V4 – 1984 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly – horseracing20thcentury99.com

The driving finish in the 1984 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies with Fran's Valentine (left) charging from well back to take the lead close to the wire. She was eventually disqualified and placed 10th for interferring with the favorite Bessarabian. Outstandingly (2nd from left) was placed first, Dusty Heart (right) second and Fine Spirit (2nd from right) third. (PHOTO: Breeders' Cup Ltd.)

By: Walter Lazary /// 3,701 Words /// Includes: Charts, Slides, Video.

1984 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly

Two-Year-Old Fillies - One Mile

Unlike the Juvenile Colt division in 1984, which had several stars that stood out, the Juvenile Filly division was basically wide open. There were some nice fillies in the crop, including Mom’s Command, who would make sixteen career starts, all of them in stake races, and go on to win the Eclipse Award as the best three-year-old filly in 1985.

Another with potential was Charleston Rag, a daughter of General Assembly, who had won the G1 Frizette Stakes by six lengths over Tiltalating and Mom’s Command, those two finishing noses apart, then disappointed her owner and breeder Will Farish, who owned Lane’s End Farm, when she finished fourth as the odds-on 2-5 favorite to Mom’s Command in the G1 Selima Stakes just two weeks before the Breeders’ Cup.

There were other fillies with promise, among them Contradance, Henry de Kwiatkowski’s flashy daughter of Danzig who won the rich G1 Arlington Lassie over the Spinaway Stakes winner Tiltalating; Doon’s Baby, a daughter of Matsadoon, who defeated Fiesta Lady in the Junior Miss Stakes before finishing second to that one in the G2 Del Mar Debutant; and Willowy Mood, a daughter of Will Win, who won four stakes: the Signature, Schuylkill, Holly, and the G3 Tempted, and would go on to win $542,000 in her career.

And, of course, there was also Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Klein’s Lady’s Secret, a D. Wayne Lukas-trained daughter of Secretariat. Considered third or fourth best two-year-old filly in the Lukas barn, this stablemate of Tiltalating and Fiesta Lady won two minor stakes in 1984, the second of which was the Moccasin at Hollywood Park the day before the Breeders’ Cup. Lukas knew that Lady’s Secret had extraordinary talent, but he also believed that she wasn’t ready to tackle the best fillies in the division after finishing fifth by sixteen lengths to Folk Art in the G1 Oak Leaf at Santa Anita on October 20^th. The wily trainer, with the memory of the great Landaluce still bothering him, decided to hold the grey Iron Lady back and prepare her for a future in which she became so exceptional that she was voted Horse of the Year in 1986.

As for Folk Art, projected to be the favorite if she did run in the Juvenile Fillies? The G1 Oak Leaf winner, a well-bred daughter of Chefs-de-Race stallion Nijinksy II, had the blood of four of the most influential Chefs-de-Race stallions of the twentieth century running through her veins: Princequillo, Nasrullah, Bull Lea, and the incomparable Northern Dancer. The Farish, Carter, Hudson Jr. star was being pointed to the race but had to be declared just a few days before the big day when trainer Neil Drysdale announced that she had an inflamed hock in one of her legs.

With the race wide open, eleven fillies entered the starting gate; this race, like the Juvenile Colt, a one-turn mile. The betting favorite at 8-5 was the 5-2 morning line favorite, Canadian-owned and primarily Canadian campaigned, Bessarabian. Owned by Thor Eaton’s Eaton Hall Farm and trained by veteran Mike Doyle, Bessarabian was a Pennsylvania-bred with Canadian parentage as she was sired by Windfields Farm’s Vice Regent, a son of Northern Dancer, and was out of Jean Louis Levesque’s mare, Tete de Linotte by Turn-to, who had previously sired First Landing, Hail To Reason, and Sir Gaylord. Levesque, who was extremely successful in Canadian racing, gained fame in the U.S. as the owner and breeder of the great La Prevoyante, the undefeated two-year-old filly champion, who won all twelve of her starts in 1972 and was runner-up to Secretariat in Horse of the Year balloting.

