Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) returned to the scene of her greatest triumph for Saturday's GII Fleur de Lis S. and came home a winner for the first time since taking this venue's GIII Locust Grove S. in September. It was her sixth win from seven starts at Churchill Downs with one second.
The slight second choice behind Pauline's Pearl (Tapit), who defeated her in the GI La Troienne S. May 6, Shedaresthedevil glided up to stalk from second as Super Quick (Super Saver) carved out early splits of :24.13 and :47.83. Turning up the heat at the top of the stretch, the bay pounced on the pacesetter at the eighth-pole and bounded clear to score. Super Quick held second over Pauline's Pearl.
“We're really proud of the race she ran today,” trainer Brad Cox said. “We've targeted this race for a long time. She loves it here at Churchill Downs and Florent [Geroux] gave her a perfect ride. It was a tough field but I had confidence in her when I saw her position going around the turn that she'd have enough left to chase down [Super Quick].”
“We sat in a perfect position the entire way around the track,” Geroux said. “Inside the eighth pole she started to find her best stride and drew away late. She's back.”
A $100,000 KEENOV weanling, Shedaresthedevil was purchased by Flurry Racing for $280,000 at the end of her juvenile season at the 2019 KEENOV sale. Qatar Racing stayed in as a partner and they were joined by Big Aut Farm. She captured a pair of Grade IIIs in 2020 before upending eventual champion Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) at 15-1 in the GI Kentucky Oaks. Winner of the GII Azeri S. and GI La Troienne to start 2021, the bay was third to champion Letruska (Super Saver) in the GI Ogden Phipps S. at Belmont that summer and returned to winning ways when making the trip to Del Mar for the GI Clement Hirsch S. She followed suit with her Locust Grove win, but could only manage sixth back in SoCal for the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff in November.
Sent through the Fasig November sale yet again, Shedaresthedevil was the second highest-priced offering, bringing $5-million from Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill with Flurry and Qatar staying in as partners. Third to Saturday's GII Princess Rooney S. winner and champion sprinter Ce Ce (Elusive Quality) in this year's Azeri Mar. 12, Shedaresthedevil was run down late by Pauline's Pearl when last seen in the La Troienne.
Pedigree Notes:
Shedaresthedevil is a half to GSP Mojovation (Quality Road). Her dam Starship Warpspeed is also responsible for the unraced 3-year-old filly Blackheartedgypsy (Speightster), an unraced juvenile filly named Jupiter Mooon (Exaggerator), a yearling colt by Uncle Mo and a 2022 filly by that Coolmore stallion. This is also the family of GSW & MGISP Crafty C. T.
Saturday, Churchill Downs
FLEUR DE LIS S.-GII, $345,000, Churchill Downs, 7-2, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:49.17, ft.
1–SHEDARESTHEDEVIL, 121, m, 5, by Daredevil
1st Dam: Starship Warpspeed, by Congrats
2nd Dam: Andria's Forest, by Forestry
3rd Dam: Andriana B., by Far North
($100,000 Wlg '17 KEENOV; $20,000 RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP;
$280,000 2yo '19 KEENOV; $5,000,000 4yo '21 FTKNOV).
O-Flurry Racing Stables LLC, Qatar Racing Limited & Whisper
Hill Farm, LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox;
J-Florent Geroux. $216,000. Lifetime Record: MGISW,
20-10-3-5, $2,729,458. *1/2 to Mojovation (Quality Road),
GSP, $335,378. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A++.
2–Super Quick, 121, f, 4, Super Saver–Quick Town, by Cape
Town. O/B-Marylou Whitney Stables LLC (KY); T-Norm W.
Casse. $70,000.
3–Pauline's Pearl, 124, f, 4, Tapit–Hot Dixie Chick, by Dixie
Union. O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred
Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $35,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 3HF, 1 3/4. Odds: 1.40, 2.40, 1.40.
Also Ran: She's All Wolfe, Ava's Grace.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG
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