Shedaresthedevil uses her speed to win La Troienne Stakes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Shedaresthedevil can run like hell, and if she keeps improving through this, her 4-year-old season, she might leave the rest of her division idling in purgatory.
Even Monomoy Girl, her two-time Eclipse Award-winning, Brad Cox-trained stablemate might struggle to match stride with this filly, who ran her 2021 record to two wins from two starts with a spirited one-length score Friday at Churchill Downs in the Grade 1, $500,000 La Troienne Stakes.
:: DRF's Kentucky Derby Headquarters: Contenders, latest news, past performances, analysis, and more
Shedaresthedevil and Florent Geroux aced the break, opening a length on the field in the first few strides and dictating terms thereafter, though the filly only reluctantly acceded to her rider’s request not to run off. Earlier in the week, Cox and his team speculated about who might and might not try for the lead, wondering if Geroux might have to employ pressing tactics. Not at all.
“She broke well and she’s hard to get back,” Cox said. “I thought the only one who looked like she was going to go [toward the lead] was Finite, and when I looked up she was nowhere.”
Straining to do more, though not pulling so hard as to take her run away, Shedaresthedevil set comfortable splits of 23.99 and 47.94 while staying clear. Around the far turn, longshot Bajan Girl tried to draw alongside and apply pressure as Envoutante waited along the fence for an inside seam, with Dunbar Road angling between horses for her run and Finite switching to the far outside for clear passage. At the quarter pole, it looked like this might be a real horserace, but by the furlong grounds it was down to Shedaresthedevil and Envoutante, who had found room at the rail and was finishing gamely. Not, however, as gamely as Shedaresthedevil, who turned everyone back and crossed the wire leaving no doubt who was best.
“She’s a tough filly,” said Cox.
Shedaresthedevil stopped the timer in 1:42.69 for 1 1/16 miles on a fast track and paid $5.40 to win. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 92.
Envoutante, who won the Falls City Stakes here last spring and relishes the local dirt track, was second by two lengths over Finite, who finished solidly on the far outside. Bajan Girl hung in for fourth, while Dunbar Road flattened late and was fifth in her 2021 debut. Then came Paris Lights, who stalked and faded, and Sanenus, who never was in the race.
Shedaresthedevil was an upset winner over Swiss Skydiver in the Kentucky Oaks last September, regressed somewhat finishing third against older horses in the Grade 1 Spinster. She got a winter break and returned March 13 in the Azeri Stakes, where she set the pace and held off Letruska, who went on to win the Apple Blossom over the great Monomoy Girl.
“These were very similar fractions to Oaklawn, and we had a tighter horse this time,” said Cox.
Cox, of course, also trains Monomoy Girl, the two-time Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner. She won the 2018 Kentucky Oaks, giving Cox his first Grade 1. Monomoy Girl remain a force, but one wonders if the 4-year-old Shedaresthedevil, who has scope, substance, and burning desire, could rise to the top of the older-female dirt-route ranks this year.
“We’ll look at the Breeders’ Cup [Distaff] and work our way back, eyeball some races in New York and also look at the [Aug. 1 Clement Hirsch] at Del Mar, see if she likes that track,” Cox said, referring to the site of the 2021 Breeders’ Cup. “Not sure when I’ll run her back, but we’ll freshen her up a bit. This was a hard race.”
Cox trains Shedaresthedevil for Qatar Racing Limited and Flurry Racing Stable. By Daredevil – who, in part because of this filly’s success, came back to America to stand stud after being moved to Turkey – and out of Starship Warpspeed, by Congrats, Shedaresthedevil was bred by WinStar Farm and sold at auction for $280,000. She’s now won seven times from 13 starts and bankrolled more than $1.8 million, and, judging by the start of her 4-year-old campaign, the filly is just getting heated up.