2019 Eclipse Awards: Covefe
Even after one start as a 2-year-old, Covfefe was something of a celebrity. After all, she was named in recognition of the social-media craze that resulted in May 2017, when President Trump inexplicably tweeted the made-up word.
But Covfefe, the Thoroughbred, didn’t just settle for fame by name. Her feats as one of the world’s fastest Thoroughbreds have earned her a notoriety entirely unrelated to the Trump gaffe, and that’s a good thing.
:: Full list of 2019 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories
Owned by the Roth family (Larry, Nanci, Jaime) under their LNJ Foxwoods banner, Covfefe began 2019 by winning an allowance on opening weekend of the Keeneland meet in April.
Then came a breakthrough performance that had everyone buzzing for weeks. Facing eight other 3-year-old filly sprinters in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness on May 17, Covfefe shattered a 29-year-old Pimlico record when finishing six furlongs in 1:07.70, earning a 107 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I’ve had people tell me it was one of the greatest races they’ve ever seen a horse run,” her trainer, Brad Cox, told Daily Racing Form a few days afterward. “She was about as impressive as a horse can possibly be. The way she ran really was incredible.”
Her only loss of the year followed in her next start, the ungraded Roxelana on June 22 at her home track, Churchill Downs, as she finished a close third after being hounded on the lead. The defeat was a means to an end, as Covfefe rebounded to win the Grade 1 Test on Aug. 3 at Saratoga as the third wagering choice, the only time in her career she has not been favored.
Cox then hand-picked the ungraded Dogwood on Sept. 21 at Churchill as a stepping-stone to his year-end goal, the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. The bay filly with the distinctive blaze won the Dogwood with ease, earning another 107 Beyer.
The Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita shaped up as a rugged test, especially after Covfefe was assigned the tricky one-hole in a field of nine in the seven-furlong race. Cox shrugged it all off, saying he believed she would prove best. He was right, as Covfefe bounded to an insurmountable lead in midstretch after stalking the early pace, holding off Bellafina to prevail by three-quarters of a length.
“I love her so much,” an emotional Jaime Roth told a national television audience afterward. “Just knowing everything that goes into this moment, all the work. It doesn’t always work out, but when it does, it’s incredible.”
Covfefe, by Into Mischief out of Antics, by Unbridled, was bred in Kentucky by Alexander-Groves Thoroughbreds. LNJ Foxwoods bought her for $250,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September yearling sale.
In 2019, Covfefe won 5 of 6 starts and earned $1,052,425. She was ridden by three different jockeys – Shaun Bridgmohan, Javier Castellano, and Joel Rosario.
Covfefe was turned out in Ocala, Fla., shortly after the Breeders’ Cup. She will race again at 4, with the primary goal being a repeat in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.