The decision to skip the 2020 Breeders’ Cup was not difficult for trainer Brad Cox and the owners of Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil. “We thought the right thing to do was give her some time, bring her back, and campaign her as a 4-year-old with our goal being the Breeders’ Cup Distaff,” Cox said. “I think she’s a bigger, stronger version of herself” in 2021. Shedaresthedevil proved Cox correct, and getting there – to the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff in November at Del Mar – was half the fun. Though she finished sixth in the Distaff, her achievements were sufficient to earn the distinction as Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding older dirt female. Shedaresthedevil entered 2021 already among the country’s top females, having won the Kentucky Oaks the previous autumn and ending 2020 with a creditable third in the Grade 1 Spinster. The challenge was to improve on her 3-year-old form, because there would be few easy spots at age 4. Shedaresthedevil, sired by Daredevil, launched her 2021 campaign in the Grade 2 Azeri Stakes in March at Oaklawn Park. Her chief rival was racing-fit Letruska, and those two put on a show. Shedaresthedevil and regular rider Florent Geroux seized command, Letruska came to her in the lane, but Shedaresthedevil did not yield and won by a head. Next up was the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes in April at Churchill Downs. :: Full list of 2021 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories Shedaresthedevil wired the La Troienne, her first Grade 1 win against older rivals. She was fast, carried her speed, and preferred two turns. But the calendar dictated a one-turn Grade 1 in June at Belmont Park, the Ogden Phipps against a familiar rival. Letruska won, Shedaresthedevil finished third. No harm, no foul. The season-ending goal was still in sight. Any doubt about her handling the Del Mar surface was answered in August. Cox shipped Shedaresthedevil for the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch, which she won by 3 1/4 lengths. Shedaresthedevil took the path of least resistance for her final Breeders’ Cup prep, and dropped into an easy spot at Churchill Downs. Odds-on in the Grade 3 Locust Grove, she won by a measured neck and galloped out willingly after the wire. Her 4-for-6 season concluded with a sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff that was better than it looks. Forwardly placed chasing a blazing pace, she hung tough to the head of the lane before she tired. Days after the Breeders’ Cup, Shedaresthedevil went through the Fasig-Tipton November sale for $5 million. Her new ownership group includes Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm, who will race the filly in 2022 along with early partners Qatar Racing and Flurry Racing. Originally sold as a 2018 Keeneland weanling for $100,000, Shedaresthedevil sold again for $280,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale at the end of her 2-year-old season. Overall, Shedaresthedevil has won nine races and $2,331,458 from 21 starts. The long-range target for 2022 – the Breeders’ Cup Distaff in November at Keeneland.