’s fabled career will be the subject of a future Starlet Series.) The positive outcome to this was that Zenyatta’s owners, Ann and Jerry Moss, reconsidered their decision to retire her at the end of 2009, mainly because they wanted her to face Rachel Alexandra on the racetrack.  

The big excitement at the beginning of 2010 was an anticipated race between Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra. These two mighty females were both undefeated in 2009, and there was much speculation as to who was superior. The venue for this meeting would not be in California in that Rachel’s connections would not race her on a synthetic surface. Oaklawn Park proposed the Apple Blossom Invitational Stakes in mid-April with an augmented purse of $5 million if both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra raced. The track also extended the distance to 9 furlongs from its usual 8½ furlongs. Both starlets had raced successfully at Oaklawn, and, after some negotiation, both camps appeared positive about facing each other.

Both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra appeared in “prep” races on March 13. Rachel ran in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes, a race created for her at the Fair Grounds racetrack. She was shockingly defeated by a horse whose first name started with the letter “Z” trained by Zenyatta’s conditioner, John Shirreffs.  Zardana was a moderately successful six year-old mare that in her career had won stakes races in both her native Brazil and the U. S. In the Ladies Stakes, Rachel Alexandra, at odds 1-9 cruised to the lead around the final turn, but she could not fight off the challenge of Zardana in the stretch, losing by ¾ of a length. At Santa Anita, Zenyatta, was trying to extend her unbeaten streak to 15 in the Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap. Carrying 127 lb., she delighted her legion of fans with Zenyatta’s now characteristic dance before a race and thrilled them with another seemingly effortless victory after appearing trapped between horses in the stretch.

In the aftermath of these races, Rachel Alexandra’s connections announced she was not fit enough to run in the Apple Blossom, so Oaklawn officials reduced the purse to its usual $500,000 and celebrated the return of Zenyatta who had won the race in 2008. Facing four hopelessly over matched rivals, the super mare again idled in last place until the final turn and then swept, without much urging, to the lead at the top of the stretch, cantering home by 4¼ lengths.

After her surprise defeat in New Orleans, Rachel Alexandra ran next on Kentucky Oaks Day in the La Troienne Stakes. Again she was heavily favored and again she was beaten; this time by a head to Unrivaled Belle. Seemingly “righting the ship”, Rachel Alexandra stayed at Churchill Downs and ran away with the Fleur de Lis Handicap winning by 10½ lengths. With this victory, reminiscent of her victories last year in the Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose Stakes, Rachel appeared back on track for the long anticipated rendezvous with Zenyatta, perhaps in the Breeders’ Cup Classic which this year would be held at Churchill Downs. 

Rachel next ran in the Lady’s Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park winning the 9 furlong race by 3 lengths without showing her trademark brilliance. Her next race was the demanding 1¼ mile Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga in which she was facing a formidable opponent in Life At Ten. The five year-old daughter of Malibu Moon was undefeated in her four 2010 starts. An added complication was that the Todd Pletcher trainee was a front runner with more early speed than any rival Rachel Alexandra had faced this year.

Sure enough, as the field left the starting gate for the Personal Ensign, Rachel Alexandra was hounded on the lead by Life At Ten. The two separated themselves by some 15 lengths down the backstretch from the other three contestants. Around the far turn, Rachel was winning the race inside the race, but a 21-1 longshot in Persistently had launched a rally that made her reach contention at the top of the stretch. Rachel Alexandra had at one point a 3½ length lead, but through the drive she was worn down and passed by Persistently just before the finish, going down by a length. The winner, carrying 6 lb. less than Rachel, was winning her first stakes race. Exhausted from her efforts forcing the pace, Life At Ten finished third, some 10¼ lengths behind Rachel Alexandra.

Zenyatta, now 19 for 19, was headed for Churchill Downs to try a repeat victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. There would be no match against Rachel Alexandra, for in late September, Jess Jackson announced suddenly that Rachel Alexandra would be retired, not due to an injury, but because she had not been able to replicate her 2009 form. She left racing with a career record of 13 victories and 5 seconds in 19 starts.

