CTBA AWARDS 2016
3-Year-Old Female
ENOLA GRAY BY EMILY SHIELDS
“She was a surprise,” said owner Nick Alexander, who also bred Enola Gray out of his winning More Tan Ready mare Unsung Heroine. “Historically, her mare had not produced anything of that caliber. But I think that’s a refection on Grazen, who is producing stakes winners with mares of fairly humble backgrounds. “I had quit asking Phil about her because of all the setbacks she had. On the day of the race, he had two horses in. He said, ‘I can’t tell you a lot, but I can tell you she’s the better of the two.’ ” Enola Gray became better than most. After the inspiring debut, D’Amato placed the flly straight into stakes company, where she went wire to wire to win the $192,000 Melair Stakes by 21⁄4 lengths. She then extended her unbeaten streak in the $147,000 Fleet Treat Stakes at Del Mar, a race that Alexander thinks stamped her brilliance. “Tat’s when she showed she’s the real deal,” he said. “She ran that in 1:21.24,
3-YEAR-OLD FEMALE 1 ENOLA GRAY 2 PACIFIC HEAT 3 CHEEKABOO 34
CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED
© BENOIT PHOTO
O
n a dreary day at Santa Anita in April 2016, trainer Phil D’Amato unveiled a California-bred daughter of Grazen in stunning fashion. Te fashy gray flly, cleverly named Enola Gray, exploded in her debut, winning by 161⁄4 lengths. From that point on, Enola Gray began her march to be crowned California’s champion 3-year-old flly for 2016.
Enola Gray won three stakes and a Cal-bred 3-year-old female championship
ENOLA GRAY
Gray flly (April 4, 2013)
Grazen – Unsung Heroine, by More Than Ready Breeder: Nick Alexander Owner: Nick Alexander AGE
2016
3
❙
STARTS
7
❙
1ST (SW)
4 (3)
the fastest Fleet Treat ever. She was toying with them for a half-mile; then suddenly she opened up six lengths and cruised home.” Enola Gray won by 73⁄4 lengths under Tyler Baze. Small, niggling problems kept her from trying graded stakes for much of the year. “She would have little issues and delay us,” Alexander said. “It wouldn’t work out, so we’d put her back in Cal-bred races. And then she had those two puzzling races, and we still don’t know why she lost.” In the six-furlong, $75,000 Beverly J. Lewis Stakes at Los Alamitos, Enola Gray fnished second despite being heavily favored, ending her win streak. While she did win the $100,000 California Distaf Handicap in her turf debut, she fnished second again in the $100,000 Betty Grable Stakes. “When she runs her race, she’s huge,” said Alexander. Enola Gray concluded her season with
❙ March 2017 ❙ www.ctba.com
❙
2ND
2
❙
3RD
1
❙
EARNINGS
$359,100
a third in the $301,035 La Brea Stakes (G1). She handled the jump from Calbred company to grade 1 competition well, missing by only 31⁄2 lengths. “Mike Smith was on her that day, and we wanted to go to the lead but he hesitated, which means she wound up fve wide,” Alexander explained. “She ran very credibly that day, fnishing behind an $800,000 2-year-old purchase (Constellation). We’re convinced her future is on the grass. She can carry her speed two turns by going to the lead and never looking back.” Enola Gray made seven starts in 2016, with four wins, two seconds, and a third, earning $359,100. After taking the $151,035 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint Stakes in her 2017 bow, she increased her earnings to $449,100. Her exceptional ability is not lost on Alexander. “Every year you look at your crop and hope that there’s one in there,” he said. “It’s fun when one does jump up. It never gets old.”