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7.
Grade 1
Winner For Belong To Me
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02/09/2002 |
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Eighty-year
old trainer Warren Stute won the inaugural running of the Del Mar Debutante in
1951 with Tonga. Fifty-one years later the Stute-trained two-year old filly Miss
Houdini won the Grade 1 feature for juvenile fillies at Del Mar, keeping the
daughter of Widden Stud’s Belong To Me undefeated in two starts.
Miss Houdini (Belong to Me-Magical Maiden by Lord Avie) defeated the favourite
Santa Catarina (Unbridled-Purrfectly by Storm Cat) by a neck with Indy Groove (A.P.
Indy--Niner's Home, by Forty Niner) 9 1/2 lengths back in third. While the
winner was a homebred the second and third fillies were both high priced
purchases at the 2001 Keeneland September Yearling sale. Santa Catarina cost
$950,000 while Indy Groove was purchased for an even $1 million.
It was a lucky last minute ride for Gary Stevens who was returning to riding
after a further knee operation. Stevens picked up the mount on Miss Houdini at
the expense of Eddie Delahoussaye who was injured in a spill Friday.
“I used to ride this filly’s Mama (Magical Maiden) and she was a heckuva
filly,” said Stevens. “Warren (trainer Warren Stute) and I go back a long
way. I was delighted to hear he didn’t hesitate to put me on this filly.
She’s still a little green. I couldn’t get her to switch leads when we made
it to the front turning for home. I felt if she had, we could have opened up
five or six (lengths) on them. But I was fighting her to get her to change. When
she finally did, she went on with it. I saw Mike’s filly (favoured Santa
Catarina) inside me and I knew she was coming. I heard Trevor (track announcer
Trevor Denman) say something about ‘Miss Houdini desperately trying to hang
on.’ But I said ‘Wait a minute. Mike’s filly is coming, but he isn’t
getting there that fast.’ I knew I could still win it. This feels awful good.
It’s a great way to come back.”
Magical Maiden (Lord Avie) the dam of Miss Houdini was a grand performer on the
track, earning $901,945 from 8 wins from 26 starts including victories in the
Hollywood Starlet Stakes (G1) and Las Virgenes Stakes (G1) and third in the 1992
Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).
Miss Houdini comes from the first Kentucky conceived crop by Belong To Me who
had a meteoric start to his stud career in America where he stood his first four
seasons at Questroyal Stud in New York at a fee of $5,000. His first crop to
race included the triple Grade One winning filly Jersey Girl and five other
subsequent stakes winners. Belong To Me has sired Grade One winners in each of
his first three seasons at stud including Spinaway Stakes (G1) winner Circle Of
Life and Hopeful Stakes (G1) winner Lucky Roberto.
The instant success of Belong To Me saw a partnership headed by Lanes End
Farm’s William Farish and Stephen C. Hilbert acquire a controlling interest in
Belong to Me in 1997. Belong to Me's fee increased from $5,000 to $20,000 in
1998, $30,000 in 2000 and $40,000 in 2001.
A powerfully built, heavily muscled stallion Belong To Me entered Widden Stud in
1998, was rested from southern hemisphere duties in 1999 before resuming service
at Widden in 2000. A son of breed-shaping sire Danzig, Belong To Me is out of
Belonging (Exclusive Native) a stakes winning daughter of champion racemare
Straight Deal (Hail To Reason) who’s 21 wins and US$733,000 in earnings earned
her Champion Older Mare honours in the U.S. Straight Deal’s third dam the
incomparable La Troienne, arguably one of the most influential mares in
thoroughbred breeding history.
The first Australian born crop by Belong To Me are now three-year olds. They
include the blisteringly fast Before Too Long a game third behind the
outstanding Bel Esprit (Royal Academy) and top class Yell (Anabaa) in the H.D.F
Mc Neil Stakes (G3) at Caulfield on Saturday.
By: Mark Smith - Sunday, 1 September 2002
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