This column highlights the performances of young women who have appeared no more than five times and who have sold for more than $500,000 in public auction, with graded siblings/group winners or have a graded/winner dam in the group. BloodHorse’s research shows that the first winners to meet these criteria are more likely to become graded bet winners.
Gulfstream Park
More than two years after her half brother won the biggest win of his career in the Florida Derby (G1), spaceship agenda landing one Gulfstream Park won her own victory in the special girls’ weight class on June 24 in front of an arena of six other 3-year-old girls.
Starship Agenda just became the second winner for her dam, a British-bred Byron (GB) mare Byrama . After breaking her maidenhood in Great Britain, Byrama joined coach Simon Callaghan’s West Coast stables and caught two grass-court sprint bets as a sophomore before increased speed by two turns at 4 years old. Faced with a solid field of differencers in the 2013 Vanity Handicap (G1) on a synthetic surface at the now defunct Hollywood Park, Byrama ran 3.5 miles that afternoon to won only 1st place.
Byrama entered 5 more graded bet races at her age of 5 after retiring. Her first pony is the strapping pony make for curly pony Known Agenda . Didn’t sell as it should for $135,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Annual Selective 2019, Known Agenda showed two-way prowess from the start, graduating second in nine miles when he was 2 years old at Aqueduct race track. Campaigned by his breeder, St. Elias Stable, who also raced Byrama, Todd Pletcher’s student Todd Pletcher galloped home a whopping 11 times in the Gulf grant before winning tickets to Run for the Roses in the valuable Florida Derby. 1 million dollars.
Though he finished ninth in the Kentucky Derby, the Known Agenda returned with the Third Jewel of the Crown Trilogy, finishing in a respectable fourth in the 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes (G1). He retired later that summer to Spendthrift Farms, where he now stands on a $10,000 fee. His first ponies were born this past spring.
Bought for just $90,000 during Keeneland’s September 2021 sale, Starship Agenda didn’t make her first debut until this year as a 3-year-old for trainer Steve Dwoskin based in Florida. Race for the colors of Starship Stables, Always dreaming filly has yet to find a winner’s circle in the previous three attempts before Saturday’s 1/16-mile outing on the Gulfstream Tapeta.
Following the course for the first half-mile, jockey Miguel Vasquez crossed the 5-mile marker and she was ahead of the leaders, circling the field on the final turn to go home. Under a powerful blow, she took the lead, extending her advantage to three distances at the finish line in a final time of 1:41.11.
Starship Agenda easily breaks her maidenhood in race 7. #GulfstreamPark #RoyalPalmMeet pic.twitter.com/1y5Cw9qHsa
– Gulfstream Park (@GulfstreamPark) June 24, 2023
| Watch BloodHorse Maiden | |||||||
| Notable first winner for the week of June 19-25 | |||||||
| Day | Monitor | Species | Horse | King | dam | begin | note |
| 22/6 | ELP | 9 | Berrettini | Oscar | Baciami Piccola | 4 | Dam is a G3SW |
| 24/6 | GP-general practitioner | 7 | spaceship agenda | Always dreaming | Byrama | 4 | Dam is a G1SW; Half-siblings with G1SW |
| 24/6 | WO | 2 | Galloping d’Oro | Medaglia d’Oro | Gallop Ami | first | Half brother to G3SW Amis Gizmo |