As a broodmare, Rachel Alexandra has had success with limited opportunity. Her first foal, Jess’s Dream, sired by champion and fellow Preakness victor Curlin won his initial start as a three year-old in 2015, but due to injuries he never raced again. Her second, Rachel’s Valentina, by another Preakness winner and champion, Bernardini, was a major juvenile filly in 2015 winning the Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga and finishing second to champion Songbird in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Unfortunately, Rachel Alexandra suffered internal injuries in delivering Rachel’s Valentina in 2013 and, to this date, has not been bred again.

Starlet Series: Beholder

Starlet Series
Number 5: Beholder

Joseph Di Rienzi

This is the second of an occasional series on the careers of the six best female thoroughbred horses I have observed racing in the years 1959 to the present. I have chosen these females based on their performances in their respective races. This is my assessment alone and will undoubtedly differ with others’ opinions. This issue discusses the career of fifth ranked Beholder.

                  

(BENOIT PHOTO)

The compact bay was sired by Henny Hughes from the mare Leslie’s Lady making Beholder a half-sister on her dam’s side to major stakes winner and sire Into Mischief. Beholder was owned her entire racing career by B. Wayne Hughes, current master of storied Spendthrift Farm having purchased her at a yearling sale for $180,000. Unlike, my previous Starlet, Azeri, who did not make it to the races until late into her third year, Beholder was precocious from the beginning. A foal of 2010, she was placed in the care of Richard Mandella and made her racing debut in late June 2012, finishing a distant fourth to Executiveprivilege. The latter then assumed the leadership in the two year-old filly division with four consecutive stakes victories. During Executiveprivilege’s win streak, she faced Beholder again in the 7 furlong Del Mar Debutante Stakes, after the latter had broken her maiden in her second start, a sharp 3¼ length victory in a 5½ furlong maiden race at Del Mar Racetrack. In the Debutante, Executiveprivilege was just able to catch Beholder near the finish to win by a nose, indicating the difference between them had narrowed since their first meeting.

Rather than run against Executiveprivilege in the Chandelier Stakes, Mandella put his filly in a 6 furlong allowance race at Santa Anita, and she showed brilliant speed, winning by 11 lengths. In the interim, between her latest victory and the November Breeders’ Cup championship races, held in 2012 at Santa Anita, Mandella worked on harnessing Beholder’s brilliant speed with a series of gallops and extended workouts.

In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Executiveprivilege was the solid favorite over Beholder and East Coast invader Dreaming of Julia in the eight horse field. (Richard Mandella had initially targeted Beholder for the 6 furlong Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint, but gaining confidence in his filly’s ability to reverse her previous loss to Executiveprivilege, he opted instead to enter Beholder in the 8½ furlong Juvenile Fillies.)

Breaking sharply from the no. 1 post position, Garrett Gomez used Beholder’s speed to gain a clear lead around the clubhouse turn. Pursued by Kauai Katie, a stablemate of Dreaming of Julia, Beholder set a fast pace while holding a 1½ length lead down the backstretch. Executiveprivilege was tucked in on the inside racing in third place, while Dreaming of Julia moved up down the backstretch to be fourth. Around the far turn, Beholder expanded her lead so that she came into the stretch a couple of lengths on top. Jockey Rafael Bejarano brought Executiveprivilege off the rail for the stretch drive and took chase after the leader. In mid-stretch, it appeared that Executiveprivilege would catch Beholder again, but the former lost some of her momentum when she drifted out in the last furlong. At the finish, Beholder held on for a 1 length victory over Executiveprivilege with Dreaming of Julia and Kauai Katie following in that order, several lengths back.

Wayne Hughes had a double reason to celebrate this Breeders’ Cup triumph. Beholder’s victory was a great endorsement of her half-brother Into Mischief who was raced by Hughes and stands stud at Spendthrift. Richard Mandella was recording his 7^th Breeders’ Cup victory, amazingly all at Santa Anita. Garrett Gomez whose career and life was about to take a tragic downturn was winning his 13^th Breeders’ Cup race. Despite the Juvenile Fillies being her only stakes win, Beholder was voted Champion Two Year-old Filly.

She made her 2013 debut in the Santa Ynez Stakes and was upset by Renee’s Titan, losing by ¾ of a length in the 7 furlong race. Treated for a throat ulcer, Beholder was back at her best winning in succession the Las Virgenes and Santa Anita Oaks, both by open lengths in front running style. Beholder’s main rival for juvenile honors, Executiveprivilege, was never able to duplicate her previous year’s best form. In the Kentucky Oaks, the main opponents to Beholder emerged from the Todd Pletcher barn such as Dreaming of Julia, Unlimited Budget, and Princess of Sylmar.