Bessarabian

What was strange about the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly (BCJF) was the fact that only two of the eleven starters were coming into the race off a win: Fine Spirit, which just broke her maiden by thirteen lengths, and Bessarabian, who beat several of the starters in the G2 Gardenia Stakes at The Meadowlands.

The Canadian filly, a $122,000 purchase at the Hialeah Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, had an inauspicious beginning to her career and sparked a lot of doubt early on when it took her a while to round into form, a period of four races in which she was winless and was not all that well thought of though she did finish second in the six-furlong Nandi Stakes at Woodbine on a sloppy track. She caught fire in her fifth start, however, the restricted Ontario Debutante Stakes at Fort Erie, and was coming into her Breeders’ Cup race on a five race winning streak, following her Ontario Debutante with victories in a seven furlong allowance race, the one mile Nandi Stakes on turf, and the mile and one-sixteenth Mazarine Stakes, those three races at Woodbine, and followed them with her resounding nine-length triumph in the Gardenia in late October, a race in which slightly favored Tiltalating, finished third.

The second-morning line favorite at 3-1 was Will Farish’s Weekend Delight, a stablemate of Charleston Rag, who was from Clever Trick’s first crop. Clever Trick, who was sired by Ruffian’s half-brother, Icecapade, also sired Phone Trick in his first crop, and that one would eventually sire the 1997 Horse of the Year, Favorite Trick.

Weekend Delight opened a lot of eyes when she broke her maiden in her first start at Keeneland’s spring meet, a four-furlong dash that she won by nine lengths. She followed that with a five-length score in the American Beauty Stakes at River Downs (currently called Belterra Park) and won a five-furlong allowance race at the Cincinnati track the following month, the accumulated winning margin in her first three races being sixteen lengths. Now considered a filly to be reckoned with, Weekend Surprise shipped to New York and attracted Jerry Bailey, who rode her in the 5 ½-furlong Astoria Stakes. Sent off as the 3-1 third favorite behind Gentle Kelly (2-1) and Lady’s Secret (5-2), she was given a reality check when she finished fifth, beaten eleven lengths by a 29-1 shot, Faster Than Fast.

In the G3 Schuylerville Stakes on August 1^st at Saratoga, Weekend Surprise was let go at 22-1, by far the longest odds in her young career – and she romped, drawing off to win by three lengths. In that one, she had her regular pilot Charlie Woods back on board, though he didn’t ride her in her next start as Jimmy McKnight guided her to an eight-length romp in the 6.5-furlong Clipsetta Stakes at Latonia (now Turfway) on September 29.

With the Breeders’ Cup now definitely in their plans, Weekend Delight’s trainer, Neil Drysdale, had to map out a schedule to get her there. She was a delicate filly, and he didn’t like her to run in races too close together, usually sending her out with at least a month’s rest between starts. He had to break that cycle, however, when he entered her in the 8.5-furlong G2 Alcibiades at Keeneland, this one only two weeks after the Clipsetta. The shorter time between races might have caught up to her as she finished second by three lengths to an improving filly named Foxy Deen, with future Breeders’ Cup competitors Dusty Heart finishing third and Fiesta Lady fifth. Despite the loss, Drysdale was encouraged. He felt that maybe his filly was a little tired at the end, and he figured that with a month’s rest, she should be back to her old self, which, on her best day, he figured would be good enough to get the job done. Charlie Woods was back on board with his only mount on the Breeders’ Cup card, and though she had been one of the favorites in the morning line, by race time, her odds had climbed, and she went off at 9-1.

Many people believed that the inaugural BCJF was clearly shaping up as a battle between Bessarabian and the powerful Eugene Klein entry of Tiltalating and Fiesta Lady, which was the third-morning line favorite at 7-2, the same odds that the entry would go off at in the race. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, the Klein fillies were the only two with a grade one win to their credit as Tiltalating had won the Spinaway at Saratoga and finished second to Fiesta Lady in the G1 Matron at Belmont Park.

