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To Sirius Proves Brightest Star in Filly and Mare Dirt Mile

Original article written by Marzy Dotes posted 12 years 0 weeks ago

The black diminutive filly stepped into the starting gate with a three race winning streak on the line and in the stretch, flew willingly enough to willingly win the $1 million Grade I Steward’s Cup Filly and Mare Dirt Mile by ¾ of a length over Cleanse by Fire. To Sirius completed the distance on the dirt oval at Hot Springs Park in 1:37.40.

She’s bred and owned by Brian Leavitt and is a daughter of Baltimore Crown winner and top sire, Fire Added Starter. Although he was known for running a distance of ground in his own career, he’s relished being a sire of famed dirt milers and his offspring dominated the entry list in this year’s filly and mare dirt mile race. Four out of the five top finishers were sired by him. The winner was also produced by Best and Brightest, a daughter of famed miler sire Original Tough Guy who produced quite a few daughters who went on to add to his legacy. So far To Sirius is the most successful progeny of Best and Brightest though she was bred back to Fire Added Starter not long after the Steward’s Cup.

Leavitt trained the bold filly steadily until she broke her maiden first time out as a juvenile. After winning a stakes race, she ran up against the talented Charades in the Long Island Matron Stakes finishing second behind her. She decided to take on the Steward’s Cup Juvenile Fillies hoping she could handle the slightly longer distance of the short route and finished a most respectable third behind Sport of Queens and Capricious.

Despite that fine showing she stuck to the mile distance after that returning the next season to finish second to Charades again in the Elizabeth Stakes. It was her first race wearing her brand new earmuffs after it was discovered that she had been traumatized by all the boisterous activity at the racetrack. The equipment change or perhaps maturity might have helped because she went on a three race winning streak where she defeated the likes of older runners like Elizabeth and White Bengal Tiger. She captured the Palaces of Sands Stakes over Elizabeth to set her up for the Steward’s Cup.

She was set to face a field of nine other fillies and mares including some of the stars of the dirt miler circuit. The defending champion in the Filly and Mare Dirt Mile, Elizabeth was set to launch a major bid to repeat her victory. The gray daughter of former North American Horse of the Year Buckingham and Pasquale had been purchased as a yearling by Greentree Racing for not much over $1.6 million. After the biggest win of her career, she won two out of four of her starts including the Oceanside Ladies Mile over Charades. But she had her hands full a couple of times with the younger upstart in To Sirius.

Charades, an elegant grey filly bred and owned by Happy Trails won her two stakes races before the Steward’s Cup after her narrow loss to Elizabeth in the Oceanside Mile. She’s by Desert Longshot who’s mixed in a few turf milers with those who favor the dirt among his progeny, and she’s given more than a few runners a difficult time with her competitive spirit boasting a five race winning streak in the beginning of her career.

Then you have others from the Fire Added Starter brigade including Cleanse by Fire who’s out of a Loki Dynasty mare named Caitlin’s Cause. Eugene Ferguson picked up this filly at the bargain price of $12,000 at auction and she’s won much more than that during her career so far. Just before the Steward’s Cup she had captured both the Minnesota and Canadian Oaks.

White Bengal Tiger’s broodmare Sunset Ride (by King of Jesters) cost $3 million at auction but the filly herself is a homebred of Tim Matthews, Jr. Winning proved to be elusive to her most of this season which saw her placing second in races like the Inglewood Ladies Mile and the Azeri Stakes as well as third in the Oceanside Ladies Mile. She finally did pick up a win in the Broken Hero Stakes to prep her for the Steward’s Cup where she hoped to improve on her fourth place finish the previous year.

Cathie Morris bred and owns Out of Matches, another daughter of Fire Added Started whose dam is Out Of Love, a daughter of Out of Kindness. This bold black filly finished second to Elizabeth in the Steward’s Cup Filly and Mare Dirt Mile to Elizabeth and then returned this season to finish second to Bodega Harbor in the Crescent City Stakes before winning four straight stakes races in impressive fashion.

When they proceeded to the starting gate, those who crowded the racetrack went to buy their tickets. The gates opened and Elizabeth grabbed the lead first, by a ½ length over It’s Wheely Late who had edged just ahead of Out of Matches. To Sirus under the capable hands of Drake Wolf didn’t seem in any rush at all willing to settle back in the ninth position.

As they hit the backstretch, Elizabeth stretched her lead to a length with Out of Matches pushing her way into the second spot over It’s Wheely Late and White Bengal Tiger. Still, To Sirius remained calmly in ninth place enjoying the scenery. On the far turn, she fell back into the 10th spot while Charades made her move to take the lead by a neck over Elizabeth who held her advantage over Out of Matches.

In the stretch however, To Sirius took command of the race and moved her legs like pistons to rush from the back of the pack to its front prevailing at the finish line. Cleanse by Fire also charged down the stretch and nosed out Charades for the second place position leaving that filly to finish third.

The winner headed off to Blu Zebra farm not long afterward to prepare for the following season while others like White Bengal Tiger, Out of Matches and Elizabeth hanging up their tack and heading off to the breeding shed to produce the next generation of dirt milers.


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