vessportofkings

Havre De Grace

Picture
Havre De Grace (3) wins the Apple Blossom.
"Havre De Grace trying to run her way to a championship, and she's going to get it done in the Apple Blossom.  Havre De Grace with the greatest win of her career, wins the Apple Blossom by 3/4's over Switch" Those words were cheerfully thrown into the air as Havre De Grace crossed the finish line to take her first Grade 1 win.  Many of us sitting at home watched in awe as the four year old filly swept past her competition and took the win with ease.  Today, April 15, 2011, is a day for champions, but there is one champion that has showed HER true colors today.  As stated earlier, winning the Graded 1 stake, Havre De Grace pulled off a graceful victory to say the least.

With Absinthe Minded hitting the early lead with Belle Watching in a close second, Switch was close in 3rd, and our champion of the night settling in 4th.  Just after hitting the quarter pole, Switch took it up to second as she made her way to swiftly pass Absinthe Minded.  Coming around the final bend, Absinthe Minded and Switch stuck head to head with Havre De Grace running 2 lengths back, who takes a quick pull and kicks it straight to the front in what seemed like a matter of a second the race was done, and Havre De Grace was on her way to the winners circle.

This is one exceptional filly that many have said is on her rise to something great.  With having broken her maiden on her first debut on the track was an indication that she was something special, but when she went on to win her second race, the markers went up on this mare and people started to really follow her.  This mare sadly went into a placing streak where in her next three starts she came in a mere second.  Thankfully, she then broke that streak as she crossed the finish line to enter the winners circle after her Fitz Dixon Cotillion (a grade 2 race), beating the mare that placed her in second too many times, Blind Luck.

Everyone became optimistic for this great filly as she was entered into the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic (G1) where the spirits were high and charged for this filly, when she came in an upsetting 3rd place behind Unrivaled Belle, and Blind Luck.  But that "luck" did not get the Havre De Grace team down and out.  She came full blasted into her 4 year old/2011 season winning the Grade 3 Azeri Stakes, and the G1 Apple Blossom Stakes.

This mare has a full and bright future ahead of her, and both Emily and I are proud to call her, Horse of the Week.