Glass Slippers Rallies to Win Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

In a year full of disappointments and altered plans, a fairy-tale story played out for European raider Glass Slippers in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

Closing up the inside and splitting horses in midstretch, the homebred 4-year-old daughter of Dream Ahead scored a 10-1 upset in the 5 1/2-furlong event, giving owners Terry and Margaret Holdcroft of Bearstone Stud, trainer Kevin Ryan, and jockey Tom Eaves their first wins on the world's greatest stage.

"We have had a program for her for the whole season and we have not budged from that program, and thankfully, thank God, it's worked out for us," Terry Holdcroft said. "I think she's the best one that we have bred, and I think we are very lucky to have her, very lucky to keep her and not to have sold her."

Second, a neck behind the winner, last out in the Oct. 4 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp (G1)—a race she won in 2019—Glass Slippers added a third top-level race to her résumé, along with the Sept. 13 Darrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes (G1). The ease with which she traveled multiple times to France from Ryan's Hambleton yard gave her connections the confidence to tackle America after she aced the Flying Five, a Breeders' Cup Challenge event in Ireland that earned her an automatic berth in the Turf Sprint.

"It's been a funny year for us, but we sort of plan the races out," Ryan said. "She's a filly that improves as the season goes on. When she won in Ireland, we sort of then planned to come here to give her the time. We weren't tempted to go to Ascot for Champion's Day. We said, 'Let's have a crack at the Breeders' Cup.' Being 5 1/2 furlongs, like we both agreed, that extra half a furlong would be massive for her.

"And she travels so well. I know she's only been to France, but she seems to thrive when she goes away. She's run at difficult tracks like Goodwood, and then she's won at tracks like Chester, so she goes around the bend well."

Into Mystic and Texas Wedge battled for the lead through fractions of :21.26 and :43.81 on the good turf, while Eaves saved ground along the rail until the stretch. At midstretch he moved Glass Slippers off the rail and split horses while surging to the front, and the duo held on for the victory.   

"I said to Tom earlier in the week, 'Now you're going quicker running into the bend, so let's see how she changes her legs,' and straight away (there were) no issues at all in the bend," Ryan said. "I knew then we were in business. We decided on going on a brave ride up the inner and go the shortest route, and if it didn't work, such is life. Today was our day." 

Wet Your Whistle rallied after a slow start to grab second, a half-length behind the winner, and was followed by Leinster in third. Extravagant Kid and Got Stormy rounded out the top five.

The final time was 1:01.53. Sent off at odds of 10-1, Glass Slippers paid $22.40 to win.

"This has been absolutely genius," Eaves said. "She was great all year, and the last two runs have been amazing. And to bring her out here this time of year and to get a performance like that, I mean, it's beyond

genius. What a training performance. Brilliant."

Glass Slippers was giving her connections all the right signs in the lead-up to her big race Saturday.

"She's got a great temperament and she doesn't worry about things," Ryan said. "So when she does travel, she straight away she gets into her water, she gets on her food, and you have no worries that way. … As soon as I seen her down in the barn, I knew straight away that the traveling would take nothing out of her. And each morning she's been getting on the track, she's just been getting stronger and wanting to do a bit more. So she's got a lot of right vibes."

The Holdcrofts bred Glass Slippers out of their winning Mind Games mare Night Gypsy, herself a Bearstone homebred. She improved her record to 7-3-1 from 17 starts with earnings of $1,123,796—and her career could be far from over, as Terry Holdcroft said the inability to watch her run in person much of this year may lead them to keep her in training for 2021. Racing is currently being run behind closed doors in England due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have been wanting to go racing most of the time, so one of the reasons we have decided to keep her in training next season, provided she stays well and sound, (is) hopefully things in the U.K. might change and we'll be able to go and enjoy watching her run," he said.

"Why not?" Ryan agreed. "Thanks to Terry and Margaret that they're going to keep her in training, and it's great that a filly of her class is not going away to stud very early. We don't get a lot of time with these horses, and I'm very thankful that I've got another year with her and, of course, if everything goes right, we would love to come back (to the Breeders' Cup). 

"To come and compete against the best sprinters in the world and beat them is just amazing." 

Video: Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T)