When the ten horse field went into the starting gate for the Kentucky Oaks, Dreaming of Julia was the post time favorite over Midnight Lucky, a lightly raced Bob Baffert trainee. Unlimited Budget was third choice with two other Pletcher trained entries, Princess of Sylmar at 38-1 and Silsta at 48-1, respectively. Beholder was held in low esteem at 9-1, the consensus being she would not be able to carry her speed the 9 furlong distance. The early pace was fast, and Beholder pressed early leader Midnight Lucky. Around the far turn, Beholder took over from Midnight Lucky as Unlimited Budget, Princess of Sylmar, and Dreaming of Julia mounted challenges. Beholder hung tough in the stretch, but Mike Smith was able to get the most out of Princess of Sylmar to catch and pass the leader for a surprising ½ length victory. Two lengths back was Unlimited Budget who out headed Dreaming of Julia for third place.

At 38-1, Princess of Sylmar was the second longest priced Oaks winner, but this was just the beginning of a campaign that would take her to the precipice of a championship. Lost in the tumult of the upset was the courageous performance of Beholder who fought off all but one of her challengers.

Through the summer and early fall, Princess of Sylmar assumed clear leadership of the three year-old filly division. The King of Prussia Stable star won both the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama Stakes against her own age group. In what appeared to be Princess of Sylmar’s sternest test to date, she faced two time champion Royal Delta in the Beldame Stakes. In the stretch, Princess of Sylmar under moderate urging, steadily drew clear of her older rival for a 2 length victory. With the sophomore filly championship, seemingly assured, Ed Stanco, principal owner of Princess of Sylmar, debated publicly whether he should take his filly to Santa Anita to race in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff or rest her for a 2014 campaign. In the end, Stanco felt it was the sporting thing to race her in the Distaff.

While Princess of Sylmar was dominating her rivals in New York, Beholder returned to the races in September. Under new jockey Gary Stevens, she scored an easy victory in the Torry Pine Stakes at Del Mar and then was a confident winner by 1¼ lengths in the 8½ furlong Zenyatta Stakes leading all the way in both races. With her strong record at Santa Anita (5 wins, a second in 6 starts), she appeared to be a threat in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff if she could carry her speed the races’ 9 furlong distance.

The Distaff had only a six horse field, but it boasted having the two time victress, Royal Delta, along with prominent sophomores Princess of Sylmar, Beholder, and Close Hatches. The dual champion was the post time favorite even though Princess of Sylmar had defeated her decisively in the Beldame Stakes. Beholder was the strong third choice, but there were lingering doubts about her ability to stay the Distaff distance considering the expected hot pace.

At the start, Mike Smith sent Royal Delta to the lead, but on the inside Authenticity out footed her to the first turn. Gary Stevens was content to rate Beholder back in third just to the outside of Close Hatches. Princess of Sylmar, who had stumbled slightly at the start, was settled in fifth. Down the backstretch, Authenticity clung to a narrow lead over Royal Delta as Beholder loomed outside of both of them. Around the far turn, Stevens sent Beholder up to challenge for the lead while Mike Smith did not get a favorable response from Royal Delta. At the top of the stretch, Beholder had a clear lead with only Close Hatches posing any threat. Royal Delta dropped back, and Princess of Sylmar after making a brief run around the far turn, faded in the stretch. At the finish, Beholder was a dominant 4¼ length winner over Close Hatches. The latter, in turn, was 1¾ lengths ahead of Authenticity. Royal Delta in the final start of her career was fourth and Princess of Sylmar finished sixth.

Richard Mandella was lauded by B. Wayne Hughes as a master trainer. This victory was another pinnacle for Gary Stevens’ comeback year. At year’s end, Beholder was voted an Eclipse Award for Three Year-old Filly over Princess of Sylmar who may have won the award if she had not run in the Distaff.

