Cy Fair proves best over rival Sapphire Beach in Coronation Cup
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - After canceling a scheduled trip to Royal Ascot last month to run Cy Fair in the Group 1 King Charles III, trainer George Weaver went to Plan B for his 2025 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint winner.
It was a strategy that worked out to perfection after Cy Fair rallied to an impressive 2 1/2-length victory over Sapphire Beach and three other overmatched 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 3, $225,000 Coronation Cup Saturday at a soggy Saratoga.
Weaver opted to bypass the King Charles just days before Cy Fair was scheduled to board her flight to Royal Ascot after he was not completely satisfied with the way she was training at the time.
“It’s a long ways to go if everything isn’t going perfectly,” Weaver said when explaining the decision to forgo the much-anticipated trip to Ascot.
Cy Fair, who defeated males to close out her 2-year-old campaign with a one-length victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, came into the Coronation Cup off an equally game and popular one-length decision over the recently retired Slay the Day in the Grade 3 Mamzelle at Churchill Downs on April 30.
Cy Fair broke alertly from her inside post under jockey John Velazquez, who was back aboard the filly for the first time since the pair finished a close second in the Bolton Landing Stakes here 11 months earlier. Cy Fair eased back a bit along the inside after prompting the pace of Sapphire Beach in the run down the backstretch, came off the rail to engage the leader nearing the furlong marker, then readily drew well clear while kept under a strong hand ride to the end.
Sapphire Beach had outfinished Cy Fair to be second best behind Slay the Day when the pair first met in the Grade 3 Limestone this spring at Keeneland. She controlled the pace over the yielding turf course to mid-stretch before ultimately proving no match for that rival in Saturday’s rematch. Sapphire Beach was reported to have bled after the race by the track veterinarian.
It was another 4 3/4 lengths farther back to Cadenza, who weakened steadily down the lane and finished a well-beaten third after prompting the top pair into the stretch.
Cy Fair, a daughter of Not This Time, completed 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:01.83, earned a career-high 96 Beyer Speed Figure, and paid $3.06.
“There wasn’t much speed on paper. I knew we could take the lead, but she prefers to stalk a little bit and Johnny [Velazquez] did a great job to get her to settle behind them,” said Weaver in the winner’s circle after the race. “I think all things equal, she’s the best 3-year-old filly turf sprinter out there. She’s a pretty special horse and we're very proud of her.”
Weaver did admit he was a bit concerned when steady rains that began falling shortly after the afternoon’s first race created unfamiliar footing for his filly.
“I never like it when there’s a little give in the ground. You never know how they are going to handle it,” Weaver said. “But the filly is doing well, so we just lead her over there and hope for the best.”
Weaver said he is seriously considering trying to get Cy Fair back to the Breeders’ Cup again this fall, where she would have to meet the boys once again in the Turf Sprint.
“I think as good as she is, even though she’s a 3-year-old filly, we might try to map out a campaign that gets us [to the Breeders’ Cup] and see what she can do.”
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