Tiltalating, who was a daughter of the good sprinter, Tilt Up, and was out of the Proudest Roman mare, Linda Cubanita, was the slight 2-1 favorite in the Gardenia, but Angel Cordero Jr. was unable to keep her together, and she relinquished her one-length lead at the top of the stretch when Bessarabian powered past her. She then faded and finished third, beaten by ten and a half lengths. Her early stakes wins came in the Colleen and the G2 Sorority, both at Monmouth Park, and the G1 Spinaway at Saratoga, which she won as the even-money favorite over Sociable Duck. Before her losing effort in the Gardenia, Tiltalating had finished second three straight times: to Contradance and Pat Day in the G1 Arlington-Washington Lassie on September 8; in the G1 Matron at Belmont Park on September 29 when she was unable to hold off her stablemate Fiesta Lady while the 3-5 favorite Contradance struggled fourteen-lengths behind; and in the G1 Frizette on October 14 also at Belmont Park, to Charleston Rag with Mom’s Command a nose further back in third.

Like Tiltalating, Fiesta Lady, who would be ridden by Jorge Velasquez and not her regular rider, Laffit Pincay Jr., was coming into the Breeders’ Cup off a losing effort, having finished fifth to Foxy Deen in the G2 Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland on October 13^th. This broke off her two-race winning streak when she captured the G1 Matron and the G2 Delmar Debutante, which she won by two and three-quarter lengths over Doon’s Baby. By Secretariat, and out of the Bolinas Boy mare, Faneuil, Fiesta Lady broke her maiden in her third start by 9 ½ lengths on July 22 but didn’t win her first stake race until the one-mile Del Mar Debutante on September 2. She then traveled cross country to win the Matron at Belmont Park on September 29th then moved on to Keeneland for the Alcibiades.

If there was ever a dark horse, it would have to be Fine Spirit, the fourth-morning line favorite at 6-1. The filly, who was trained by Bruce Headley and would be ridden by Chris McCarron, had made only two starts in her career. After finishing second to Winsome Soon in a six-furlong MSW on October 7th, she then graduated in a big way by romping to a thirteen-length victory in another six-furlong MSW, this one timed in 1:09 3/5. That was on October 28th at Santa Anita, and the daughter of Secretariat out of Nervous Pillow must have impressed the bettors because she was sent off as the surprise co-second choice at 7-2 in the BCJF along with the Klein entry.

Rounding out the field of eleven were: Pirate’s Glow (Fernando Toro12-1), a maiden winner who was coming into the race off a second-place finish in the G1 Oak Leaf to Folk Art; Savanah Dancer (Eddie Delahoussaye 8-1), a maiden only winner; Dusty Heart (Darrel McHargue 30-1) another maiden only winner and currently on a seven-race losing streak; Outstandingly (Walter Guerra 12-1) a Harbor View Farm filly that broke her maiden by twelve lengths at Belmont Park but was winless in her other two races; Fran’s Valentine (Pat Valenzuela 30-1) who had won two stakes at Pomona on the fair circuit and was fourth to Folk Art in the Oak Leaf; and Got You Runnin (Garry Stevens 12-1), who won three stakes and $135,000 at Longacres in Washington State.

Despite the hot day, the huge crowd, and the excitement that flowed through the air, the eleven fillies entered the gate without incident and were actually very calm. It didn’t take long for them to be set and the crowd watched intently as the gates sprung open and Tiltalating bounded out unchallenged into an early lead. In behind, there was the usual cavalry charge as Got You Runnin rushed up in the center just in front of Fine Spirit, who was along the rail, with Weekend Delight on the outside, all tightly bound together as they jockeyed for position. In fact, they were too close together as Got You Runnin, who looked like she might go right after the leader, suddenly took a bad step when she was brushed and almost went down. Garry Stevens, who was only 21 at the time, got her going again, and she moved right up in the center while Fran’s Valentine was sixth on the outside.

