Essential Quality Half Famed Impresses in Maiden Score

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Essential Quality Half Famed Impresses in Maiden Score
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Photo: Frances J. Karon
Famed at Keeneland

Godolphin's homebred Famed ,  a half sister to multiple grade 1-winning Essential Quality   (Tapit  ), made headlines of her own Oct. 30 with a 7 3/4-length win at Keeneland, clinching the fall meet training title for Brad Cox and stamping herself as one to watch.

The Uncle Mo   filly's relation to last year's champion juvenile and the current leader in the 3-year-old division made her a popular choice at 2-5 odds Saturday. Essential Quality, also trains by Cox, runs next in the Nov. 6 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar. 

Off a one-length runner-up finish upon debut Sept. 26 to eventual Oct. 29 Myrtlewood Stakes winner Sweet Dani Girl  going six furlongs at Churchill Downs, Famed was entered Saturday in Lexington in an $83,921 maiden special weight set over the Beard Course Distance of seven furlongs and 184 feet over a sloppy (sealed) track. Facing ten foes and getting both blinkers and the services of Florent Geroux for the first time, the dark bay filly dueled inside for the lead with Bunduki, established a clear advantage when that rival bolted at the five-sixteenths pole, and drew off despite hanging on her left lead through midstretch. She switched over at the sixteenth pole and was geared down to the wire while Geroux gave her a pat on the head.    

The final time was 1:28.42 after fractions of :22.54, :45.41, and 1:10.99. Honeycomb  was best of the rest, a neck in front of Catwings .

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"She ran a fantastic race first time out not to win sprinting," said Jimmy Bell, president and racing manager of Godolphin USA. "The winner that day came back and won the 2-year-old stakes race yesterday here at Keeneland, which boded well for today. We were very hopeful that the stretch out today would play to her favor, and indeed it did. She finished full of run and gives every indication that two turns will be in her near future."

Bell added the team has no definite plans for Famed's next start, but in an exclusive interview with BloodHorse+ in July, Cox spoke of high hopes for the bay filly.

"She's a touch aggressive, but in a good way," he said. "Her works have been good enough to make me think she's a horse that will compete at the graded level."

WATCH: Meet Essential Quality's Half Sister Famed

Famed is the second winner from three starters out of the winning, grade 3-placed Elusive Quality  mare Delightful Quality , a half sister to 2005 Alberto VO5 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Folklore  (Tiznow —Contrive , by Storm Cat ). Trained by Tom Albertrani for Darley, Delightful Quality placed in seven black-type events, including a third in the 2013 Bed o'Roses Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

WATCH: Grand Dams: Delightful Quality

Delightful Quality made a slow start at her second career, with two of her first three foals unraced and the single starter a runner only once, but Essential Quality vaulted her name to the headlines with his 2-year-old championship capped by a TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) score last season combined with key wins in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) and Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) this year. After coming up barren to Uncle Mo in 2020 and to Nyquist   this season, she was bred back to Tapit   for 2022.

Delightful Quality's dam Contrive was a $3 million purchase by John Ferguson for Sheikh Mohammed's global operation in 2005 at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's marquee breeding stock sale, where she was offered in foal to Pleasantly Perfect  shortly after Folklore's Breeders' Cup score. Of her 11 starters, nine were winners, and Folklore was named champion 2-year-old filly of 2005. Contrail is the second dam of Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail , a top choice for the Oct. 31 Tenno Sho (Autumn, G1) at Tokyo Racecourse.