Turbulent Descent retired and will be bred to War Front
Grade 1 winner at 2, 3 and again this year at 4, the 4-year-old filly Turbulent Descent is retired. It was confirmed by trainer Todd Pletcher on 17 December, 2012, and she said that the filly will be bred to War Front this spring.
The daughter of Congrats became a grade 1 winner at the age of two, and at that time she was trained by Michael Puype. Breaking her maiden at first asking, Turbulent Descent won an overnight stakes race at Betfair Hollywood Park, and stayed at the venue for the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet Stakes race.
Her first attempt over two-turns was successful, and she had enough practice over Hollywood Park’s cushion track that aided her to cap off her juvenile season with a perfect 3 of 3.
Turbulent Descent was a menace as a three-year-old, and showed she can thrive in grade 1 company when in her 3-year-old debut she finished a close second to winner Zazu in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes.
It was a huge effort, considering her first start on dirt and a new venue, Santa Anita Park. She stayed at Santa Anita for her next start, and this time she didn’t play second fiddle to anyone, as she went on to win the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks by defeating Zazu this time in second.
Bred in Florida by Ocala Stud Farms, Turbulent Descent was hard to stop, as she ventured at Keeneland, and successfully landed the Grade 2 Beaumont Stakes over seven furlongs at the venue’s synthetic surface.
In her first start in New York, she finishes second in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park, but Saratoga was lucky, as she won the Grade 1 Test Stakes there.
Her amazing form dipped at the end of 2011, when she finishes fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint to Musical Romance, and capped off the season with the sixth place finish in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes.
Under Todd Pletcher’s wing, she won the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga, but unfortunately in her last career start finishes seventh to Groupie Doll in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
After kicking it around, we felt she was a filly who has accomplished so much, we didn’t feel winning a race like the Sunshine Millions would add any more to her value as a broodmare,” Pletcher said. “And we wanted her to retire while she was still healthy and doing well.”
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