On the 2014 Belmont Stakes undercard, the best sophomore fillies of 2013, Beholder, Princess of Sylmar, and Close Hatches faced off in 8½ furlong Ogden Phipps Stakes. They all came into the race undefeated in their initial 2014 starts with Close Hatches having won two graded stakes races, whereas her two rivals had only a single start each in restricted stakes races against inferior opposition. Whether it was her additional seasoning or the Belmont track surface, Close Hatches was able to gain the lead nearing the stretch and held on gamely to defeat the oncoming Princess of Sylmar by a diminishing head. Antipathy was just a neck back in third and Beholder, in a rare out of the money performance, was fourth but beaten only a total of about a length.

Beholder, who exited the Ogden Phipps with an injury, prepped for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff with a facile repeat win in the Zenyatta Stakes. However, she was withdrawn about 11 days before the Distaff due to a fever. Her absence removed any chance Beholder had of becoming older filly and mare champion. (Consequently, 2014 was the only year in her career she did not gain an Eclipse Award.)

It was her performances at ages five and six that earned Beholder her inclusion on my Starlet Series. In 2015 under Richard Mandella’s conditioning and Gary Stevens’ riding, Beholder was able to have a consistent campaign. She began in April with a facile victory in the restricted Santa Lucia Stakes at Santa Anita, then followed with a confident triumph in the Adoration Stakes over the same oval. Moving to Del Mar, Beholder came from just off the pace to win the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes by 7 emphatic lengths.

Facing males in the Pacific Classic Stakes and going 1¼ miles for the first time, Beholder was, nonetheless, made the favorite in a ten horse field that included 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern and consistent Hoppertunity (both trained by Bob Baffert). However, the Pacific Classic belonged to Beholder. After sitting comfortably in third position off the fast pace set by Bayern and Midnight Storm, the daughter of Henny Hughes made a scintillating sweep to the lead around the turn, mostly under her own power to cruise past the leaders. Beholder came into the stretch with a several length advantage and just expanded it under absolutely no urging by Stevens. At the finish, she was 8¼ lengths in front of another Mandella trainee, Catch a Flight, with Hoppertunity finishing fourth and Bayern and Midnight Storm, ninth and tenth respectively.

In preparing for a Breeders’ Cup race, Beholder won, for the third year in a row, the Zenyatta Stakes, this time by a handy 3¼ lengths. She was pre-entered in both the Distaff and the Classic, held this year at Keeneland Race Course, but when final entry time arrived, her connections opted for the Classic. As the race approached, Beholder, if she could repeat her phenomenal race in the Pacific Classic, appeared the major threat to Triple Crown hero American Pharoah, who was coming off a shocking loss in the Travers Stakes. The prospect of a head-to-head battle disappeared when it was announced that Beholder would be withdrawn due to an inflamed throat. (This was the second year in the row she was forced to miss the Breeders’ Cup.) In her absence, American Pharoah gained an easy lead and cruised to a 6½ length victory. Despite her Breeders’ Cup withdrawal, Beholder was able to gain the Eclipse Award as Champion Older Dirt Female Horse.

An unanticipated benefit to Beholder having to miss the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Classic was owner B. Wayne Hughes’ decision to defer her retirement one more year, and the three time Eclipse Award champion returned to the races as a six year-old.

Richard Mandella picked the Adoration Stakes in May at Santa Anita (a race she won in 2015), as Beholder’s initial 2016 outing, and under regular rider Gary Stevens, she had no trouble recording a handy 2½ length victory. In Beholder’s next start, the 1 mile Vanity Mile Stakes, she faced a formidable foe in last year’s sophomore filly champion, Stellar Wind, who was making her four year-old debut. In the Vanity, Beholder was able to gain the advantage around the stretch turn and then without undue pressure held off Stellar Wind’s rally by a comfortable 1½ lengths. The pair returned in the 8½ furlong Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar in late July.  Just as in their previous encounter, Stellar Wind was carrying 2 lb. less than Beholder. More so, the former benefited greatly in fitness from her Vanity effort, and under Victor Espinoza’s hustling, she was able to keep within a length of Beholder in the early going. Making her challenge around the far turn, Stellar Wind drew alongside her older rival and in a stirring stretch duel was able to prevail by ½ length.

