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Shining On, Year 22 SC Distaff Winner, Dies

Original article written by Scott Eiland posted 10 years 3 weeks ago

Shining On, the winner of one of the most thrilling races in Stewards’ Cup history, died Tuesday following complications after delivering a healthy foal. She was 16 years old.

Shining On is best known for battling High Flyer during the latter’s run to a Louisville Derby win in Year 22, when the bay filly shocked the world by defeating Start of the End and King of the Desert to win the wreath of roses. Shining On, a chestnut mare, finished ninth that day, but that was definitely not the race for which she is most remembered.

Shining On began her career on a surprising note, when her owner/trainer Chris Briggs (a SIM newcomer) entered her in the Tiara Stakes for her debut. The filly stunned the crowd at Futurity Park in Florida by trouncing Surrealism by three lengths, winning in a rout. Shining On, perhaps buoyed by the victory, then beat Antares in the restricted Beatofmyheart Stakes. This led to the Steward’s Cup Juvenile Fillies, where High Flyer won the first round of battles between the two superstars, defeating Shining On by two and a half lengths. The battle would continue.

Shining On began Year 22 by again surprising oddsmakers by winning the open Fountain Of Youth Stakes, beating horses from the vaunted stables of Hall of Famers Laura Ferguson and Eric Nalbone (owners of Weapon and Laughuntilyoucry, respectively.) Briggs then sponsored a Week 4 prep race for Shining On, which she easily won. This led to the Louisville Derby, where High Flyer won despite losing HER prep three weeks earlier.

After losing handily in the Puerto Rico Cup to Chretiens, Briggs returned his superstar to fillies-only races. Shining On certainly agreed with this decision, immediately winning the Midsummer Oaks week 12 before taking four weeks off to prepare for the long-awaited rematch with High Flyer in the Steward’s Cup Distaff.

As is always the case, the best dirt routing fillies in the world gathered at Arcadia Park in southern California for the Year 22 Steward’s Cup Distaff. Shining On faced not only High Flyer (fresh off her victory in that year’s run of the roses) but also More, Dave Shields’ latest superstar out of the famous blue hen mare Wonder, and Ladonna King’s Checkered Past, another future millionaire (you may remember the name Checkered Past when you scan this season’s Triple Crown winners; Checkered Past is the dam of Stay the Night, who won the Year 35 Baltimore Crown.)

In one of the most fiercely-contested races in Steward’s Cup history, Shining On barely got her nose to the wire ahead of a hard-charging High Flyer, with More a nose behind the Louisville Derby winner. Checkered Past finished fourth, a nose behind MORE and a neck ahead of Jon Xett’s Stands with A Fist. Shining On won the Steward’s Cup Distaff in 1:49.00, garnering a 91 speed figure and leaving a vapor trail behind her. What. A. Race.

Shining On went on to win three stakes races in her age-four season before retiring. While her progeny has yet to boast a superstar (and the jury is still out on that), she will always be remembered for the Year 22 Steward’s Cup, and for showing the SIM world that your name didn’t have to be “Xett” “Nalbone” “Davies” or “Ferguson” to breed a game-changing superstar.


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