Is she bound to run?
Filly 'Stardom' has Derby aspirations
Gender equity never has been a big deal in Triple Crown races. No filly has won the Preakness since Nellie Morse in 1924. In 2007, Rags to Riches became the first filly to win the Belmont in 102 years. And no filly has won the Kentucky Derby since Winning Colors in 1988.
So in many ways, Stardom Bound seems an appropriate name for the 3-year-old filly who will take another stroll around the track today in the Santa Anita Oaks, part of a bigger picture for the Bobby Frankel-trained horse.
Do well today and the Santa Anita Derby against the boys April 4 could be next, then possibly the Derby, and not the Kentucky Oaks, the first weekend in May.
Stardom Bound appears to be the real deal.
She began her career at Del Mar last summer with a pair of second-place finishes and moved up to win the Del Mar Debutante, then the Oak Leaf Stakes and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
That notoriety brought about her sale to IEAH Stables last November for a cool $5.7 million. With a new trainer in Frankel, Stardom Bound made her 3-year-old debut last month with an impressive win in the Grade I Las Virgenes Stakes.
So with the Derby prep season starting to heat up, the question is, can she compete with the boys?
Jockey Mike Smith rode Stardom Bound through the fall and winter and watched her mature.
"She seemed to have grown up," said Smith in a conference call this week. "I mean, once in a while, a great filly comes along that can compete with the boys, and I really believe she is one of them.
"If she was fortunate enough to compete and compete well, I think it would be great for the sport. Here you've got a beautiful, talented filly that comes from way out of it and just comes running by. It's a pretty thing to watch."
Smith believes Stardom Bound's tendency to come from off the pace is well suited to the rigors of the Triple Crown races, which include crowded fields and a lot of anxiety.
"There's two styles that I think are really great for a filly to take on the boys," said Smith. "Either a filly that's really quick, that gets ahead of them and doesn't get pressed and she can hang on. Or a filly that comes from out of it like she does and she let's everybody else do all the dirty work and here she comes running. I think that her style certainly fits."
For 3-year-olds - fillies and colts alike - there are no guarantees. Contenders go on and off Derby watch lists on a regular basis. But only a few create a sense of drama when they run, as Stardom Bound does.
"This is the kind of horse who has me excited," veteran trainer Bob Baffert told the Los Angeles Times recently.
Right now, the Derby is off in the distance. The Santa Anita Oaks, however, will be a major challenge for the ladies, and Stardom Bound appears to be the best.
If she takes care of business as expected, the challenge to the boys in the Santa Anita Derby no doubt will be issued. And if that turns out well . . .
It should be noted that Winning Colors used a win in the Santa Anita Derby as a springboard to her Derby win.