Beholder next tried for a repeat in the Pacific Classic, but the field she faced in the 2016 edition was much stronger, headed by 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome, who at five years-old, was having a sensational year having won in March, what was at the time the richest race in the world, the Dubai World Cup. Also in the field were the Bob Baffert trained entry of the highly regarded Dortmund and the reliable Hoppertunity. From the no. 1 post, Victor Espinoza sent “Chrome” right to the lead angling out from the rail and out footing both Beholder and Dortmund, respectively. These positions held the entire journey with Chrome bounding clear without being pressured at all. At the finish, the popular chestnut was 5 lengths in front of Beholder who was 2¼ lengths ahead of Dortmund. Hoppertunity finished a length further back in fourth place. This dominating victory over a top class field was perhaps California Chrome’s greatest performance in his illustrious career, but this in no way diminished Beholder’s game effort.

Racing against her own sex, Beholder had her final prep for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff in the Zenyatta Stakes, attempting to win the race for the fourth straight year. Just as in the Clement L. Hirsch, she was locked in a fierce duel with Stellar Wind (this time at equal weights), and, at the finish, Beholder was a neck short.

In her final race, the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Beholder faced seven foes highlighted by the undefeated three year-old Songbird (11 for 11) and Stellar Wind. Indicative of the depth of quality among Distaff entries were multiple major winners Curlina, I’m a Chatterbox and, Forever Unbridled. The betting public made Songbird the solid favorite with Stellar Wind the second choice over Beholder.

In a vintage renewal between two outstanding horses ridden by two Hall of Fame riders, the Distaff was a thriller. Songbird, with Mike Smith, broke alertly from her no. 1 post and seized the lead with I’m a Chatterbox in closest pursuit. Beholder came out of the gate well from her outside post position, and Gary Stevens let her run up on the outside around the clubhouse turn to settle in third place down the backstretch. Unfortunately, Stellar Wind hopped in the air at the start and was last in the early going. Down the backstretch, Songbird, running comfortably, had a 1½ length lead with I’m a Chatterbox and Beholder poised to challenge. Around the far turn, the last two mentioned ranged up against the leader, but of the two, only Beholder sustained her rally. At the top of the stretch, Songbird and Beholder were head-to-head, and they remained so as both Smith and Stevens, using all their respective guile and experience urged their mounts forward. In a desperate finish, Beholder proved the better of her younger rival by a nose. Finishing third was Forever Unbridled just 1½ lengths behind the embattled pair. Stellar Wind, who rallied wide around the stretch turn, had no final kick in finishing fourth another 2½ lengths back.

After missing the Breeders’ Cup the past two years, this was a great victory for Beholder and her connections: owner B. Wayne Hughes, trainer Richard Mandella, jockey Gary Stevens. They all agreed she was the best horse they were associated in their respective long racing careers. Indeed, Wayne Hughes’ decision not to retire Beholder at the end of 2015, allowed the mare to carve her name in Breeders’ Cup history as the only horse other than Goldikova to win three Breeders’ Cup races. Eclipse Awards were given to the first two finishers in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff: Beholder for Older Dirt Female (her fourth Eclipse) and Songbird for Three Year-old Filly.

So Beholder was finally retired to Spendthrift Farm. In 2017 she was bred to Uncle Mo and produced a bay colt on January 23, 2018, named Q B One. If this son shows a portion of the class, hardiness, and courage of his mother, he will have indeed a bright racing future. 

Starlet Series: Azeri

Starlet Series
Nuumber 6: Azeri

Joseph Di Rienzi

This is the start of an occasional series on the careers of the six best female thoroughbred horses I have observed racing in the years 1959 to the present. I have chosen these females based on their performances in their respective races. This is my assessment alone and will undoubtedly differ with others’ opinions.  I will discuss each leading female in separate pieces starting with sixth ranked Azeri.

                                                         

She was owned by the Allen Paulson Living Trust (managed by son, Michael Paulson) and trained by Laura De Seroux. (Azeri, was named after an abbreviation for the aviation checkpoint in Baku, Azerbaijan  by her breeder, the late Allen E. Paulson, a noted pilot and aircraft company owner.)  A burnished chestnut daughter of Jade Hunter from an Australian bred mare, Zodiac Miss, born in 1998, Azeri was unraced as a two year-old and had only two starts as a sophomore in 2001, both winning efforts. Ridden throughout her four year-old season by Mike Smith, Azeri won an allowance race in January 2002 at her home base at Santa Anita Racetrack. She then finished second in her initial stakes outing, the La Canada Stakes. Then Azeri went on a prolonged winning streak, capturing the Santa Margarita (defeating former Breeders’ Cup Distaff victress Spain), Apple Blossom, Milady Breeders’ Cup, Vanity, and Clement L. Hirsch Handicaps, increasing the weight she carried from 115 lb. in the Santa Margarita to 126 lb. in the Clement Hirsch. In all these victories, Azeri showed good speed and won by comfortable margins.

