Hall of Fame - Serena Sleet

Original article written by Brandon McNulty posted 13 years 0 weeks ago

The story of the two year old Thoroughbred is one of the more interesting you will encounter in sports. The most talented and precocious of the crop will be asked to perform at an extremely high level at what is a very formative time for even the most advanced of juveniles. In an atmosphere that often celebrates early success, a juvenile that is capable of delivering stakes quality races is a hot commodity. Even rarer, is the exceptional two year old who, whether by superior genetics or handling, seems to handle the business of the track far better than his or her peers. Many would argue that the diminutive bay daughter of SIM Hall of Famer and foundation mare Serena's Song, Serena Sleet was one such animal. By the real life-to-SIM sire Gentleman and under the watchful care of Jennifer Stewart, Serena Sleet would waste no time making her presence known.

She would take on eight others in her debut in the Debutante Stakes at Louisville Downs. While the details of the race are typical of early SIM races, she did manage to beat the likes of Speedyjetsdaughter (Y6 Kentucky Cup Distaff winner) and Sideways Glance (dam of champion/blue hen mare Lookit). These races were before speed figures and times were recorded, however, if you look at the influence some of these lines had on the formation of the sprint division it is safe to assume these fillies were cruising.

Stewart, aware that she had a truly game filly, brought her back in a week to try her hand at the graded level for the first time in the filly version of the Twin Spires, contested at 6f. Again, she would test her mettle against some of the early sources of speed in the SIM, and again she would cross the wire victorious. She bested A.P. Extreme whose speed would carry to her daughter Extremist who in turn would foal Y16 Steward's Cup Mile winner Lightninginabottle.

Again, Serena Sleet came out of the race looking a further developed racehorse and was able to stay in good form and return two weeks later. This time Jennifer Stewart intended to stretch the blossoming filly out to a mile of dirt, having shipped the filly north to Long Island. She broke from the gate with a vigor unmatched by her peers. With such a strong turn of foot at such a young age, her speed would again carry her to victory against formidable competition (as well as future foes).

The place horse Illusion (whose impact would ultimately be felt on the turf as the dam of Angels Help Angels) as well as Awesome Dancer (More awesome than dancer) would be repeat customers a week later and a coast apart at Arcadia Park in the G2 Oak Leaf Stakes, again contested at a mile. Along with the familiar faces of Lalique, A.P. Extreme, and Magnifique was another filly who would provide the necessary and surprising opposing force in this stories' climax, Jess Paquette's Soldier Girl who was bred and sold by none other than Jennifer Stewart herself.

The choice to try her speed at two turns in the Steward's Cup at Toronto Racecourse at this point had to seem natural to trainer Stewart. Her brilliance in the million dollar, Steward's Cup Juvenile Fillies, would not be denied, as again she bested a cast of accumulated foes from previous races. Like their last meeting, Awesome Dancer and Illusion would be relegated to the bottom of the trifecta as the excellent Serena Sleet capped off an undefeated and remarkable two year old campaign, while collecting her owner and trainer and an impressive paycheck.

Serena Sleet returned to the track as a three year old carrying over the impressive form she had displayed as in her juvenile year that captured her a SIMMY for Champion 2 Year Old Filly. She was shortened up to a long sprint, going 7 furlongs in the San Ysabel Stakes at the familiar confines of Arcadia Park. She displayed her tremendous speed, but didn't seem to really be able to stretch out and get into full stride, but was able to hold off Portrait of Pulpit, whom she had bested before.

Stewart probably knew there were some small risks in cutting the filly back to a sprinting distance after her speed had translated to two turns, but it would prove to be a savvy move that would leave the returning filly in top form in what would probably be the most important performance of her post-juvenile career. The G2 Lexington Stakes had intrigue much beyond its status as a prep race for the classic three year old American races. As mentioned before, Soldier Girl was bred by Jennifer Stewart and subsequently sold to future Hall of Famer Jess Paquette.

