Inside international horse racing paddocks with form expert Susan Trevelyan-Syke
Super Fillies
*Americas
*Americas 2009
*Breeder's Cup
*Dubai World Cup
*DWC 2009
*Europe
*France
*Ireland
*UK
*World
*Endurance FEI
Girl Power of the Super Fillies
The incredible Rachel Alexandra wipes out the colts in the $1,250,000 Haskell Invitational including Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird by six lengths in near-record time. Jockey Calvin Borel gives his habitual winning finger. Photo Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
(UPDATE: Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are locked in contest for the Eclipse Horse of the Year Award.)
We have entered an era of 'super' fillies.
In recent times, we considered ourselves lucky to have a few world-class fillies like Ouija Board, Pride and Zarkava who are retired and breeding successfully.
In their days, Ouija Board won seven Group 1s, Pride three and should have won the Arc de Triomphe but for jockey hesitation and Zarkava with five Group 1s and unbeaten in seven starts.
Some of their contemporaries continued, such as, Vodka Jpn had her blips and Goldikova Ire also had a patchy time. They are now back on form winning Group 1s again with five each.
Update: Zenyatta won the Breeders' Cup Classic 2009 and became the
USA's top-rated horse at 128 with jockey Mike Smith and groom Mario
Espinoza. Breeders' Cup Racingfotos Limited
For the USA, Zenyatta came along and, at five, is rated the world's highest-ranked female at 125 according to the recent report from the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.
Zenyatta has never lost a race in her nine starts on AW against females of which five were Grade 1s and four Grade 2s.
She is expected to defend her Breeders' Cup title against her sex or take on the boys in the Breeders' Cup Classic, 1m 2f. Americas
Today, there is a phalanx of amazingly tough, competitive fillies who are overturning the best of their sex and most of the males they encounter.
Though always rated at lower figures because they are female, they are defying those limits by breaking through glass ceilings and taking out the males with sheer power, skill and speed.
Even the mighty Godolphin got its first Grade 1 race of 2009 thanks to filly Seventh Street (daughter of Dubai World Cup winner Street Cry) in the Go For Wand Handicap at Saratoga this week.
Fleeting Spirit Ire at four just won the Darley July Cup in record time despite hanging and banging right and is acknowledged as Europe's top sprinter.
Glorious Goodwood's stud-flop Kingsgate Native Ire lost none of his sprinting ability with time off and ran a scorcher to win The King George Stakes (Group 3), 5f. He will challenge the favourite Fleeting Spirit her in the York Nunthorpe Stakes.
Ghanaati USA still is accepted as Europe's top three-year-old female miler despite not firing better than third in the Sussex Stakes and has only two European competitors at a mile: three-year-old Rip Van Winkle who beat her in the Sussex Stakes and four-year-old Breeders' Cup Mile winner Goldikova.
Goldikova not only won the Newmarket Falmouth Stakes (Group 1) in July, but just took her fifth Group 1 in the Prix Rothschild (ex Prix d'Astarte) at Deauville.
She is set to clash with Ghanaati at the Sun Chariot Stakes later this month and will train on to defend her Breeder's Cup title.
In winning the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood (adjacent article), Midday not only proved her own ability, but confirmed her vanquisher Sariska's English and Irish Oaks' form.
Both Sariska and France's successor to Zarkava, Stacelita (Fr), are exceptional three-year-old fillies who are tough enough to beat the boys on the 'usual' soft ground of the Arc de Triomphe in October and they are being trained for it.
Stacelita has won all of her five starts with two being Group 1s and Sariska won four out of five with two Group 1s and two Group 3s.
That brings us to America's Sweetheart, three-year-old Rachel Alexandra USA, who has annihilated fillies and colts without mercy at the highest level.
She won the Preakness beating Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird (badly ridden) by a length and beat his half brother by Birdstone, Summer Bird, in the prestigious Haskell Invitational on the most appalling and dangerous ground conditions by six lengths--just one length short of the record and just short of record time.
Rachel Alexandra is unbeaten in her seven starts this season with the last four in succession at Grade 1 level.
At three, she is only one Grade 1 short of Goldikova who is four.
It is likely she will meet the colts for the third time in the Shadwell Travers on August 20 at Saratoga and, if she wins it, she will equal Goldikova in Group 1s at four and match Zarkava who retired at three.
After the Shadwell Travers, she will have a well-deserved rest. She will not take part in the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita, because her owner Jess Jackson does not wish to risk his Dirt specialist on the AW.
Churchill Downs in 2010 will be a different story.
Right now, she is the strongest candidate for the USA Horse of the Year.
Trainer Steve Asmussen said of Rachel Alexandra "What an honour it is to be associated with her. She is extremely fast; she is just very special--she's been able to separate herself from everybody else." Americas
That is what each one of these outstanding fillies and mares have done. They have separated themselves from everybody else and have become celebrities in their own right.
Racegoers line up to see them and fans literally follow them all over the world to watch them race.
They have brought an infusion of joy and excitement to racing.
And they have brought the women out to root for them.
Bring them on!
This looks like a direct quote from the 'extraterestial' Goldikova (below) before her devastating mile in the Prix Jacques Le Marois, Deauville.
Pity the USA milers as she will compete to retain her Breeders' Cup Turf Mile title in November.
The Racing Post's international handicapper Sam Walker awarded Goldikova a mark of 130 RPR for her six-length victory. This is the highest rating for a filly in a decade and 3lb more than Rachel Alexandra.
