Hall Of Fame - Is Wanting Enough

Original article written by Danny Warren posted 12 years 2 weeks ago

With the hype that surrounds each new star, it becomes quite easy to forget the heroes of the past. It is said that today’s headlines are tomorrows fish and chip wrapper, and with such recent star ladies of the Sim World like Whitney, Ivory Crown, Poisoned Apple and Sport of Queens grabbing all of the attention, recalling the deeds of the retired isn’t always easy.

One mare who sadly left us not long ago, deserves to remembered though as one of the finest of all time.

Is Wanting Enough was born on a moonless night at Ryen Hanna’s luxurious farm with hope rather than expectation of greater things to come.

Her Dam, Inamorata, was a daughter of millionairess Honor Bright and by Sadler’s Wells, but unlike siblings My Hero and Notable Dancer, struggled a bit on the track. Inamorata won her maiden at her fourth try and was swiftly retired after finishing second last at her next start. Her second breeding was to Kotashaan, who at this stage had just eight foals on the ground in his two prior breeding seasons. The resultant bay foal with a prominent white stripe down her petite nose took no time at all to find her feet after birth and showed from an early age that she was going to be a tenacious racehorse.

Her workouts, by todays standards, did not give much of a hint of greatness, with her bests being a 48.47 over 4f on turf and a 1.00.18 for 5f, but Ryen had seen the tenacity in Is Wanting Enough’s works against other horses and hoped that raceday would bring out her best.

A 4f sprinting Maiden in Munich was decided on as a starting point, and Is Wanting Enough cleared away late to comfortably defeat her five rivals, with Ryen jumping for joy in the stands, before rushing down to greet her filly in the winner’s circle.

An Allowance race over 6f, also in Munich, was an interesting second up assignment. Is Wanting Enough only had two opponents, but Tattenham Corner and Esteria would both go on to win over $100,000 and after the three of them were locked together most of the way, Is Wanting Enough’s fighting spirit saw her draw away for a length victory.

Ryen decided that it was time to test the waters with her promising filly and entered her into the Gr.3 Premio Nameo over 6f at Coliseum Park in Italy. She had three rivals this time, but when Is Wanting Enough began to stride out in the straight, none of the others could go with her and she won in a canter to the delight of the boisterous crowd.

Enjoying the Italian climate, Is Wanting Enough lined up for the Premio Dormello in Milan, with Ryen curious to see if she could stretch her brilliance over a mile. Is Wanting Enough sat in second place for most of the journey, before shooting away to again win with considerable ease by two and a half lengths.

With an eye towards the filly’s three year old season, Ryen sent Is Wanting Enough halfway around the world to Australia for a run in the Gr.2 Queens Stakes over 1 1/16 miles to take on unbeaten local Indian Star in a field of six. The pace was on early and Is Wanting Enough’s jockey wisely kept her quietly on the fence, before swinging wide around the turn so she could get a clean run up the long straight at Australia Race Course. Indian Star tried to go with her, but couldn’t and Is Wanting Enough held her off by a length to finish her two year old year an unbeaten multiple group winner and was awarded the SIMMY for European Champion Two Year Old Filly.

Is Wanting Enough enjoyed her break and came back looking a ball of muscle for her three year old first up run in New Zealand in the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes over a mile against five handy runners. Is Wanting Enough never gave the others a look in, going on to win her sixth straight race by seven lengths eased down.

Now Ryen had got a conditioning run into her filly, her bold plan in Australia began to take shape. The Ansett Australia Stakes over 1 1/8 miles was Is Wanting Enough’s first try in Gr.1 company, and what company ! Three of her five opponents were unbeaten like herself and the betting was wide open before the race, with any one of Have Faith, Is Wanting Enough, Candles and Hope Awaits being favourite at any given time. Is Wanting Enough stumbled at the start and settled in between runners for most of the journey and at the home straight seemed to be boxed in and with nowhere to go. But the determination she showed as a young horse on the farm came to the fore and she burst through to chase down Have Faith and win by a length to collect her first Gr.1 trophy.

After a win like that, Ryen had no hesitation in sending her filly to the Gr.1 VRC Oaks, where she reacquainted herself with Have Faith and Candles, with the very useful Fuji’s Kiss making up the four runners. The numbers may have been disappointing for such a time honoured race, but the race still had the Australian crowd on their feet, when Have Faith and Is Wanting Enough staged a two horse war down the straight before Is Wanting Enough drove away for a length and three quarter win for victory number eight.

