Half Sister to Clairiere Impresses in Churchill Debut

It's all in the family. Carrying the colors worn by her grade 1-winning dam and half sister, Stonestreet Stables' La Crete  sped to a front-running debut triumph in the seventh race Nov. 20 at Churchill Downs.

The regally-bred 2-year-old filly was bet down as the 8-5 favorite in the field of eight, despite being asked to go two turns first time out. Entered off a series of five-furlong drills and one half-mile work for trainer Steve Asmussen, fitness was never an issue for La Crete, as she strode under the wire a geared down 2 1/4-length winner.

Breaking like a slingshot from the gate under jockey Joel Rosario, La Crete scampered to the lead, quickly opening up 2 1/2 lengths on the field through a quarter-mile in :23.53. After a half-mile in :47.84 and three-quarters in 1:12.84, she had increased her margin to five lengths at the top of the lane. Rosario kept the filly to task as her rivals made chase, but none could seriously threaten the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro  .

La Crete ran the 1 1/16 miles on a fast dirt track in 1:45.44. She paid $5.20 on a $2 win ticket.

By graduating at first asking, the bay filly followed in the footsteps of her dam, Cavorting , and Curlin   half sister Clairiere . Both broke their maidens upon debut, the latter also unveiled at Churchill Downs by Asmussen last fall. The 9-year-old Bernardini mare Cavorting was a versatile stable star for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. Earning over $2 million in her career, she was just as efficient sprinting seven furlongs, as evidenced by her victory in the Longines Test Stakes (G1), as she was at stretching her speed to two turns in the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) and Personal Ensign Stakes (G1). Cavorting, a half sister to grade 2 winner Moon Colony  (Uncle Mo  ) and multiple graded stakes-placed Thirstforlife  (Stay Thirsty  ), was sold to Stonestreet for $360,000 as a weanling when consigned by Eaton Sales at the 2012 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

Clairiere, Cavorting's first foal, took her first step toward replicating her dam's success when she earned her first grade 1 win in the Sept. 25 Cotillion Stakes (G1) at Parx Racing. This effort was followed by a gutsy fourth-place finish in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Del Mar, where she was floated seven wide around the turn and fell a head short of catching Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) victress Malathaat  for third at the wire. Clairiere, also a winner of the Rachel Alexandra Stakes Presented by Fasig-Tipton (G2) earlier this year, boasts a record of 3-3-2 from 10 starts and earnings of $1,290,992 to date.

Cavorting's yearling colt by Curlin, now named Judge Miller, sold for $550,000 to Muir Hut Stables out of the Eaton consignment at Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She was covered by Into Mischief   this past spring.