Goldikova is ranked closer to Sea The Stars than any female horse worldwide. Only the colt Rip Van Winkle Ire (Galileo Ire), at 131, stands between them--and that is doubtful given her style. She, like Sea The Stars, does just enough although she likes to win by more than a length.
The incredible Rachel Alexandra wipes out the colts in the $1,250,000 Haskell Invitational including Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird by six lengths in near-record time. Jockey Calvin Borel gives his habitual winning finger. Photo Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
(UPDATE: Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are locked in contest for the Eclipse Horse of the Year Award.)
We have entered an era of 'super' fillies.
In recent times, we considered ourselves lucky to have a few world-class fillies like Ouija Board, Pride and Zarkava who are retired and breeding successfully.
In their days, Ouija Board won seven Group 1s, Pride three and should have won the Arc de Triomphe but for jockey hesitation and Zarkava with five Group 1s and unbeaten in seven starts.
Some of their contemporaries continued, such as, Vodka Jpn had her blips and Goldikova Ire also had a patchy time. They are now back on form winning Group 1s again with five each.
Update: Zenyatta won the Breeders' Cup Classic 2009 and became the
USA's top-rated horse at 128 with jockey Mike Smith and groom Mario
Espinoza. Breeders' Cup Racingfotos Limited
For the USA, Zenyatta came along and, at five, is rated the world's highest-ranked female at 125 according to the recent report from the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.
Zenyatta has never lost a race in her nine starts on AW against females of which five were Grade 1s and four Grade 2s.
She is expected to defend her Breeders' Cup title against her sex or take on the boys in the Breeders' Cup Classic, 1m 2f. Americas
Today, there is a phalanx of amazingly tough, competitive fillies who are overturning the best of their sex and most of the males they encounter.
Though always rated at lower figures because they are female, they are defying those limits by breaking through glass ceilings and taking out the males with sheer power, skill and speed.
Even the mighty Godolphin got its first Grade 1 race of 2009 thanks to filly Seventh Street (daughter of Dubai World Cup winner Street Cry) in the Go For Wand Handicap at Saratoga this week.
Fleeting Spirit Ire at four just won the Darley July Cup in record time despite hanging and banging right and is acknowledged as Europe's top sprinter.
Glorious Goodwood's stud-flop Kingsgate Native Ire lost none of his sprinting ability with time off and ran a scorcher to win The King George Stakes (Group 3), 5f. He will challenge the favourite Fleeting Spirit her in the York Nunthorpe Stakes.
Ghanaati USA still is accepted as Europe's top three-year-old female miler despite not firing better than third in the Sussex Stakes and has only two European competitors at a mile: three-year-old Rip Van Winkle who beat her in the Sussex Stakes and four-year-old Breeders' Cup Mile winner Goldikova.
Goldikova not only won the Newmarket Falmouth Stakes (Group 1) in July, but just took her fifth Group 1 in the Prix Rothschild (ex Prix d'Astarte) at Deauville.
She is set to clash with Ghanaati at the Sun Chariot Stakes later this month and will train on to defend her Breeder's Cup title.
In winning the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood (adjacent article), Midday not only proved her own ability, but confirmed her vanquisher Sariska's English and Irish Oaks' form.
Both Sariska and France's successor to Zarkava, Stacelita (Fr), are exceptional three-year-old fillies who are tough enough to beat the boys on the 'usual' soft ground of the Arc de Triomphe in October and they are being trained for it.
Stacelita has won all of her five starts with two being Group 1s and Sariska won four out of five with two Group 1s and two Group 3s.
That brings us to America's Sweetheart, three-year-old Rachel Alexandra USA, who has annihilated fillies and colts without mercy at the highest level.
She won the Preakness beating Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird (badly ridden) by a length and beat his half brother by Birdstone, Summer Bird, in the prestigious Haskell Invitational on the most appalling and dangerous ground conditions by six lengths--just one length short of the record and just short of record time.
Rachel Alexandra is unbeaten in her seven starts this season with the last four in succession at Grade 1 level.
At three, she is only one Grade 1 short of Goldikova who is four.
It is likely she will meet the colts for the third time in the Shadwell Travers on August 20 at Saratoga and, if she wins it, she will equal Goldikova in Group 1s at four and match Zarkava who retired at three.
After the Shadwell Travers, she will have a well-deserved rest. She will not take part in the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita, because her owner Jess Jackson does not wish to risk his Dirt specialist on the AW.
Churchill Downs in 2010 will be a different story.
Right now, she is the strongest candidate for the USA Horse of the Year.
Trainer Steve Asmussen said of Rachel Alexandra "What an honour it is to be associated with her. She is extremely fast; she is just very special--she's been able to separate herself from everybody else." Americas
That is what each one of these outstanding fillies and mares have done. They have separated themselves from everybody else and have become celebrities in their own right.
Racegoers line up to see them and fans literally follow them all over the world to watch them race.
They have brought an infusion of joy and excitement to racing.
And they have brought the women out to root for them.
Bring them on!
This looks like a direct quote from the 'extraterestial' Goldikova (below) before her devastating mile in the Prix Jacques Le Marois, Deauville.
Pity the USA milers as she will compete to retain her Breeders' Cup Turf Mile title in November.
The Racing Post's international handicapper Sam Walker awarded Goldikova a mark of 130 RPR for her six-length victory. This is the highest rating for a filly in a decade and 3lb more than Rachel Alexandra.
Goldikova is ranked closer to Sea The Stars than any female horse worldwide. Only the colt Rip Van Winkle Ire (Galileo Ire), at 131, stands between them--and that is doubtful given her style. She, like Sea The Stars, does just enough although she likes to win by more than a length.
