Stardom Bound to Face the Boys?

At the post-race interview on HRTV Saturday with Michael Iavarone, co-president of IEAH Stables, it was revealed that prized filly Stardom Bound, whom they paid $5.7 million for at auction in November of last year, would next challenge the colts in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 4th. The Santa Anita Derby is the premier west coast prep race for 3 year olds who have their sights set on racing in the Kentucky Derby (g. I).

"That's what the racing fans want," Iavarone said. "I see no reason why she can't do it."

And Iavarone has a point. Stardom Bound has been impressive winning 4 straight Grade 1 events for fillies including the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies this past October at Santa Anita.




She has dominated her rivals, racing exclusively on the west coast, and on synthetic tracks.

Iavarone hopes she'll emulate D. Wayne Lukas trained filly Winning Colors, who was the most recent, and only the third filly to win the Santa Anita Derby in 1988. She went on to win the Kentucky Derby, becoming only the 3rd filly in history to achieve that feat as well. She was named Champion 3-year old filly of that year, and inducted into Racing's Hall of Fame.

But success in this race is an exception and not a rule. The most recent high profile filly to test the boys out west was Sweet Catomine (Storm Cat/Sweet Life - Kris S.) in 2005. She came in with similar credentials, and was made the favorite in the race, but could only manage a 5th place finish. She would never race again. There was controversy surrounding Sweet Catomine's SA Derby run as it was revealed she had bled in a workout prior to the race and may not have been at her best, but this information was not released leading up to the race. In any event, the point is that for a filly to take on colts this early in their careers is very difficult, and not a decision to be taken lightly as the effects can be life changing.

History is history but what really matters is the current situation. Unlike Sweet Catomine, Stardom Bound may skip the Santa Anita Oaks (g. I) in March and train up to the race. Trainer Bobby Frankel is not one to send his fillies out against males unless he thinks they have a good shot at victory, as evidenced recently by his handling of Ventura who finished 2nd in the Woodbine Mile (g. I) . On Monday, however, Frankel was slowing down the IEAH boys and not letting them look too far ahead.

The field will likely consist of Pioneerof the Nile, the Bob Baffert trained colt by Empire Maker who won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) Saturday. Also likely to contend is the Julio Canani trained colt The Pamplemousse who scored a victory in the Grade III San Rafael in January. While both are talented, neither are that far ahead of Stardom Bound who ran a 94 Beyer Speed Figure in the Juvenile Fillies.

I think this decision is best left to trainer Bobby Frankel. If the Hall-of-Famer thinks his filly can run with the colts in the Santa Anita Derby, who is to say otherwise. I think it would be better to take the next step up the ladder facing a few good colts in the SA Derby then jumping in the deep end by going straight to the Kentucky Derby off another filly-only "prep" race. But I also think it is no shame in trying to win both the Santa Anita Oaks in March and then trying for the Kentucky Oaks (g. I) in May. Both are very prestigious races and would prove without a doubt that Stardom Bound was the best filly in the land.

Winning on synthetic, and dirt, as well as facing fillies from the west and east, would cement her already significant legacy.