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Defend the Stars Becomes One in Filly and Mare Turf Mile
Original article written by Marzy Dotes posted 13 years 3 weeks agoA full field of 14 fillies and mares lined up for the $1 million Grade I Steward’s Cup Filly and Mare Turf Mile showing the competitiveness of this very popular division in thoroughbred racing. This field included a host of champions from various regions of the world.
But at the end it was a young upstart by the name of Defend the Stars who flurried down the stretch, an exercise in raw power to capture the win by a ½ length over Rabbit in the Hat. She sped the distance on the turf circuit at Seattle Downs in 1:35.79.
Purchased at auction by Amanda O’Brien for $500,000, this three year old filly was by Defender and is already his most successful offspring on the race track. Her dam, South African Champion Three Year Old Filly Blackest Stars also produced the undefeated Silver Screen Star by Performing Tricks.
After being purchased, the young filly trained for the mile distance and she won her first two races as a juvenile, both stakes. She went into the Steward’s Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf facing a very competitive field and she fell back in the pack early on and rallied in the stretch to finish fourth in a race won by Wise Heart.
A month later, she had headed off to Europe and finished third behind that filly in the English One Thousand Guineas Stakes before handing her a vigorous defeat in the Irish One Thousand Guineas. She won the Prix d’Avignon before running into Satin Nights in the Kentucky Crown Ladies Mile where she finished second two lengths behind her.
But she felt confident enough to face off in the packed Steward’s Cup field. South American Champion Two Year Old Filly Rabbit in the Hat (by Performing Tricks whose offspring like Steward’s Cup races) who had a five race winning streak snapped later in the season. European Champion Three Year Old Filly Stop Flirting (by Tondeiru who sired Turf Mile winner Florida Keys) won both the Turf Distaff and The Arcadia Ladies Mile. South American Champion Two Year Old Filly Valued and Eastward Bound also entered the race.
When the gates opened, everyone waited to see what would happen and Satin Nights shook her mane and headed off to an early lead over Eastward Bound and Wise Heart while Defend the Stars settled under the capable hands of David O’Neill into eighth place. In the backstretch, Satin Nights asserted her way further in front of Wise Hearts wile Defend the Stars watched and waited from further back. She moved carefully up into the fifth place position by the far turn while Satin Nights tried to run away from the rest of them with a three length lead. Stop Flirting pushed in front of Wise Hearts for the second spot and Rabbit in the Hat had moved up into sixth.
Turning for home, O’Neill signaled to his filly to pick up the pace and she accelerated to the lead with Rabbit in the Hat on her heels, surprising the front runners including Satin Nights. She held onto it, with Rabbit in the Hat finishing second over Stop Flirting by a ½ length.
Defend the Stars collected her money for winning the race and traveled off to England for a stay at the Kensington Stud Farm fully planning on returning this season while others like Stop Flirting, Eastward Bound and Satin Nights opted to begin their second careers as broodmares of tomorrow’s top runners.