So thrilled that these girls are all expected to continue racing in 2020. I’m sure there are others, just haven’t seen updates on them yet.
Uni
Monomoy Girl
Midnight Bisou
I wonder if Monomoy Girl will come back at her previous level after having had so much time off.
I’ve always heard that colts/geldings are much easier to bring back after a long layoff than mares are.
1 Like
I seem to also recall hearing that mares often seem to ‘quit’ wanting to racing as they age much more than the colts/stallions.
It will be interesting to see if they keep their form. I do like watching the ladies race 
My personal belief based on hormonal changes in my fifties agrees with you with a HELL YEAH. I just don’t want to work that hard anymore.
1 Like
I don’t disagree, but I sometimes wonder if the perception is colored by our own stigma against racing mares and fillies in this country. We have always been quick to value them more for breeding than racing.
You look at some of these amazing race mares in other countries, particularly Australia. Ouija Board, Black Caviar, Winx… Some of their best racehorses of all time are mares, who remained competitive with the males well into their older years.
Meanwhile, no one has been brave enough to even consider running a filly in the Kentucky Derby since Eight Belles, because for some people, that somehow proved fillies are too fragile to run with colts. (Yes, I know there are other monetary/logistical forces at play)
It’s not just the Kentucky Derby; we rarely try our fillies and mares against the boys. I understand not wanting to risk leaving money on the table when you can win an equivalent level of race in restricted company, but by gosh, it’s practically segregationist how we go about it.
Sorry for the tangent… sometimes my feminist beliefs spew over into racing. :lol:
2 Likes
I don’t see a stigma against racing fillies and mares in this country at all. We’ve also had our share of amazing “older” racemares. Lady Eli and Zenyatta quickly come to mind. Fwiw, I think turf racing is easier on horses and that one of the reasons that horses tend to race longer in other places is because they race mostly on turf. (Another factor, of course, is our TB sales culture.)
The difference between good fillies and good colts from a breeding perspective is that fillies have value, whereas colts do not. Looking at TB ownership as a business, a good broodmare can retire from the track and continue to earn money. A colt that is merely good, cannot.
You couldn’t pay me to run a filly in the Derby. Which doesn’t mean much, because you also couldn’t make me run a colt there either. :lol: Everybody got spooked by Eight Belles. I don’t think owners feel their fillies are too fragile to run with colts–more that it could be another huge PR problem if something went wrong.
2 Likes
I hear you Laurie and while I agree on the business aspect totally, we can agree to disagree on whether or not a stigma exists.
My big question is why is it a PR problem if something went wrong when running a female against males? It shouldn’t be a bigger PR problem than any other incident. But my opinion is because we (collective we) like our fillies to be “separate but equal,” then people become even more upset if something happens to a filly when she is running where she doesn’t “belong.” There is this unspoken belief that fillies and mares shouldn’t be running with males, with only the rare exception.
It’s a funny double standard, because we are just as quick to knock some of our great American race mares because they were never tried against males.
Even in this supposed age of enlightenment with regard to the sexes, the general population is still more protective of girls’ feelings and bodies than they are of boys’. Girls aren’t encouraged to play football, for example and there are hardly any sports–even track and field which is germane to this discussion–where women compete against men.
People anthropomorphize those attitudes onto horses and the thought becomes that a filly running against the colts is taking an unnecessary risk. That’s why it becomes an even bigger problem if something goes wrong.
Don’t forget, in many cases fillies are smaller and lighter than the colts they would run against. And racing isn’t just about speed. Sometimes it’s a bumper derby out there.
1 Like
And personally, I believe your above examples prove my exact point: our entire society still has sexist undertones, and it trickles into racing.
I’m not saying it’s “only” us or we are “more wrong” than other societies. Women’s rights are an international discussion and I’m sorry I opened that can of worms. :lol:
Apart from juvenile ages when some colts do mature faster than some fillies on average (but not always), there is little to no scientific reason why mares can’t race against stallions and geldings. Unlike humans, there is not a marked difference in physical build between the sexes of mature equines. But the majority of owners will not do it for a variety of reasons. Some purely economic, but many have a social influence.
Ruffian. Go For Wand. Eight Belles. They all broke my heart, and countless others. Now, I was also a Barbaro fan, and heartbroken then, as well. But there is something about losing a gallant filly that is simply devastating.
2 Likes
Why did Monomoy Girl not run this year at all? That would concern me more. Did she have surgery of some sort?
She colicked in the spring, then went back to work over the summer and got a pulled hamstring. As of a few days ago, she was tack walking and jogging at a training center in Florida.
2 Likes
I agree, I watched (on TV) as they fell and it is as real today as when it happened. As much as I loved watching Rachel Alexandra run I was relieved when they retired her. Her Woodward still gives me chills. I was so afraid she would crash right at the finish line. The older boys were running her down and I don’t want to know how many times Borel went to the whip.
(her Woodward race)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ysO_Fhc8Fpw
Spiced Perfection wins Go For Wand.
plans are to keep her racing in 2020
https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/237388/spiced-perfection-leads-at-every-call-in-go-for-wand
It’s not a stigma, it’s numbers. The colts are usually faster than the fillies. You can look at the speed figures on the pps. Running a filly or mare against the boys is usually simply a matter of a tougher race where she is less likely to win or hit the board. Why do that to a nice horse?
And like Laurie said, good mares usually go on to the breeding shed. So every year you continue to race a mare is one year less that she can produce a foal. And the number of foals she will produce in her lifetime is already quite limited.
Add Sistercharlie to the list of 2020 contenders.
I’m thrilled to get to see her for another year.
1 Like
I agree, thrilled to see Sistercharlie back on the track, well turf , for another year!
Carressa wins on turf first time out.
It will be interesting to see where they go with her from here, now that she’s shown to run well on both dirt & turf
https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/238033/carressa-wins-megahertz-in-turf-debut
Serengeti Empress, Street Band, etc.
A nice talent packed field.
Lady Apple gets the win
https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/238166/lady-apple-surges-late-to-take-houston-ladies-classic
Midnight Bisou targeting Saudi Cup.
https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/238089/midnight-bisou-on-track-for-saudi-cup-challenge
