Havre de Grace trumps males in the Woodward Stakes and moves a step closer to winning the Horse of the Year title
Havre de Grace owned seven males and puts herself in the conversation on to be considered for Horse of the Year after winning the Grade 1 $750,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga on 3 September, 2011.
The standout 4-year-old filly made her owner Rick Porter’s dream of winning against the males come true, when she defeated the Suburban winner and the Whitney Handicap second place finisher, Flat Out by 1 ¼ lengths.
Larry Jones trained champion filly is now a serious contender to win the Horse of the Year title for 2011, and if she goes on to grab it, Havre de Grace will become the third filly to win the title in the three consecutive years.
In 2010 Zenyatta did it and in 2009 it was Rachel Alexandra, and with the Woodward Stakes win under her belt, Havre de Grace has joined highly exclusive club with Rachel Alexandra to become the second filly to win the Woodward Stakes ever.
Havre de Grace battled hard and was valiant in defeat when she lost by a nose to Blind Luck in the Delaware Handicap, but this win over males would help erase the disappointment.
The daughter of Saint Liam, out of Easter Bunnette by Carson City is now 4 out of her 5 starts this season, but her win against the males firmly puts her ahead of Blind Luck.
Havre de Grace had her leg over Blind Luck earlier this year, when she defeated her arch rival in the Grade 3 Azeri Stakes on 10 March, 2011, at Oaklawn Park over a distance of 1 1/16 mile.
Under jockey Ramon Dominguez, Havre de Grace started off patiently and settled in fourth place in the beginning on the outside. Javier Castellano’s ride Rule, set off the pace before making a fast break from the gate.
Mission Impazible and Convocation looked hungry as they tracked Rule within touching distance, 1 ½ lengths away.
Havre de Grace made her move and tracked one runner down to get in third while clicking six furlongs 1 minute and 11.95 seconds.
Near the quarter pole, Ramon Dominguez asked for a little more from Havre de Grace and the filly responded by switching to the outside taking over a tiring Mission Impazible.
Flat Out on her tail and closing in furiously with the mean gleam in his eyes, Havre de Grace challenged the leader Rule in not time, and the powerful challenge was just in time as she gained advantage over Rule by a head.
Past the furlong marker, Havre de Grace parted herself from the raging lot, but it wasn’t over as Flat Out had one final say about it under Alex Solis, but Havre de Grace sized him up and took him on and completed her tough assignment by 1 ¼ lengths over
Flat Out.
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