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Hall Of Fame - Paramour
Original article written by Nathan Klein posted 2 years 1 week agoThe story of Paramour starts off with Bold Not Shy. A mare bred and raced by Ashley Gibson. Eventually, she would be sold to Fanta Arcadia as a broodmare. The first thing she bred was My Heart Of Hearts. A precocious filly on the track she went undefeated as a two-year-old. Culminating with a three-length victory in Steward's Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Her three-year-old campaign was less dominant but it did feature two-stakes wins including the Grade 1 Grand Victory Stakes. But the best was yet to come for her. Her total earnings reached $904,000 But she produced four separate foals. Now one of them stands in the Hall Of Fame and her name is Paramour.
Sired by another Hall Of Famer, Rillian. Paramour was destined to be great. Her first start was nothing short of brilliant never less than three lengths ahead of her opponents she waltzed. While at the wire she was only three lengths ahead for the half-mile she was five lengths clear and at the top of the stretch 6 and 3/4 lengths. No small feat making three lengths the shortest margin of lead throughout a race. But seeing a race like that again would take till the end of the year. Her first stakes attempts were steady. She was nailed in both the Pop Idol and Test My Hearts Stakes. Finishing third and second and only lost the lead in the last quarter. But in the Premio Hermana, she pulled it all together. And under new eyes, she won by 3 and 1/2 lengths. Never could her opponents be any closer than that as she socially distanced the competition. At her peak 7 and 1/2 when during the first half. No matter how you sliced it when she was at her best that year she was a wrecking machine.
Initially, as a three-year-old, she lost again in the Paris Oaks. Leading until Stay Here Nobody swung by and had a neck lead into the far turn. She only opened up winning the race by 3 and 1/2 lengths. But the rest of her three-year-old season leading up to the Steward's Cup Mile. There was no misery business as she kept racing. She didn't go for the 1,000 Guineas she went to the French 2,000 Guineas against Heal Not Hurt. A promising Stewardbred who had won four straight races before losing the Steward's Cup Juvenile Turf. The winner of that race Work The Room was also in this race. Work The Room had built off that win with a seasonal debut in the Grade 2 Paris Derby. For Heal Not Hurt it would be his seasonal debut but it wasn't a welcome one. While he closed well to get revenge on Work The Room and out finish him, the lone filly Paramour was uncatchable. She won the French 2,000 Guineas by two whole lengths.
She then snuck in the Spanish 2,000 Guineas again against boys and won it even more impressively by 4 and 1/2 lengths. This win would set her up for a rematch against Heal Not Hurt who had racked off the English and Irish 2,000 Guineas. But that trilogy had been denied by Paramour. And a go at the Palace Of The Saints was also denied as rocked his world a second time winning by a length. Then she went down to America and won the Kentucky Ladies Mile against fillies on route to the Steward's Cup Turf Mile. The dream was not to be and she ended up fifth that day. Her one huge blemish in a near-perfect three-year-old season was the first and last race of it.
She had a fruitful but lightly raced four-year-old season afterward. First, she took a sponsored Grade 1 before trying and failing to win the Dubai Millenium Mile. When late closing Send Your Regards caught her 3/4 of a length to win the day while she placed second. After a hiatus, she went into her third start of the year at the start of week 10. Not a lot of racing but what came from this third run was her biggest career victory. The 1 million dollar Toronto Mile against colts once again. In it was old rivals Heal Not Hurt, Steelslayer the previous year's winner, and the horse who won the previous year's Toronto Mile. And the heroic gelding Blindseer who had won the Grade 1 Great White Plate earlier that year. Although most of his biggest runs would come later in his life.
She did as she had always done leading every pole as she won by 1 and 1/4 lengths over a fine group of colts. She then repeated her win in the Grade 2 Kentucky Crown Ladies Mile before taking the repeat thing too literally and finishing fifth yet again in the Steward's Cup Turf Mile. She'd go for another five-race campaign as a five-year-old as well but she swapped a few races around. She won the Grade 2 Sand Castle Stakes against males en route to a repeat second-place finish in the Dubai Millenium Mile this time to Close To The Best who was far ahead by 2 and 1/2 lengths.
But she couldn't repeat the Toronto Mile with Close To The Best and Send Your Regards finishing ahead. Ironically both had defeated her in the Dubai Millenium Mile in separate years. Now in the Toronto Mile, they had tagged teamed and beat her once more. She won one last race in the Grade 1 My Heart Of Hearts a race sponsored by Fanta herself. She won it in her usual fashion before she came fourth in the Steward's Cup Turf Mile. One place better but not a win. After this, she would be retired winning 11 of 20 races with five grade 1 victories three against males. She earned $2,150,000 more than double her mother and even outdid her mom. With her foals coming together to earn $9,240,100. Just like her mom, she created four separate millionaires including one mare who earned more than even her. Steward's Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Luxuria. Although unlike her moms he wasn't as much of a gender bender not defeating males in a single one of her races. in total, she produced 11 foals while her dam My Heart Of Hearts produced 12. Proving once and for all that less is Paramour.