Hall of Fame Profile: Fading Star

Original article written by Dan Kauffman posted 8 years 2 weeks ago

In racking up nine Grade 1 victories en route to Champion Three Year Old Filly honors in Year 8 and Champion Older Mare honors a year later, Fading Star cemented her place as one of the early SIM's best female thoroughbreds.

Bred by Jon Xett, Fading Star was sired by the legendary Sunday Silence, a Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Breeders' Cup champion. His dam was SIM Hall of Famer Awesome Dancer, a Steward's Cup Distaff and Louisville Oaks winner who earned more than $3.6 million on the track as well as the Champion Three Year Old Filly award. She produced three millionaires, including Queen's Derby champion Blazes and Midsummer Classic champion August.

Fading Star debuted in Year 7, Week 5, in a maiden special weight juvenile fillies dirt sprint over 6 1/2 furlongs at Flamingo Park in Florida. She easily was the class of the field in breaking her maiden.

Three weeks later, Fading Star returned to the Flamingo Park track for a mile-long allowance race for juvenile fillies. Once again she was far and away the best horse, turning aside the game but overmatched Amare Sempre to make it 2-for-2.

Fading Star capped her juvenile season with her first stakes test -- and a Grade 1 challenge at that -- traveling to Long Island Park for the 1 1/8-mile Demoiselle Stakes F. The four-filly field included a second future Hall of Famer: Bishoujo Senshi, who finished her career with more than $5.5 million in earnings and a Desert World Cup title (a pretty stunning win over another Hall of Famer in Tremendous). Facing better competition and a longer distance, Fading Star passed with flying colors, finishing her juvenile campaign 3-for-3.

Her 3-year-old season started with a short trip to Brooklyn Raceway for the Grade 3, 1-mile Soldier Girl Stakes. En Ami (great name!) -- who won her final two Grade 2 outings of the previous year -- appeared to be the primary concern among the three challengers, but Fading Star took care of business to improve to 4-for-4.

It was back to Long Island three weeks later for the Grade 1, 1-mile Acorn Stakes. Fading Star held off Faith Unwavering -- who would blossom into a major rival -- to make it five wins in five starts.

Fading Star returned to the Long Island track exactly one week later for the Grade 1, 1 1/4-mile Mother Goose Stakes, her biggest race yet in terms of purse money ($500,000). Once again, Faith Unwavering was the top challenger, and once again Fading Star had her number to make it 6-for-6.

Not only was Fading Star proving to be formidable in quality, but also in durability as well. She returned to Long Island for her third major race in three weeks, the Grade 1, $800,000 Coaching Club American Oaks -- and this time she'd have to go a daunting 1 1/2 miles. She handled it with aplomb, once again getting the best of Faith Unwavering (who by now had to have some doubt, right?) to go 7-for-7.

Two weeks later, Fading Star made another short trip to The Spa for the Grade 1, $750,000 Midsummer Oaks, contested over 1 1/4 miles. It was the fourth straight race in which Fading Star and Faith Unwavering went 1-2 ... but this time, Faith Unwavering flipped the script, stunning everyone by handing Fading Star her first loss.

Fading Star hit the road for her first race in Kentucky two weeks later and returned to the victory circle in the Grade 1, 1 1/8-mile Spinster Stakes at Lexington Race Course, defeating Grade 1 stakes winners The Princess and Silver Foil.

To cap Year 8, Fading Star flew to Arcadia Park in California for the $2 million Steward's Cup Distaff, contested over 1 1/8 miles. Faith Unwavering was waiting for her, as were Grade 1 winners Silent Starfire, Her She Dances, Risk the Silence, Fusaichi Storm and Intellivore.

But the real headliner was future Hall of Famer Sim Goddess, a 4-year-old winner of five straight and 11 of 14 overall (with three seconds), including the Steward's Cup Juvenile Fillies in Year 6, the Louisville Oaks in Year 7 and the Arcadia Handicap in mixed company earlier in Year 8. Sim Goddess went off as the betting favorite, and while Fading Star did her best to make it close, Sim Goddess lived up to her name, capping her Horse of the Year campaign with another signature victory before retiring.

Fading Star still captured Champion Three Year Old Filly honors and remained in California for her first three races of Year 9, starting with the Grade 1, 1 1/8-mile Santa Margarita Handicap at Arcadia Park in Week 3. She made short work of three overmatched challengers to get the season started on the right foot.

Two weeks later, Fading Star headed to Inglewood Park for the Grade 1, 1 1/8-mile Vanity Handicap. While there were more challengers (five) in this one, they were equally overmatched as Fading Star pulled away to make it 2-for-2 as a 4-year-old.

Fading Star's tour of California culminated in Week 7 with the Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic at Oceanside Racetrack. It was her first (and only) outing in mixed company, and multiple graded stakes winners Contest and Lost At Sea were the top challengers in the field of nine. But once again, Fading Star was a cut above the rest, scoring the biggest win by earnings of her career.

She returned to Lexington three weeks later to defend her Spinster Stakes title and would engage rival Faith Unwavering for the final time. This one went Fading Star's way as she improved to 4-for-4 on the year and 11-for-14 overall.

One race remained in the brilliant filly's career: A second crack at the Steward's Cup Distaff, in Year 9 held at Long Island Park. It was billed as a showdown between two Xett standouts, with 3-year-old star Valentine -- the Louisville Oaks and Midsummer Oaks winner -- entering 6-for-7 lifetime. Kayak, the Year 8 Steward's Cup Juvenile Fillies champion, and Grade 1 winners Loki Angel, Her She Dances, Sound of Fire, Canyon and Bestfriendsforever also took the starting gate -- along with rival Faith Unwavering.

In the end, as expected, it came down to Xett's two superb fillies. However, it was Valentine who wrapped up an unbeaten 3-year-old season with the Distaff title and Champion Three Year Old Filly honors. She finished her Hall of Fame career with almost $4.7 million in earnings.

Fading Star was voted Champion Older Mare and closed her racing career with 12 wins and three seconds in 15 starts for earnings of more than $3.6 million. She gave birth to six foals, and five of them earned at least $900,000 on the track:

* Piece of the Moon -- 7-for-8, more than $2.7 million, Louisville Derby and Steward's Cup Distaff champion, Champion Three Year Old Filly, SIM Hall of Famer.

* Moon Beam, 10-for-18, almost $2.5 million, four-time Grade 1 stakes winner.

* Tot Ziens, 8-for-14, almost $2.5 million, Pacific Classic and Inglewood Gold Cup champion.

* In Terms of Heart, 9-for-10, more than $1.3 million, three Grade 1 victories.

* Dual Legacy, 8-for-10, more than $900,000, two Grade 1 wins.

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