Kalypso Becomes First Grade 1 Winner for Brody's Cause

Kalypso  became the first grade 1 winner for her young sire Brody's Cause   with a dominant 4 3/4-length score Dec. 26 in the $300,000 La Brea Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park.

The 3-year-old filly from the first crop of the son of Giant's Causeway faced rivals from her division sprinting seven furlongs and left them in the dust under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in her first start since late April.

After tracking third along the rail just off the pace set by Livingmybestlife —who was under pressure from Brilliant Cut  through a quarter in :22.11, a half in :44.92, and three-quarters in 1:10.92—Kalypso swung out to gallop home uncontested in a final time of 1:24.78. Brilliant Cut finished best of the rest and Livingmybestlife completed the trifecta.

Kalypso, trained by Bob Baffert for David Bernsen, Gainesway Stable, Rockingham Ranch, and Chad Littlefield, was sent off at odds of 8-1 ($19.60) in a seven-horse field in her first start since being eased and walked off in the April 30 Eight Belles Stakes Presented by Smithfield (G2) at Churchill Downs.

"We turned her out after that Churchill Downs race," Baffert said. "We brought her back and she was fresh…Johnny V. got her to relax. She has a tendency to go too fast. She was really relaxed today and she was one happy filly."  

Kalypso notched her second Santa Anita graded stakes win of the year after taking the Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) in January, and improved her overall record from nine starts to 3-3-2 with earnings of $480,600.

"Bob and I talked about it; we thought there was a lot of speed in the race and we knew she had speed but I didn't want to be in a duel and not have anything to finish with," Velazquez reported. "I told Bob that if she has more speed, then I'm just going to let her go, let her be in the lead.

"I wanted to give her a chance the first part of the race and everything was really easy until I got to the three-eighths pole. I kind of got on her a little bit and she bit into the bridle, so I said, 'Alright, we're going good.' At the quarter pole I pulled her to the clear and from then on it was pretty easy."

A Spendthrift Farm product through and through, Kalypso was bred in Kentucky by that operation out of the young Malibu Moon mare Malibu Cove, herself a Spendthrift homebred, and is the only starter produced by the mare to date. Malibu Cove's first foal, the 4-year-old Liaison   colt El Kronos, was unraced. She has a Hit It a Bomb   2-year-old named K P McCovey Cove and a yearling Mor Spirit   colt, and dropped a Jimmy Creed   colt Jan. 21. A full sister to multiple graded stakes winner Prospective , she was bred to Authentic   for 2021.

Kalypso was a $240,000 purchase by Cool Breeze Sales from Four Star Sales' consignment to The July Sale, Fasig-Tipton's sale of selected yearlings in Kentucky.

Brody's Cause, winner of the 2016 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) and the 2015 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland and the leading freshman sire in North America in 2020 by black-type winners, will stand the 2022 season at Spendthrift for a $5,000 stands & nurses fee.

Video: La Brea S. (G1)