The Distaff Goes to The ‘Swift’!

On paper it looked challenging for the three-year-old fillies to hang with the older fillies and mares.  But one filly gave some handicappers a swift kick in the…head.  And that kick came from Swift Kick, who rallied on the rail to blow by the leaders en route to a convincing victory in Saturday’s $2,000,000 Breeders Bowl Distaff in New York.

To be sure, the race on paper set it up for a closer.  And, as expected, Empire Reef and Termantia went out early, dueling over strong fractions for the opening half-mile, with Swift Kick, Dubai Prospector, Caddilac Moon and Donner all sitting in stalking mode within five lengths of the lead.  If it appears that the three-year-olds were in control of this race from the break, that’s because that is precisely what happened: Stormshaft sat in seventh, behind the other sophomore leaders and stalkers, and of the three-year-olds, only Technically T(IRE), who was always outrun, was not in the lead pack early on.  The older fillies and mares were left behind, sitting well off the sharp fractions set before them.  As the field reached the halfway mark, Swift Kick, who broke from the rail but was clearly unhurried by the challenge of the pace, began to move up the rail.  Having withstood the early charge while sticking close to the rail and getting clear of the other stalkers, she began to gobble up ground on leader Empire Reef, who managed to shake off the game pressure of Termantia after five furlongs. 

Swift Kick closed staunchly on Empire Reef’s inside as they began their stretch runs, and finally drew clear with about an eighth left to go.  She looked much the best, even as the surprising late charge of Stormshaft pulled her into second with about a sixteenth of a mile left.  But Stormshaft’s closing kick while racing wide could only propel her to within a length of the winner as they crossed the wire.  Empire Reef gave her best effort with the early fractions, but still managed to come home third, beaten four-and-a-half lengths.  Termantia impressed many railbirds for her capacity to hang tough even after giving way on the turn, and she wound up fourth, nine-and-a-quarter lengths behind, and a half-length in front of the mild late effort of Caddilac Moon, beaten almost ten lengths and finishing in fifth.  Donner was a mild sixth, while Dubai Prospector, a filly continuing a comeback from an injury-riddled summer, showed a little residual rust in finishing .  The first seven finishers under the wire were all three-year-old fillies, but Swift Kick was a much-the-best winner, and has almost certainly established herself as a three-year-old filly champion.

As for the older fillies, the thorough domination at the hands of the sophomore fillies was a disappointment, particularly for those who figured that a coronation of one of the older girls was in the offing in this field.  Squall Is A Storm showed little early on, and her anticipated late charge never materialized to finish eighth, beaten fourteen lengths, while Dangerous Reward made only a mild bid late for ninth.  Homecoming Dance, who went off a 5-1 post-time favorite, started off stalking but wound up sinking, a no-factor tenth.  Glass Heart broke awkwardly, and never got into a rhythm to be eleventh, and Galloping Ghost was only beginning to gain on the lead when she crossed the wire in twelfth, eighteen lengths behind the winner.  Technically T(IRE), the lone sophomore who had a poor trip, was always outrun in thirteenth, and Cupid’s Dead broke poorly and was rank throughout, finishing fourteenth and beaten by about thirty-one lengths.

Swift Kick is a three-year-old daughter of Summer Squall for the stables of sdmf2, and was sent away at odds of 8-1, earning a mutuel payoff of $19.40.  The BB Distaff win netted her $1.2 million, while almost assuring her a divisional title.  Final time for the race, run over a very fast track was a sharp 1:46 2/5, which is a new stakes record in the seventh running of the Distaff.  The speed figure for the race was also a high-water mark for three-year-old fillies this year, with Swift Kick’s performance being rewarded with a 118 figure.  Immediate plans for the remainder of 2005 were unclear for the winning connections, as well as many of the three-year-olds in the field, though it appears unimaginable that retirement was imminent for any of the sophomores.