American Pharoah First Pass
In what was the most impressive race of her career, the Spendthrift Farm-owned daughter of Henny Hughes left a strong field of males far behind in the Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar, stopping the clock in a scintillating 1:59.77 for the 1 ¼ miles while under a hand ride. Trained by Richard Mandella and ridden by Gary Stevens, Beholder is expected to race again as a six-year-old in 2016 because 82-year-old Spendthrift owner B. Wayne Hughes says he and his entire team just have so much fun with the mare. In the female turf division,Tepin surged to the top, prevailing in a sterling edition of the Mile while conquering such rivals as 2014 Mile winner Karakontie, French Classic winner Make Believe, other Grade 1-winning males Mondialiste, Obviously, Grand Arch and Mshawish, and French Group 1-winning filly Esoterique. Even though she might not have earned as many headlines as some other high-profile runners,Tepin banked more money than all American starters but American Pharoah, earning $2,092,500 in a breakout season that also featured victories in the Grade 1 Just a Game and First Lady Stakes over female rivals. Among
those she finished ahead of during the season was eventual Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Stephanie’s Kitten. A daughter of Bernstein and the Stravinsky mare Life Happened, who also produced millionaire and multiple Grade 2 winner Vyjack, Tepin races for Robert Masterson, is trained by Mark Casse and was ridden superbly by Julien Leparoux. Other than American Pharoah, the males in general were not as dominant in their divisions as those champion-caliber females, with Honor Code, Liam’s Map and Tonalistbidding for the Eclipse Award in the older male category. In the turf male division, The Pizza Man and Big Blue Kitten could battle for votes. But it likely will be another story in the sprinting division. Runhappy, a three-year-old by Super Saver who closed out his season with three graded stakes wins, is not likely to be denied the Eclipse Award after setting a track record of 1:08.58 under jockey Edgar Prado in the six-furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Despite the drama involving owner James McIngvale and trainer Maria Borell, who was fired after the Sprint for not wanting to
INTERNATIONAL RACEHORSE
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