By Stefanie Grimm
Whomever gave Soul of an Angel (Atreides) a Red Bull before Saturday's GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, go cash your ticket.
The 5-year-old mare sprouted wings down the Del Mar stretch to open Breeders' Cup action with a 19-1 upset win for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. and the ownership group of C2 Racing Stable, Agave Racing Stable and Ken Reimer.
The most experienced runner in the field by far (her 40 starts are more than double anyone else), Soul of an Angel has been quietly knocking on the door all season since joining the Saffie Joseph, Jr. barn in early May. In five starts, all in graded stakes company, she's had only one off the board finish when fifth behind Randomized (Nyquist) in the GI Ogden Phipps Stakes at Saratoga. Supporters of scratched Distaff runner Idiomatic (Curlin) will remember Soul of an Angel giving their champion everything she could handle in the GIII Molly Pitcher Stakes in July while coming just a neck short. She was third in the GI Personal Ensign Stakes to Raging Sea (Curlin) and Idiomatic before cutting back to seven furlongs in a victorious effort in the GIII Princess Rooney Stakes at Gulfstream Park Sept. 21.
With Drayden Van Dyke aboard (he also got the leg up for the first time at Gulfstream), Soul of an Angel spotted the field what seemed a surely insurmountable distance at the break. So far back in fact that by the time the field had connected up to the main track, she was barely in the camera shot as a three-pronged battle raged up front led by Society (Gun Runner) with Juddmonte runners Pleasant (Munnings) and Scylla (Tapit) on either side of her. Van Dyke never looked in a rush as the opening fractions went up in :21.94 and :44.22 and, with three furlongs to run and still several lengths to make up even to get in touch with the field, switched his filly to the outside and really began to let her roll. Finally in the conversation as the leaders swung off the far turn, Soul of an Angel just kept finding as a four-wide calvary charge unfolded to her inside. A wide open affair at the sixteenth marker, the longshot had the best final jumps and just prevailed ahead of Society and Pleasant in a driving photo finish to give trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. his first Breeders' Cup winner and Van Dyke his second (he also won aboard Stormy Liberal in the 2018 Turf Sprint).
“The start of the race was good,” said Van Dyke. “She's just not as fast as those other horses. Kind of a replay of the Princess Rooney. I just had to stay after her and believe in her. Kept her covered up. When it was time to get moving, tip her out, get going. The pace felt quick. But I just trusted in her so much. She was giving it to me when I was asking her. I [was] just keeping in [as] close contact as I could. She did the rest. I just had to keep
her straight and get her to the wire.”
“The first quarter, I knew that's how she runs, but I thought she might be a little closer this time,” admitted Joseph, Jr. “Then I was a little concerned. Once they put up the first split I saw, she was into the bridle. It's a surreal moment. I hope everybody can get to enjoy, every trainer in the world, because it is special. I'm thankful for it.”
On winning his first Breeders' Cup race, Joseph, Jr. added: “It's a special moment to get our first Breeders' Cup win, and for connections that have been so loyal to me, C2 Racing, Agave Racing. Just special. And for Drayden himself. Overall, the horse is the hero, and we're just part of the process and enjoy the ride. All glory to God. I'm thankful and I'm blessed in that way, just to experience this.”
Pedigree Note:
Stonestreet Farm's Atreides, who was a 'TDN Rising Star' in his own right, now sports a 100% strike rate with Breeders' Cup runners to winners as Soul of an Angel is the first BC starter for the Oklahoma-based son of Medaglia d'Oro. A $3,000 FTKOCT RNA, Soul of an Angel is out of a half-sister to GI Champagne Stakes winner Homeboykris (Roman Ruler). She is the first black type produced by her dam who saw her yearling Basin filly bring $70,000 at FTKOCT this year and reported a colt by Army Mule this spring. She is due next year on a cover to Essential Quality.
Saturday, Del Mar
PNC BANK BREEDERS' CUP FILLY & MARE SPRINT-GI, $910,000, Del Mar, 11-2, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:21.59, ft.
1–SOUL OF AN ANGEL, 124, m, 5, by Atreides
1st Dam: Factor One, by The Factor
2nd Dam: One Last Salute, by Salutely
3rd Dam: Angie's Star, by Lord Rebeau
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($3,000 RNA Ylg '20 FTKOCT). O-C2 Racing
Stable LLC, Agave Racing Stable and Ken T. Reimer; B-Westbrook Stables LLC (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Drayden Van Dyke. $520,000. Lifetime Record: 41-6-7-5, $1,192,675. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Society, 124, m, 5, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Etiquette, by Tapit
2nd Dam: Archduchess, by Pleasant Tap
3rd Dam: My Marchesa, by Stately Don
O/B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $170,000.
3–Pleasant, 124, f, 4, by Munnings
1st Dam: Fair Lady, by Medaglia d'Oro
2nd Dam: Honest Lady, by Seattle Slew
3rd Dam: Toussaud, by El Gran Senor
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $90,000.
Margins: HF, NO, HF. Odds: 19.80, 3.50, 14.70.
Also Ran: Scylla, Ways and Means, One Magic Philly, Zeitlos, Vahva, Frost At Dawn. Scratched: Pandora's Gift (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
SOUL OF AN ANGEL was absolutely flying up the outside to take the @BreedersCup Filly & Mare Sprint at @DelMarRacing! pic.twitter.com/UETGHoq7DX
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) November 2, 2024
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