Getting to Know Minorette

Minorette after winning the Belmont Oaks and earning her spot in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. (Photo by NYRA/Susie Raisher)
When Minorette won the $1-million Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes on July 5, she lived up to the saying that the third time is the charm.
The Belmont Oaks was her third start in the United States and her first stateside victory. It proved to be a perfectly timed win as it earned her a “Win and You’re In” spot for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf and also gave Minorette her first career stakes victory.
Let’s get to know a bit more about Minorette and see what impact she may have on the female turf division as we get closer to the Breeders’ Cup.
Résumé
Bred in the United States, Minorette was imported to Ireland in 2012 as a yearling. Owned by the Coolmore partnership of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, it was no surprise to see her entered in a race a year later with Coolmore’s regular trainer and jockey tandem of Aidan O’Brien and Joseph O’Brien, respectively.
The filly won the six-furlong maiden at Naas easily by 1 ¾ lengths, encouraging her connections to step her up to Group 2 level for her next outing. Running in a 6-horse field that included stablemates Tapestry and Perhaps, she was the only O’Brien-trained filly in the race not to hit the board, finishing fourth. Dropped down to a listed stakes race at the Curragh, she still didn’t show the brilliance she had flashed in her debut, but finished third, only three-quarters of a length behind the winner.
After a last-place performance in a Group 3 race in September, the decision was made to give the filly a United States campaign for her 3-year-old year. Minorette debuted in a one-mile allowance race at Keeneland Race Course. She finished third but it only took that one race for her to really understand U.S. racing, a different style than she had experienced in Europe.
She showed that she had the talent to be successful in U.S. racing in her next start, the Wonder Again Stakes, this time stretching out to 1 1/8 miles. She showed a much bigger turn of foot than she had at Keeneland when grabbing the lead in the final turn and only lost in the last part of the stretch when Sea Queen passed her to win by a half-length. The second-place finish saw her Equibase Speed Figure jump up seven points from her 94 in the Keeneland race to a 101 in the Wonder Again.
The Belmont Oaks saw the beginning of a rivalry developing between Minorette and Sea Queen when Minorette caught her near the finish line to win by two lengths. While the Wonder Again had been a cat and mouse game with Sea Queen doing the chasing in the stretch, the Belmont Oaks saw Minorette positioned to do the catching, a move that was more successful.
2014 BELMONT OAKS

Video courtesy of Breeders' Cup World Championships
The Belmont Oaks earned Minorette her top Equibase Speed Figure, a 112, which put her behind only Gracer and Untapable for the highest speed figure earned by a 3-year-old filly this year.
“The more I got to train her, even before we first ran her, she just moved and looked like a mile-and-a-quarter horse,” said Chad Brown, Minorette’s trainer. “Her pedigree wouldn't deter you from that, either. We just took our time with her. I tell you, the Coolmore group, wonderful organization to train for. They never told me where to run, when to run: ‘It's a nice filly we're giving you, and just give us some feedback.’ After the race at Keeneland at a mile when she was closing pretty good and got a good number out of the race, I immediately circled this big one and said, ‘Let's just go for it.’ ”
As far as running style, Minorette has done her best running in America when she’s been no worse than five lengths behind the leader at any point in the race.
Both her first and second came when she followed that rule with her third-place finish coming when she was seventh of 11 in the early stages at Keeneland, nine lengths behind the leader at one point. So while she doesn’t need to be right up with the leaders, it seems like she shouldn’t be too far back if her closing kick is going to have enough impact to secure a win.
MINORETTE IN THE PADDOCK BEFORE HER UNITED STATES DEBUT

Photo by Melissa Bauer-Herzog
Pedigree
Minorette is by leading sire Smart Strike and out of the Group 2-winning Sadler’s Wells mare Silk And Scarlet.
You probably recognize Smart Strike’s name as the sire of champions Curlin and Lookin At Lucky but he has 10 other champions to his credit and 101 career stakes winners through July 6. This year, Minorette is his top performer but he also has Grade or Group 2 winners Utley, Nashoba’s Gold, Smoking Sun and others on his 2014 résumé.
Smart Strike is known to throw mostly distance runners with horses exceling both on the turf and dirt, so as long as a breeder wants a foal who figures to be better at longer distance, they are set.
Just looking at Smart Strike on the top half of Minorette’s pedigree shows why she easily covered the 1 ¼ miles of the Belmont Oaks, but her bottom side makes that even more clear.
Her dam Silk And Scarlet is by Sadler’s Wells, who needs nearly no introduction as a sire or broodmare sire. Silk And Scarlet was a Group 2 winner who scored wins at 6 and 7 furlongs, but she is living up to the standard set by her sire’s other daughters, whose foals win at an average winning distance of 10.15 furlongs.
Outside of Minorette, Silk And Scarlet has proven to be well on her way to blue hen mare status. She is the dam of two other Grade or Group 1 winners from four starters. Her first foal, Eishin Apollon, spent his career in Japan and scored three group stakes victories, including the 2011 Group 1 Mile Championship. Silk And Scarlet also is the dam of Master of Hounds, who was a Group 1 winner at 1 1/8 miles in Dubai and also finished fifth in the 2011 Kentucky Derby behind winner Animal Kingdom. In addition to her starters, Silk And Scarlet also has a 2-year-old full-brother to Minorette who has not yet started and was bred to War Front for a 2015 foal.
While Silk And Scarlet’s Group 3-winning half-sibling Danger Over was also best at sprint distances, her dam is a half-sister to Sanglamore, who won the French Derby and was highweighted on the English Free Handicap from 11 to 14 furlongs. So not only does Minorette get a bit of high-class speed from the female side of her pedigree but there is also some distance influence added to the stamina she gets from her sire.
Minorette looks to be a force to be reckoned with based on her early 2014 performances. If she can keep her form headed into November, it won’t be surprising if she is competitive in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf in the fall.