Eclipse Hopefuls- 3 Year Old Filly & Mares
This is the second of a series of articles which focuses on the hopefuls of winning an Eclipse award by the end the year. This article focuses on horses that are the age of three and the top three are featured within each division. Points are the equivalent to purse money earned in stake races when finishing in top three positions.
3-Yr Old Open Turf Sprint
THE CRAYON ARTIST has a sizeable lead in this division with 625,000 points, nearly double the second ranked filly. She has a win and a second in listed stakes and tops that off with a pair of grade wins in the G3 Darling Fred Stakes and G1 QLD Snowy Spirit.
Ranked second with 325,000 is TO BE FREE. Listed stake races has been where she has excelled and has been in quite a few of those this year, seven to be precise. She has won five of them (including four in a row) and finished second in one other.
AMY NEW DEW with 280,000 points has the third spot. She has 8 listed stake races this year and started with a run of four straight wins in 2015. She adds a second and a third to the stake efforts.
3-Yr Old Open Turf Route
A narrow lead for the current leader AVERY ARIZONA who has 1,447,500 points. She has been first or second in each of her 2015 starts which are capped with a listed stakes win, a pair of seconds in the G3 Longest Walk and G1 Irish Oaks and solid wins in the 1000 Guineas (G1) and Wooly Mammoth 2000 (G1)
Stalking closely in the second position with 1,425,000 is JESSA. All of her 5 starts this year have been in G1 races and she’s taken top honors in the Japanese 1000 Guineas, French 1000 Guineas and the Start Up. She was third in the Cremation Stakes.
Further back with 739,500 points is MITHRANGER. She started the racing year with a win and second in listed stakes but has found some fire lately with a win in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and a second follow-up win in the Pioneer Boulevard Cup.
3-Yr Old Open Long Route
Running away with this category with an eye popping 2,572,500 points is EXBOURNE’S CAMBOW. She won the first race of the year, a listed stakes and after that, she has appeared in 7 grade level events. She won four consecutive races starting with the G2 New Zealand Oaks followed by a trio of G1 wins in the Sydney Oaks, Japanese Oaks and the Oaks de English. She finished second in the Minerve (G3) and was third in the Tristan Fillies (G3).
THE BIGGEST IMPACT is a distanced second with 660,000 points. She won a listed stakes which graduated her to the grade level. At this level she’s claimed a third in the Oaks de English and comes off a win in the Irish Oaks.
Currenly in third place with 573,750 is DOWNPOUR CAUSEWAY. She has been busy with eight starts in a mix of listed and grade level races. She has two wins and a second in listed stake races. She has a win in the G1 Dana Grand Prix, a second in theG2 New Zealand Oaks and a third in the G1 Vermont is 4 Lovers.
3-Yr Old Open Dirt Sprint
MOONLIGHTANDMUSIC has the top seat with 814,500 points. An early season listed stakes win brought this top seed to graded company where she has been successful with wins in the G2 Stonerstop and G1 Exam Stakes. A second in the G3 Azalea Special and a third in the G2 Bob Barker are added bonuses.
600,000 is good enough to put MAR DE LEVA in the second seat. Lightly race this year, she has been perfect with four wins in four starts, winning an allowance and listed stakes to kick off 2015 which were followed with wins in the Miss Stallion (G3) and the Priceless (G1).
Further back in third is TRIPPI METEOR with 348,750, just a hair in front of a pair chasing her in the standings. In addition to a listed stakes win, she was second in the G2 Girl Up Front and picked up a pair of back-to-back G3 wins in the Owner’s Tree and Dynamita Sprint.
3-Yr Old Open Dirt Route
R U LYING has the advantage in this class with 1,185,000 points. Here success has been early in the year with a third in the G1 Los Vinegrette Stakes which was followed with a second in the lool Oaks. Her ace card was a win in the G1 Bluegrass Oaks.
Closing in at the second spot with 1,025,000 is MR. P’S MEDS. Interesting name for a filly. She started the year with three straight wins, 2 in listed stakes and the G3 Lady Bourbon. A third came in the G1 Miss Consolation which brings us to her current three race win streak starting with the G1 Chestnut, G2 First State Oaks and G3 Jersey Oaks.
907,500 points places OIL FOREVER in the third position. She collected a pair of early season G1 wins in the Los Vinegrette Stakes and the California Oaks.
3-Yr Old Open Dirt Long Route
Not a lot of big races for the girls in long distances as is evidenced by the low point totals. DEEP DOWN GOOD leads with 157,500. Her season includes a pair of wins in listed company along with a second in the same level. She was second in her only grade level race, the ERC Belmont Derby (G3)
115,000 points is strong enough to be in second in this division. TETE AUVERGNE seems to have caught fire lately as she’s advanced to the top levels of racing with a second in a listed race and a win in the G3 Oaks de Swedish.
TIGER IN JAPAN rounds out the top three with 97,500. She was second in the G3 Oaks De Swedish and also has a listed stakes win.