Horse Racing: Filly, Stardom Bound for Kentucky Derby?

photo by: susie wright

Stardom Bound looks through the gate as she loads in for her impressive win in the Beesemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies held Oct. 2 at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, CA.   Gate handler: unknown.

Stardom Bound passed her first test of 2009 winning the $300,000 Las Vergenes Stakes G-I yesterday at Santa Anita Park in her first start for new owner, IEAH Stables and trainer Bobby Frankel. The win gives her four consecutive G-I wins.

Post race interviews confirmed speculation. The IEAH connections have set a course for Stardom Bound towards the Kentucky Derby, first leg of the Triple Crown, to be run May 2.

The Las Vergenes G-I was the first time out off a lenghthy lay-off for the daughter of Tapit. Her previous outing having been a dominating, come from behind, effort in the Bessemer Trust Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies G-I, back on October 24, for Golden Goose Ent. LLC. and trainer Christophe Clements.

Michael Iavarone and IEAH Stables purchased the Eclipse Award winning champion 2-year-old filly, Stardom Bound for $5.7 million at the Fastig-Tipton fall mixed sale in November a week after her captivating Breeders' Cup win.

Stardom Bounds' wins have all been similar in the style department. Much like Curlin and Ventura, Stardom Bound virtually walks out of the gate, settles out near the back of the pack and waits to make a long sweeping move on the outside around the finial turn, passing horses down the stretch and beating them to the wire.

While her running style might not seem conducive to a 20 horse Kentucky Derby field, she did get a bit more education running in traffic in the Las Vergenes. 

Rafael Bejarano aboard Haka mirrored Mike Smith and Stardom Bound on the outside beginning about the 3/8 marker. Haka was holding Stardom Bound down on the inside as they ran up onto the leading flight.

Bejarano, made a deliberate late move on Haka, swinging to the outside of Century Park forcing Smith to keep Stardom Bound to the inside and split horses.
Once in the gap, a light tap from Smith set Stardom Bound down for the drive and with her ground eating strides she quickly devoured the leaders.

Saucy Evening tried to run with Stardom Bound from the 1/8 pole, putting in a valiant effort down the stretch to finish third and Haka came on with a strong late kick to finish second.

The brilliant gray filly, had once again, delivered her trademark knock out punch, and with not much more than a hand ride from Mike Smith.

Stardom Bounds next start has been penciled in: 
The Grade-1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 4 at Santa Anita Park...against the colts.

It will be her finial prep before a run in the Kentucky Derby and there will be many sharks in the water. In particular, Pioneerofthe Nile.

He too, claims Santa Anita's track, as his own.