Heading into the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, it's hard not to feel that the American representatives have little chance. After all, with the likes of Midday, Plumania, and Red Desire in the race, it's fairly easy to see the American's getting shut out of the trifecta.
Obviously, there are contenders from the United States. Harmonious, Eclair de Lune, and Miss Keller will all be well bet. However, there is one mare, a pretty gray six-year-old that may be forgotten in the betting, yet has a decent chance at winning the race.
This mare is named Forever Together.
Trained by Jonathan Sheppard, Forever Together is already a Breeders' Cup winner, as well as an Eclipse award winner---her victory in the 2008 Filly & Mare Turf made her the obvious choice for the Eclipse award as Champion Turf Female. Unfortunately, her luck has turned sour since then, and she has recorded only two wins since that brilliant score.
Some of her losses have been easy to understand. She has had more than her fair share of traffic trouble, and has run into some very good horses recently.
Her last victory came by a head in the Diana Handicap (gr. I) of 2009. She then lost her next race, the grade II Canadian Stakes, by a nose. Not a bad effort there, she ran a mile and an eighth in 1:45 flat and just missed winning.
In her next start, the First Lady Stakes (gr. I) she dropped back to as many as twenty lengths off the pace. Remember, this race was only a mile. She was eight and a half lengths behind at the eighth pole, and somehow managed to get up for third, beaten only a length and a half by winner Diamondrella.
Favored for a repeat in the 2009 Breeders' Cup, Forever Together dropped well off the pace and rallied furiously, but ended up finishing third, just over two lengths behind Midday. The final time in the ten furlong event was 1:59 flat.
That was supposed to be her last race, but Forever Together was brought back for another year of competition. She made her return in April at Keeneland, finishing second, beaten a half-length, in the Jenny Wiley Stakes (gr. II). The winner, however, was Wasted Tears, who has subsequently shown how brilliant she is on turf. The final time in that mile and a sixteenth race was 1:40 4/5.
Shipped to Hollywood Park for the grade I Gamely Stakes, Forever Together ran into a monster mare in Tuscan Evening, who just managed to hold off the 2008 champion for a half-length victory. The final time was a sharp 1:47 1/5.
Then came the Diana Handicap, which Forever Together was attempting to win for the third consecutive year. Once again, luck was not with her. Despite stumbling at the start and running into traffic issues, Forever Together charged gamely in between horses and finished third, failing by a head to defeat Proviso and Shared Account.
Then she ran in the grade III Glen Falls Handicap. Going farther than she had ever gone before, a mile and three eighths, Forever Together dropped well off the pace, but rallied mildly to finish third, beaten four and a half lengths. The final time was an excellent 2:12 3/5.
Finally, in her last start, the grade I Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont Park, Forever Together suffered from a bad trip and a very, very yielding track, and finished sixth of seven, beaten thirteen lengths.
However, I’m going to excuse that poor effort for multiple reasons, one of them being that nothing went her way that day. She raced wide all the way around the track, and I don’t believe that she cares for yielding turf courses. The turf course that day was bog-like and far from the firm surface that saw her win the Breeders’ Cup in 2008.
Now, I'm not saying that Forever Together is going to win this year’s Filly & Mare Turf, and I would not be surprised if she failed to hit the board. But don't throw her out just because of her last race; it was better than it appeared to be. If she gets an opportunity to drop well off the pace on Friday, you may think that you are watching the 2008 Forever Together charging down in the center of the track.
Perhaps the winner will be Forever Together again.
-Keelerman
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