Gamine Takes Champion Female Sprinter Title

When Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine made her race debut at 3 March 7, 2020, she made quick work of a short field at Santa Anita Park and rolled to a 6 1/4-length victory. That was only a glimpse of what was to come for the Into Mischief  filly trained by Bob Baffert, now the 2020 champion female sprinter.

In her third start and stakes debut, Gamine dominated the June 20 Longines Acorn Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park as she left her competition 18 3/4 lengths behind while being ridden by John Velazquez, who has been her regular pilot since. She impressed again with a seven-length score Aug. 8 in the Longines Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. Both races were completed in stakes-record time, with the Acorn's mile run in 1:32.55 and the Test's seven furlongs in 1:20.83.

After stretching out to nine furlongs to finish third as the favorite in the Sept. 4 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs, Gamine shortened back up to seven panels for the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Keeneland, where she ran down the speedy Serengeti Empress and continued to pour it on in a 6 1/4-length score. Gamine also set the track record, completing the distance in 1:20.20.

"You always dream about if you get a good horse, but if you add up the numbers, there are people who are so much more involved in the horse business than I am and buy so many more horses. That I would be blessed to have a once-in-a-lifetime horse like that, I'm just grateful," Petersen said. "What can I say? I'm just enjoying the ride."

Also a finalist for champion 3-year-old filly, Gamine took the female sprint title over Serengeti Empress and Glass Slippers.

Gamine was bred in Kentucky by Barbara Banke's Grace Thoroughbred Holdings and is out of the Kafwain mare Peggy Jane. She was first purchased by Grand Oaks from the Summerfield consignment for $220,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September yearling sale. In 2019 she topped the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale, where she was sold by consignor Bobby Dodd to Petersen for $1.8 million.

"Bob liked her, and during the auction he just told me 'Don't let her go,' " Petersen said. 

In Gamine's six starts, the Oaks is the only race in which she did not cross the wire first. She won a May 2 allowance optional claiming race at Oaklawn Park but was disqualified after failing a post-race test. She has earned $1,003,000.