The Breeders’ Cup Championship races were run at Arlington Park (in the suburbs of Chicago, IL) on October 26, 2002. The 9 furlong Distaff was the first race of the day, and it produced the most impressive performance of the afternoon. Azeri was the favorite (at a relatively liberal 9-5 betting odds) over seven rivals that included sophomores Farda Amiga, Imperial Gesture, and Take Charge Lady. Mike Smith made the race very elemental in urging Azeri right from the start to take control, and she dominated the race despite setting a fast pace. Imperial Gesture gave chase about a length back with Take Charge Lady and Farda Amiga further behind in third and fourth place, respectively. At the top of the stretch, Smith asked Azeri for run, and she responded by drawing away from her rivals to win by 5 lengths in a rapid final time. Farda Amiga closed to catch Imperial Gesture just before the finish to claim second by a head while Take Charge Lady faded badly to finish sixth. 

Trainer Laura De Seroux and owner Michael Paulson marveled at this victory that was the culmination of a year that saw Azeri develop from an allowance horse to a champion. For Mike Smith, who was earning a reputation as a rider of top fillies, this was another in what would be a record setting number of Breeders’ Cup trophies. Azeri’s Eclipse Award for Older Female Horse was assured, but due to Volponi’s 43-1 upset in the later Breeders’ Cup Classic, Eclipse voters picked Azeri Horse of the Year despite the fact she had only raced against her own sex. In lieu of a dominant male horse, Michael Paulson’s outstanding filly became the default selection. After the Distaff, Azeri’s record stood at 10 wins and 1 second in 11 starts, and observers were not shy in comparing her to some of the sport’s great females. 

Azeri did not make her five year-old debut until April 2003 during the Festival of the South weekend at Oaklawn Park in the 8½ furlong Apple Blossom Handicap, a race she won in 2002. It was not, however, an easy spot to start the year. In the field were major winners Take Charge Lady, Mandy’s Gold and Affluent. Take Charge Lady, also making her 2003 debut, but getting 5 lb. from Azeri, went to the front early and set moderate fractions. Azeri, partnered with Mike Smith, challenged the leader around the far turn, but she appeared to have been repulsed in mid-stretch. Responding to Smith’s urging, the champion re-rallied, and just before the finish Azeri caught Take Charge Lady for a head triumph. Mandy’s Gold finished third, 3¼ lengths behind the embattled pair.

In her return to California, Azeri continued to dominate her peers and won the Milady Handicap under 125 lb. and the Vanity and the Clement L. Hirsch Handicaps, both under 127 lb. In winning these 3 races with clear margins, Azeri extended her consecutive victory streak to 11. With such success, speculation naturally focused on as to whether, where, and when would Azeri step out of her own sex to face male competition. Laura De Seroux was taking a cautious approach, not ruling out a future meeting against the other sex, but also not targeting a specific race.

In her final prep for a try at a repeat victory in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Azeri was upset in the Lady’s Secret Handicap. The defending Horse of the Year finished third (Azeri would be awarded second place on the disqualification of Elloluv), beaten a total of 2¼ lengths. The winner, Got Koko, was getting a 10 lb. advantage over Azeri’s 128 lb., but the consensus was that Azeri, in losing for the first time in 12 starts, did not show her usual spark in the race. Afterwards, she continued being readied for the Distaff until some erratic training revealed unsoundness, forcing Laura De Seroux to withdraw her from the race. Azeri’s owner Michael Paulson was, in the aftermath, non-committal as to whether the five year-old would race again. Despite missing the climatic race for females on dirt, Azeri was once again the Eclipse Champion Older Female.