As they ran down the backstretch, Tiltalating was in charge and rushed past the opening quarter in 22 3/5 seconds, then, with a length and one-half lead, took them past the half in 46 seconds flat. Going into the far turn, the field was still bunched tightly together when Pat Valenzuela, faced with going five or six wide, saw that there was room along the inside and immediately steered Fran’s Valentine over so that they were just off the rail. It was a decision he would later regret as his filly was suddenly behind a wall of horses with nowhere to go as Bessarabian, who was also gaining on the leaders, moved up on his outside along with Pirate’s Glow.

When the field reached the top of the stretch, any one of the seven or eight fillies who were converging on Tiltalating had a big shot. Eugene Klein’s pacesetter was beginning to tire and was suddenly challenged by Fine Spirit as the lightly raced filly, who was in the center, dove in towards the rail and began to eat up ground along with Weekend Delight.

Gary Stahlbaum, who bided his time with Bessarabian about eight or nine lengths off the lead going into the turn, was now making his move and had the favorite on the outside of Pirate’s Glow with six lengths to make up while under a strong drive. Then there was trouble.

It happened when Fran’s Valentine suddenly made a right-hand turn as Valenzuela tried to steer her out of trouble and into the clear. He did, but in doing so, he banged into Pirate’s Glow, who then came out and caused Bessarabian to alter course. Valenzuela, who was often careless because of his strong will to win, then had a clear path and Fran’s Valentine roared up and passed Fine Spirit and Weekend Delight. From there, the filly looked like she would be an easy winner, but suddenly she had to hang on as Outstandingly, who was seventh at the top of the stretch, was now closing rapidly to her inside. In the end, it was close, but Outstandingly couldn’t get any closer than a half-length as Fran’s Valentine flashed past the wire in front.

The loud roar from the crowd when the fillies battled through the exciting stretch drive was subsiding when Fran’s Valentine and Outstandingly moved into the clubhouse turn with their jockeys trying to pull them up. It was a shocking upset. Fran’s Valentine was the second longest shot on the board at 74-1, while second-place finisher Outstandingly was 22-1, and Dusty Heart, who finished third, was the longest shot in the race at 77-1.

As the horses were making their way back to the grandstand to be unsaddled, all seemed well, and the serious punters were already studying their racing forms for the next race, the Sprint, when suddenly there was a loud roar. The inquiry sign was posted by the stewards, who wanted to have a look at the bumping at the top of the stretch. When the fillies pulled up to be unsaddled, Fernando Toro, who was on Pirate’s Glow, also claimed foul. A short time later, both Toro and Valenzuela were on a telephone near the weigh-out station, talking to the stewards and giving their version of the mishap. Then things heated up when the veteran Toro began chastising Valenzuela for what he called a stupid and reckless move. Valenzuela countered by saying that he had to shift out. His filly was too full of run and would have clipped heels with the fillies in front of him if he hadn’t shifted her out.

For the benefit of those at home watching on television, NBC showed the replay at the top of the stretch, and everyone got a glimpse of how dangerous the contact was. The stewards agreed, and after about a 10-minute delay, they made their ruling, disqualifying Fran’s Valentine and placing her all the way down to tenth position while declaring Outstandingly the winner and the recipient of the $450,000 first-place purse. Rounding out the top three, Dusty Heart was placed second, a $117,000 gain in prize money to $225,000, and Fine Spirit was awarded third place and $108,000.

Bessarabian, the race favorite who was banged into by Pirate’s Glow, causing her to lose her momentum when she was forced out, wound up being placed fifth, which meant that she received $50,000 instead of the $10,000 she would have won before the disqualification. It was discovered after the race that she had suffered an injury from the altercation and would be sidelined for 142 days, not returning to the races until April, when she won the Hibiscus Stakes at Hialeah.