The 1 ¼ mile Gr.1 Australian Oaks was next on the agenda and her three opponents all tried to grind her into the ground with some quick early sectional times. But all they achieved was to set things up for Is Wanting Enough, and after breezing around behind the others, she gathered them in at her will and strolled home for an easy length and a half win.

Having won all of the main fillies events in Australia, Ryen decided to go for broke in Is Wanting Enough’s final run for the year, by taking on the best Weight For Age horses in the land in the Gr.1 Cox Plate. Is Wanting Enough was running for ten out of ten, but her four opponents were some of the cream of racing in Poison, The Star Man and Cliff Diver. The Star Man was fresh from an easy win in the Victoria Derby, so this gave the star three year olds a chance to match up. Right from the second the gates opened, this race was to become something of an epic, which to do this day is regarded as one of the finest contests ever seen on the Australian turf. The Star Man and Is Wanting Enough left the others in their wake as they eyeballed each other over the entire 1 ¼ mile journey, with none of the others able to get within lengths of the two mighty three year olds. Heads up, heads down……..together they went from start to finish and it was only with a stride to go that The Star Man faltered and allowed Is Wanting Enough to gain a memorable win by just a neck. Is Wanting Enough unanimously won the Champion South Pacific Three Year Old Filly SIMMY.

Ryen now chose to travel again with her superstar and landed in the U.S.

Is Wanting Enough began her campaign in the Gr.3 Bara Stakes over the mile and a half in Kentucky, where she would meet My Hurricane and Barcelona, who both would go on to earn a million dollars. It mattered little to Is Wanting Enough who was never in any danger and cruised across the line four and a half lengths clear of My hurricane, who would go on to foal current stallion Hurricane Andrew.
The Gr.1 Weezer Stakes over the mile and a half was up next and again her classy rivals had no answer when Is Wanting Enough strode out, and she had time to appreciate the standing ovation she received as she reached the winning post with plenty to spare.

A much sterner test greeted her in the Gr.1 World Traveller Stakes as Is Wanting Enough dropped back to the 1 1/8 mile journey, with two of her four opponents future millionaires. The pressure was on throughout the contest and when Is Wanting Enough took the turn very wide, some in the crowd believed that here was going to be her first defeat. But her bulldog qualities came forward once more and she mowed them all down to go to thirteen starts, thirteen wins.

Metropolitan Park in Illinois invited Ryen to run is Wanting Enough in the Chicago Million and with superstars The Wilding and Everest in the race, Ryen accepted the challenge. It seemed like the entire state was there that day to see these wonderful horses battle it out, but after hitting the lead momentarily, Is Wanting Enough found the boys a little strong this time, finishing third, but still eleven full lengths in front of the rest of the pack.

Ryen had planned for a tilt at the Steward’s Cup Filly and Mare Turf all along and Is Wanting Enough travelled to Long Island for the 1 ¼ mile, $2,000,000 race. As you would expect in such a race, it was a top field full of class, with Live Your Dreams and Lucrezia Borgia expected to be Is Wanting Enough’s main challengers. Double U and Live Your Dreams took up the running, but by the turn, Live Your Dreams had kicked away on her own. Is Wanting Enough flew past along the rail and set sail for home, but then the crowd started yelling as Lucrezia Borgia made a massive run down the outside. As the two horses crossed the line, no one on the course was sure who had won the day and it took a long time for the judge to separate them in the photo finish. Eventually the number went up and Ryen Hanna’s Is Wanting Enough had raced into immortality as a Steward’s Cup winner by just a nose. She earned the SIMMY’s for North American Champion Older Mare and North American Champion Female Turf Horse.

After a well earned rest, Is Wanting Enough went to the United Arab Emirates to run in the Zazzaam Stakes, where she faced a far easier lineup than she had done for a long time. Is Wanting Enough won easily enough, but her zip wasn’t there and after a struggling fourth in the Dubai Duty Free, followed by a third in Argentina, Ryen could see that Is Wanting Enough was looking for a well earned rest and retired her.

Is Wanting Enough had won 15 of her 18 starts with two thirds and a fourth, with earnings of $2,594,500.

In the Breeding Barn, she has had six foals, tragically dying after delivering a filly by July. To date, mare All I Want Is You has been the most successful on the racetrack, earning over $100,00, but it is her racing deeds that will never be forgotten by those fortunate enough to watch her run.

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