At the beginning of 2004, Michael Paulson announced that six year-old Azeri would compete this year. Paulson stated that the soreness that kept the multiple champion mare out of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff was gone after a period of rest. (This return to racing was over the objections of Laura De Seroux, and, consequently, Paulson replaced her with D. Wayne Lukas, who had no hesitation in mapping an ambitious year schedule starting in spring 2004.)

Azeri’s first start in Lukas’s care was the Apple Blossom Handicap. Despite winning both the Eclipse Award for Older Female and this race the previous two years, Azeri was only the third choice in the Apple Blossom, but she proved the skeptics wrong, leading all the way for a 1½ length victory. The champion’s next start was at Churchill Downs on Derby Day in the 7 furlong Humana Distaff Handicap where she just failed to give 11 lb. to oddly named Mayo On the Side, losing by a head.

Azeri, under new rider Pat Day, was next entered in the 1 mile Metropolitan Handicap, but in a field that included such males as last year’s dual classic winner Funny Cide, she faded to eighth as Pico Central, a son of 1985 Kentucky Derby victor Spend a Buck, prevailed. The 8½ furlong Ogden Phipps Handicap brought leading females Azeri, Juddmonte Farms’ Sightseek, and Ogden Mills Phipps’ Storm Flag Flying together. (The only other entry was Passing Shot.) Sightseek, who was unbeaten at Belmont Park continued her love affair with New York racetracks with an eased up 3½ length victory over Storm Flag Flying. Azeri, giving weight to all, was raced into defeat by Sightseek and faded to fourth, beaten a total of almost 12 lengths.

The three mentioned above continued their intramurals during the Saratoga meeting. In the 9 furlong Go for Wand Handicap, Azeri, getting 2 lb. from Sightseek, but giving 3 lb. to Storm Flag Flying, regained the leadership of the division with a wire-to-wire 1¾ length victory over Sightseek with Storm Flag Flying another 2 lengths behind. In the 1¼ mile Personal Ensign Handicap, Azeri carrying 122 lb. was facing Storm Flag Flying (116 lb.) again, but not Sightseek, who after suffering her first loss at a New York racetrack in the Go for Wand, was reserved for the Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park which she won in her final career start. In the race named after her grand dam, Storm Flag Flying, taking advantage of a rapid pace that softened Azeri, drove by her in the stretch for a 1¼ length victory. Azeri, game in defeat, held second by a ½ length over Nevermore. Azeri was then shipped to Kentucky where she scored a straightforward 3 length victory in the Spinster Stakes against weak opposition at Keeneland Race Course.

The big news prior to the Breeders’ Cup, held this year at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, TX on October 30, was the decision to run Azeri against males in the 1¼ mile Classic. Despite, her towering reputation, the task seemed formidable as she was facing last year’s Classic winner, Pleasantly Perfect, Ghostzapper (the darling of the speed handicappers), Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone, Funny Cide, and the up and coming Roses in May in the thirteen horse field. Ghostzapper from his no. 1 post was guided to the lead. Azeri, broke a little slowly under Pat Day, but she secured an inside position behind Ghostzapper. Roses in May cruised to be second down the backstretch tracking Ghostzapper’s moderate pace. Around the far turn, jockey Javier Castellano called on Ghostzapper, and he slowly drew away from Roses in May. At the finish, Ghostzapper was 3 lengths in front of Roses In May who had 4 lengths on Pleasantly Perfect. Azeri, in her absolutely final start, was a non-threatening fifth at a distance a little beyond her best.

Despite her unplacing in the Breeders’ Classic, Azeri was voted the Eclipse Award (for the third time) for Older Female Horse (although I thought Sightseek was more deserving). Michael Paulson retired Azeri in December 2004, and she joined the broodmare band at Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Lexingtron, KY. However, due to financial difficulties, Paulson offered Azeri at auction in 2009, and she was sold to Japanese owners (for $2.25 million) and currently resides in Japan at Northern Farm. Her produce record has been spotty with Wine Princess, ironically sired by Ghostzapper, her only graded stakes winner to date.

In justifying Azeri’s inclusion on my list of best females, one can point to her stellar record of 17 wins, 4 seconds in 24 starts, three Older Female Horse championships, and one Horse of the Year award. That she was unplaced in her only two starts against male horses may have been more of a function of her competing against them as a six year-old rather than at her peak four year-old season.