With their exciting, though reckless, Breeders’ Cup race now over, the two-year-old filly division still did not have a clear-cut leader. Many thought that Folk Art would probably be voted the Eclipse Award as the top filly in the division, and as it stood, there wouldn’t have been an argument. There was more racing to come, however, with the biggest race the grade one $752,550 Hollywood Starlet at Hollywood Park on December 2. The race, at a mile and one-sixteenth, was slightly longer than the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly, and the field of sixteen included seven from Breeders’ Cup: Fiesta Lady, Fine Spirit, Pirate’s Glow, Fran’s Valentine, Savannah Dancer, Dusty Heart, and Outstandingly. Also lining up were Mom’s Command and Sugar Sharp, a filly that had won her last three races, including the one mile Kilijaro Stakes on the turf at Hollywood Park. Reversing their order of finish in the Juvenile Fillies, Outstandingly came from the twelfth place at the half-mile pole and won the Starlet convincingly by almost three lengths over Fran’s Valentine.

These two fillies clashed once again two weeks later when they took on the colts in the G1 Hollywood Futurity and its $1.2 million purse. Stephan’s Odyssey, which would finish second in both the 1985 Kentucky Derby and Belmont stakes, won the Futurity by a length over First Norman, with Tank’s Prospect finishing fourth, while Fran’s Valentine finished seventh a head in front of Outstandingly in the thirteen horse field.

In year-end Eclipse Award voting, Outstandingly, which hadn’t won a stake until her victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly, was voted the outstanding two-year-old filly, with Folk Art finishing second, Fran’s Valentine third, Tiltalating fourth, and Bessarabian fifth.

Aftermath

Though Mom’s Command never ran in the Breeders’ Cup, she would gain the Eclipse Award as the best three-year-old filly in 1985 after having a wonderful season that saw her win seven or her nine starts with two seconds and become the sixth filly in history to win New York’s historic Triple Tiara (one-mile Acorn, mile and one-eighth Mothe Goose, and the mile and one-half Coaching Club of America Oaks). In her final career start, she won her fourth grade one that year when she powered home in the Alabama Stakes by four lengths over Fran’s Valentine. Given a refresher, she injured an ankle while preparing for the Beldame Stakes that fall, and it was serious enough for her owner, Peter Fuller, to retire her. Fuller later sold her for $4M with a stipulation that he would get her third foal and every second foal after that. What was particularly enjoyable for Fuller was seeing his daughter, Abigail Fuller, ride Mom’s Command in all but two of her races. Mom’s Command was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2007.

Mom's Command

Lady’s Secret, relegated to third status in the Klein barn as a two-year-old, would show remarkable improvement in her career at three when she won ten of her seventeen starts, including three grade ones, and finished second five times, one of which was to her stablemate Life’s Magic in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. In year-end voting, she finished second to Mom’s Command in Eclipse Award balloting. In 1986, she had a tremendous season, winning ten of her fifteen starts, including eight grade ones, among them the Distaff. That year, she was voted the top handicap mare and Horse of the Year. Lady’s Secret was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1992.

Lady's Secret

Frans Valentine, though let go at impossibly long odds in the Juvenile Fillies, finished her career having won a total of eleven stakes, and in 1985 won three important grade ones: the Santa Suzanna over Rascal Lass (won the 1985 G1 Fantasy); the G1 Kentucky Oaks over Foxy Deen (won the 1984 G2 Alcibiades over Weekend Surprise and Dusty Heart); the Hollywood Oaks over Magnificent Lindy, which won the 1986 G1 Vanity Handicap (Outstandingly was third). Fran’s Valentine also finished second to Lady’s Secret in the 1986 Distaff and was eventually bred to Relaunch in 1995, producing turf star With Anticipation, which won eight stakes, including five grade ones, finished second to High Chaparral in the 2002 Breeders’ Cup Turf, and had career earnings of $2,660,543. In her career, Fran’s Valentine made 34 starts with a 13-4-5 record and earned $1,375,465.

Fran’s Valentine

Folk Art returned to the races in March 1985. After such a promising beginning to her career that saw her win three of her four starts including the G1 Oak Leaf, she won only an allowance race in her final ten starts and finished seventh in the Kentucky Oaks to Fran’s Valentine. (Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a photo of her to include in this report).