Havre de Grace starts her new season with winning the Eclipse Award for champion older female
Havre de Grace being the third consecutive female to win the Horse of the Year wanted just a little more glamour to the news, which she achieved by winning the Eclipse Award for the older female champion as well.
The trainer, Larry Jones, who suffered through a fatal loss back in 2010, when his filly, Eight Bellas broke down after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby, got depressed and despaired with the profession, finally saying good bye to it, however,
the horse that could ignite the faded passion for horse racing again in the trainer is, Havre de Grace.
"As many of you know, I've seen the lowest of lows in horse racing and I've seen a lot of highs, but nothing rivals Havre de Grace," Porter told at the ceremony, further adding, "She did it her way. She won the big races when it counted”.
The five-year-old mare of Saint Liam out of Easter Bunnette, molded her way to the Award by winning three Grade1 races from the five victories that she amassed through her seven starts for the 2011 season. Each of the victories in the Grade 1 races
had its own charm to it.
She won the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park on 15th April 2011, where she strode ahead by three-quarters of a length from Switch, who finished the race second.
She then won the Grade 1 Woodward at Saratoga on 3rd September 2011, where she beat an all male field, setting Flat Out second, and Rule third in the race.
The final straw that got her the closest to the Eclipse Award was when Havre de Grace won the Grade 1 Beldame Invitational Stakes on 1st October 2011, where she intimidated the eventual winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Ladies
Classic on 4th November 2011, Royal Delta.
Havre de Grace did not really face any hard core rivalry when it came to contesting for the Award as the only mare that could have been a threat was first defeated by Have de Grace on 19th March at Oaklawn Park in the Grade
3 Azeri. However, Havre de Grace was defeated by Blind Luck once through the year in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on 16th July 2011, at Delaware Park, which did not impact her chances with the Award whatsoever.
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