Never Retreat, a strong contender for the Canadian Horse of the Year despite Breeders’ Cup absence
The one Canadian female runner, who has solidified her championship credentials for the year 2011, is the Chris Block trained Never Retreat after her ultra consistent season she is definitely the one who can take down all the candidates this year.
Not taking part in the Breeders’ Cup this season, Never Retreat has done enough this year to take the championship honours without a Breeders’ Cup win this season.
She has made all the necessary starts that she had to make to be eligible for the award, and to be clear on that a runner has to make three starts in Canada. Never Retreat in Canada this season has gone on to win 2 races out of her three starts there and
a lone second place finish.
The front runner for the Horse of the Year in Canada, Never Retreat started off the season with three consecutive starts at the Gulfstream Park race course, where she finished third in her first starts there in the Grade 3 Marshua’s River Stakes at about
1 1/16 miles.
Stretching out in distance in her next start there in the Grade 3 Suwannee River Stakes where she improved a place further by finishing second at about 1 1/8 miles and finally posting her first win of the season in her third start at Gulfstream Park in the
Grade 3 Honey Fox Stakes over at a mile.
She took that winning momentum to Keeneland for her fourth start of the season in the Grade 2 Jenny Wiley Stakes at about 1 1/16 miles and won the race pretty convincingly.
Little stumble at Churchill Downs from Keeneland, where she dropped down to 6th in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile.
She returned to Canada and at Woodbine she resumed her good form, finishing second in the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes and winning the next Woodbine feature, the all important Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes at about 1 1/8 miles over seemed to be her favoured distance.
She topped off her Canadian season with a win at Woodbine in the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes and then returned to Keeneland to keep the dice rolling in the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes at a mile.
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