Soldier Girl's juvenile year ended up being of the sort that was pretty much opposite to Serena Sleet's performance. While she managed to break her maiden going 6f, she struggled the rest of the year. In a race that most years would be dominated by some rising three year old colt, two girls managed to take center stage in the Lexington, both trainers wanted this bad as Jess Paquette was ready to see improvement and Jennifer Stewart sought to validate the sell and keep her fillies' winning streak intact. In one of the most dramatic finishes in SIM history, and what would ultimately serve as a coming out party for Soldier Girl, the two fillies battled to an extremely gutsy dead heat with Serena Sleet all out as Soldier Girl fought tirelessly to try to catch her at the wire.

While neither filly could claim to be the better that day, that dead heat could very well go to illuminate the great difference in some racehorses. One filly embodied the precocious two year old, consistently able to hold off her opponents as a two year old, Serena Sleet was ultimately a short burst of perfection. Soldier Girl is the archetype for the other racehorse. She spent her two year old year getting a feel for the track while showing flashes of promise, like many, her progression from two to three was noticeable and she was clearly beginning to show her apparent talent.

If it could be said that Serena Sleet had won the battles between the two previously, than this was the point at which Soldier Girl (appropriately) began to wrest away control of the war. She went on to capture a Louisville Derby victory against the boys and then come back to finish third in the Baltimore Crown. Soldier Girl would put the punctuation on what was looking like the more complete career as a four year old, capturing victories in the Hot Springs Handicap, Stephen Foster Handicap, and the G1 Go for the Wand. Soldier Girl's exemplary career, if anything, adds to Serena Sleet's legacy, and certainly does nothing to diminish it.

Serena Sleet would show up in Kentucky on the same day as her nemesis Soldier Girl, however she would be participating the premier event for 3 yo fillies for the day, the Louisville Oaks. The contested distance of 1 1/8th would finally prove the limits of the smallish bay's speediness, and she ran a bad race that day, leading at the quarter pole, but ultimately fading to finish seventh against a cast of familiar characters. Awesome Dancer was becoming a force as a three year old, and with breeding suited to the distance she won the G1 pretty well against Quiet Allure and A.P. Extreme.

Perhaps sensing that a fairly aggressive schedule had left her filly tired, Jennifer Stewart gave Serena Sleet 4 weeks until her next race. Once again, she returned the filly to a sprint distance heading up the road to the Dirtway Park to take on all comers in the 6f, G2 Kentucky Sprint Cup. Strangely absent in this race were the names she in encountered as she worked her way around the major circuits in North America, and while this race ended up drawing a fairly weak field, it did ultimately get Serena Sleet back on track with a win and provided a useful prep for what would be her last chance to posture in the paddock and take in the sights and sounds of the track.

She returned to Long Island Park, trying for her second consecutive win in a Steward's Cup race, this time shortening down to 6f to compete in the Steward's Cup Sprint against open company. While she was full of heart she was unable to hold off her male stablemate Energy In Excess, who would become a champion sprinter in his own right (Sadly his speed didn't translate to great success at stud). Rounding out the trifecta was another Jennifer Stewart-trained horse Infinite Fury. Serena Sleet gave her all in her final performance, and she cannot be faulted for falling just short of capturing a second Steward's Cup win that has proven so elusive for many other great horses throughout the history of the SIM.

No article outlining the career of Serena Sleet would be complete without at least making mention of the influence she has had as a broodmare, specifically on the dirt sprint division. Serena Sleet foaled two millionaire daughters; Serena Sound and Serena Storm (by Storm and Silence and Oasis Bliksem respectively). Serena Sound's best foal Awestruck would in turn foal Believe in Awe who as of the end of yYar 28 is still a part of the Steward's vaunted breeding operation. Serena Storm, however, arguably made the larger impact in that she sired the legendary gray stallion machine that was Satelite. To go into his accolades would require another article entirely (as I'm sure this has been done), but he is a name who continues to have an impact on the dirt sprint division whether in those of his bloodline continuing to run and dominate the division, or his impact on the nature of breeding within the division. Satelite was truly a force, and doubtlessly some of the speed that made him such a legendary sprinter could be traced back to the small but mighty Serena Sleet.

---

Back to Hall of Fame articles