New Year's Eve pulls off upset in Edgewood
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Rallying with resolve, New Year’s Eve crashed the Edgewood Stakes party on Friday at Churchill with a 14-1 upset.
Luis Saez settled his mount in last around the first turn and down the backstretch, and when he wheeled the filly wide approaching the three-furlong marker, the party was on.
New Year’s Eve quickly swooped down on the horses ahead of her, blasting to the lead by the stretch call and going on to an impressive 2 3/4-length win in the Grade 2, $500,000 Edgewood.
An even larger gap, 4 1/2 lengths, separated runner-up McKulick and third-place Dolce Zel, suggesting New Year’s Eve’s visually impressive performance was legitimate.
Trained by Brendan Walsh for Marc Detampel, New Year’s Eve, who has only raced in turf routes, was an eye-catching last-to-first winner of her career debut at Fair Grounds. Second out, she barely was up to win a first-level allowance race there as the 17-10 favorite, and as the 9-5 chalk in the LaCombe Memorial on March 12, New Year’s Eve’s late run stalled just before midnight, and she finished third.
That was all Walsh needed to see to try racing the filly in blinkers. “We worked her in them just a couple times. She did a serious piece of work here last week,” Walsh said. “I was quietly confident she was going to put it together today.”
Spicer crossed over from an outside draw to set a moderate pace, 24.07 and 48.65, while chased by My Philly Twirl as the eventual winner galloped along at the tail of the 10-horse field. Saez said he saw horses in front of him beginning to struggle a bit at the half-mile pole and steered New Year’s Eve outside. By the end of the far turn, chugging along on the far outside, New Year’s Eve had hit high gear and she sustained her run to the wire.
“She came in the clear and she kept going,” said Saez. “She loved it. I can feel how happy she is.”
Dolce Zel was blocked behind rivals in upper stretch but failed to kick hard once clear, still beating out Kneesnhips, the filly who had won the LaCombe, for third. Then came Beechnut Trophy, who was blocked and checked before the furlong grounds, Dream Lith, Tap Dancing Lady, My Philly Twirl, Spicer, and An Agent Mistake. Winning time for 1 1/16 miles over firm turf was 1:43.39 and New Year’s Eve paid a generous $31.20.
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New Year’s Eve is by Kitten’s Joy out of Awesome Rafaela, by Elusive Quality. Bred in Kentucky by Stud TNT, she was sold at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky’s 2020 October yearling auction for $105,000 and easily is the best foal from three to race produced by her dam. The filly is built like a true route horse, somewhat tall, lots of leg, long cannon bones -- the hint of a horse that might run longer.
But Walsh said connections hadn’t looked past the Edgewood with New Year’s Eve. They’ll toast the stakes win and then consider what’s next.