2022 Eclipse Awards: Meditate
Just how good was Meditate in 2022? The gray Irish-bred filly is one of three finalists for a divisional Eclipse Award despite many voters believing she began with two strikes against her: She raced just once in North America, and she’s a turf specialist in what is traditionally a category won by dirt runners.
Those perceived deficiencies aside, Meditate was just too impressive in her first season of racing to ignore her altogether. Based in Ireland with her iconic trainer, Aidan O’Brien, Meditate racked up five wins and two seconds from seven starts in a season capped by a breathtaking score in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 4 at Keeneland.
Unveiled by O’Brien in an April 10 maiden dash at The Curragh, Meditate got things under way with a handy 3 1/4-length triumph under Ryan Moore, who would ride her in all but one of her starts. That exception came in her next start in May, when she won the Group 3 Fillies Sprint at Naas in Ireland under Wayne Lordan.
:: Full list of 2022 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories
Two more victories in group events for 2-year-old fillies followed, those being the Group 3 Albany at the Royal Ascot meet in June and the Group 2 Debutante back at The Curragh in August. Both of those triumphs came with strong finishes after attending all the pace.
Her unbeaten streak then came to an end with runner-up finishes in back-to-back Group 1 events less than two weeks apart. Bet down to even-money in the Sept. 11 Moyglare Stud at The Curragh, she was second to Tahiyra in a solid effort that was followed by a second to Lezoo as the 8-5 choice in the Sept. 24 Cheveley Park at Newmarket.
Then came her sterling performance in her first attempt going as far as a mile in the two-turn Juvenile Fillies Turf. Rating kindly for Moore through the opening five furlongs while staying covered up, Meditate began picking off rivals with ease before launching a sensational stretch run, finishing the one-mile distance in 1:35.38 while prevailing by 2 1/2 lengths as the 2-1 favorite in a full gate of 14.
“The race was over a furlong and a half out,” Moore said afterward. “I felt like she had a lot left. She’s probably just a level above the rest of the others.”
Meditate was sired by the hot young stallion No Nay Never and produced by Pembina, by Dalakhani. She was bred in Ireland by Lynch-Bages and Rhinestone Bloodstock and is owned by the powerhouse Coolmore partnership of Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Westerberg, the racing operation of Georg von Opel.
Meditate ended her season with earnings of $862,341. As expected, she is getting much of the winter off at Ballydoyle Stables in County Tipperary ahead of plans to bring her back in the top European races for 3-year-old fillies in 2023.
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