Spotlight on the Night of the Stars: Gamine

John Velazquez wouldn't give a definitive answer on where Gamine (Into Mischief – Peggy Jane, Kafwain) ranks on the list of all-stars the Hall of Fame jockey has been associated with over the years, but he came pretty close.

Asked how the champion sprinter stacks up against a long line of high-class fillies he has ridden to Grade I success, he responded, “She's definitely one of the top ones. Like definitely one or two, I would say.”

That answer is high praise coming from the two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey, who said that he will never forget Gamine's authoritative way of going or how she could effortlessly switch gears coming down the stretch.

“What I will always remember about Gamine is how powerful she was,” Velazquez reflected. “Her stride and everything she did was so easy. For a horse as fast as she was, she was also really kind. She had a great mind on her and she had a big heart. She would give you everything she could at any time. That's what made her Gamine.”

Together, Gamine and Velazquez raced to five Grade I victories highlighted by a record-setting win in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland.

Now approaching exactly two years since that day, Gamine is carrying her first foal by Quality Road and in a few weeks, she will sell at the Fasig-Tipton 'Night of the Stars' Sale. There, she will be consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa as Hip 289.

Gamine is no stranger to the Fasig-Tipton sales ring. The flashy bay made her first of many headlines there when she topped the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Old Sale, selling to Michael Lund.

“Gamine has always been special to us at Fasig-Tipton ever since her breeze at the Timonium Sale,” said Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning. “She had one of the co-fastest breezes, working an eighth of a mile in :10 flat, but she looked like she was just galloping. She had a beautiful stride on her and beautiful mechanics. When you went back to the barn to see her, she never turned a hair. She had the class. She had the elegance. I think we all knew that she was poised to do something special in that sales ring.”

Bob Baffert can quickly recall his first encounter with Gamine at that sale. Standing alongside agent Donato Lanni, it took the trainer less than 10 seconds to know he wanted the filly in his barn.

“It's very rare that I have horses that I just look at and see something magic in them,” Baffert said. “Gamine had me at hello. I walked away and told Donato that we needed to call Michael Lund, who was just getting in the business, and tell him he needs to buy this filly. Michael said, 'Well Bob, how far should I go?' And I said these fillies are hard to find. You stop when you own her. He stepped up and she went for $1.8 million. It was incredible.”

Gamine made quick work of justifying her sales price the following year as she completed a near-perfect, Eclipse Award-worthy sophomore campaign. A 'TDN Rising Star' on debut, the brilliant filly took the GI Acorn S. by almost 19 lengths and the GI Test S. by seven before her spectacular Breeders' Cup victory.

“I think history will reflect the fact that Gamine's 2020 racing campaign was one for the ages when you take into consideration not only that she won, but the dominant, brilliant way in which she won,” Browning explained. “She was a horse that when you watched her on the racetrack, she gave you goose bumps. You knew you were watching something special when Gamine broke from the starting gate and got into that poetic motion that she ran with.”

Just as much of a force to be reckoned with at four, Gamine added four more graded victories to her resume including the GI Derby City Distaff S. and the GI Ballerina H. She retired with only two losses in her 11 career starts.

“Gamine was probably the grandest, smartest, kindest and most beautiful filly I ever trained,” her conditioner said. “I would always look forward to watching her run because I knew she was going to 'wow' us and that's what she did.”

Browning said that he believes one of the most remarkable aspects of Gamine's career was that she fulfilled expectations every step of the way.

“The bar has always been set very high to begin with for her and she has always exceeded those expectations, so I think she'll likely do that as a broodmare as well,” he said. “She certainly has the opportunity to be a once-in-a-multigenerational type of opportunity. Gamine has been part of the Fasig-Tipton team since she walked through the sales ring for the first time and we're delighted and honored to have the opportunity to sell her in foal on behalf of Michael Lund this November.”

“She's the whole package,” Baffert said. “She is a generational talent. That's what you need in this business. That's why we always refer to her as Queen Gamine.”