Zany Antics Keeps On Course to Win Steward's Cup Distaff

Original article written by Marzy Dotes posted 12 years 4 weeks ago

The statuesque bay filly hit the lead her first step out of the starting gate and by the time she reached the wire, Zany Antics hadn’t surrendered that position, capturing the $2 million Grade I Steward’s Cup Distaff by 1 ¼ lengths over Sport of Queens. She sped the 1 1/8 mile distance on the dirt oval at Hot Springs Park in 1:50.08 as a packed grandstand of racing fans watched.

Her win surprised a few people who had focused their attention on other entries in the star stacked field but it really shouldn’t have as this elegantly cut racer comes from some pretty fancy racing stock herself. Bred and owned by Jon Xett, she’s a proud daughter of the mighty former stud, Tot Ziens who sired the likes of Fire Added Starter, Hammer and Sound Asleep who finished second in the Steward’s Cup Ladies Route that same day. Her dam Zaha (by former North American Champion Three Year Old Male Braveheart) also produced the stakes winning Zulu Dancer. So this was a female runner who did appear born to rock in her races.

And so she did but it took some work to get her there.

When she first ran speed workouts in the morning, she couldn’t muster much enthusiasm, managing to run five furlongs on the dirt in 58.72. But when she hit the racetrack to compete, she appeared to be a much different horse.

After she broke her maiden third time out, she soon won the Raymundo Cup after adding a tongue tie to her equipment and blazing her way around the oval. This victory started her on a hot six race winning streak where she captured the Toronto and Inglewood Oaks along with other stakes races. Her streak was broken in the Trap Stakes by Thrown a Wheel who started her own winning streak in that race. She rebounded in the Dream of Summer Stakes before her third place finish facing off against the males in the Kentucky Crown Classic.

Still Zany Antics felt sharp just before the Distaff and stood tall and confident amid the other entries as they were saddled in the paddock before the post parade. Sport of Queens, bred and owned by Laura Ferguson loomed large over the rest of the field given her career exploits including a resounding victory in last year’s Steward’s Cup Juvenile Fillies. That race was a key part of the five race winning streak that dominated her early career right into her preparations for the Triple Crown races. She lost for the first time in the Louisville Derby where she finished a solid second to Maelstrom. Following that effort up with a third place finish behind him and Institutionalized in the Baltimore Crown, she moved on Canada where she won the Prince of Peace Stakes and then defeated Sky Flyer in the Kentucky Crown Distaff where she faced older female runners.

The success in her career comes as a surprise to hardly anyone given her flashy pedigree. She’s the striking dark bay daughter of California, the Hall of Famer who’s sired an Amazon or two during his stud career and former North American Champion Two Year Old Female Babe Ruth. This striking dark bay broodmare has become a force in that side of the racing industry producing another millionaire in Greatest Game and several other stakes winners.

One of her rivals has been the Louisville Oaks winner Capricious who’s also by Tot Ziens. Owner Cleo Patra picked up the dark bay filly at auction for $1.650 million and she’s a daughter of Skittish (by Vindication) who’s still trying to find success in the breeding shed. Capricious finished second in her first start at a mile but once she stretched out, that led to a three race winning streak that she brought to the Steward’s Cup Juvenile Fillies. She finished second to Sport of Queens in that race after she hung close to that filly most of the race and tried to pass her at the end.

But Capricious came back as a sophomore older and more determined, winning the Sunshine Oaks before her big victory in the Louisville Oaks. She won two out of her three next starts capturing both the Toronto Oaks and the Fading Star Stakes in hopes she could parlay those efforts into a win in the Distaff.
North American Champion Three Year Old Filly Sky Flyer (who’s a half sister to High Esteem and Sky Gambler, the dam of Highly Regarded) came off of a second place finish to Sport of Queens in the Kentucky Crown Distaff. Owner Peter Gleason paid $600,000 for her as a two year old in training and she’s rewarded him with stakes victories in the Louisville Oaks, the Fading Star Stakes and a second place finish to Sparkle Factor in last year’s Steward’s Cup Distaff.

Brat Pack, bred and owned by Scott Eiland is a daughter of the stellar sire East and the stakes winning Brat who herself finished second in the Distaff. This filly finished second behind Iki in the Steward’s Cup Juvenile Fillies two years earlier and accumulated wins and high placing finishes in stakes races since. She captured both the Ohio Distaff and Loki Reflection Stakes going into the Steward’s Cup.

The field of female racers all lined up in the starting gate as a hush fell over the racetrack in anticipation of the start. Zany Antics bolted to the lead by 1 ¼ lengths over As You Sleep, a daughter of two champions in Braveheart and Wonder. Best of the Future edged both Sport of Queens and Capricious for the third spot. Down the backstretch Zany Antics tugged her way into a 4 ¼ length lead over As You Sleep with Sport of Queens and Capricious still behind her. Jockey Carlos Gonzales kept Zany Antics in reserve even as she boldly continued to lead the pack. Sweeping into the turn, Best of the Future whittled her lead to only 1 ¾ lengths while Sport of Queens and Capricious stayed close together waiting to launch their bids. But in the stretch, Zany Antics really poured it on and even as both Sport of Queens and Capricious tried to chase her, they couldn’t quite catch her. Sport of Queens finished a ½ length in front of a determined Capricious to get the second spot relegating the other filly to third.

Zany Antics blew off the fatigue from her race by prancing into the winner’s circle. She headed off to rest and relax at Rapid Gray Farms in Kentucky while she awaits her seasonal debut at the age of five. She’ll likely face the likes of the two fillies she vanquished in the Distaff in the upcoming season at some point but for now, she appears content to enjoy her brief vacation.

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