Getting to Know Deceptive Vision

Deceptive Vision earned her first graded stakes vistory and a spot in the Breeders' Cup all due to one race. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
Owned and bred by Sam-Son Farm, one of Canada’s most famous farms, it was only fitting that Deceptive Vision earned her spot in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Woodbine in Toronto.
The filly was making her third graded stakes-level start in the Canadian Stakes on Woodbine Mile day and made it count by qualifying for the Breeders’ Cup. Deceptive Vision has snuck onto the graded stakes scene so lets get to know her better as she prepares for her biggest race yet.
Race Résumé
Deceptive Vision debuted at the very end of her two-year-old season, finishing a length behind future Grade 1 winner Coffee Clique in a maiden at Woodbine over the track’s all-weather surface. She came back a month later, 4 days after she officially turned 3, and easily won a Fair Grounds maiden over one mile on the dirt by 3 ¼ lengths, then followed that up by winning another mile allowance on dirt at the track.
Deceptive Vision’s connections decided to try her on the turf in her next start and the move proved to be extremely smart. The filly scored a 2 ¼-length victory over 8 ½ furlongs in an allowance for a then-career best Equibase figure of 104. To put that figure in perspective against her dirt form, Deceptive Vision’s two dirt wins earned 94 figures (and her all-weather race scored a 90).
After that turf win, the filly has stayed on the surface. Her first graded stakes try in the Nassau Stakes saw a new side of the filly as she found the lead before the stretch call for the first time in her career. She stayed close to leader Avie’s Sense, when slipping back to second as they set blistering early fractions and wore the leader down a furlong away from the wire. It looked like the new running style may work, but in the end Deceptive Vision was passed by two horses to lose by 1 ¼ lengths.
Stretching from a mile to nine furlongs in the Dance Smartly Stakes in her next start, Deceptive Vision again showed her front running style, something that we learned after the Canadian wasn’t her trainer’s plan. She led at every call except for the first and last, only losing by a painful nose to fellow Malcolm Pierce-trainee Overheard.
That brings us to the Canadian Stakes.
The work Pierce had done behind the scenes getting her to settle finally took hold. She sat in fifth for the first half of the race, at one point five lengths behind the leader. By the far turn, Deceptive Vision was after the leaders and at the top of the stretch, it was obvious she was on a roll as she went to pass the leaders. Jockey Eurico Rosa Da Silva continued to hand ride her in the final sixteenth of the race as she pulled away before celebrating at the wire.
2014 CANADIAN STAKES

“She’s a good filly. We always thought she was a good filly and she settled inside the speed today, which is the key to her. Last time she led all the way and just got caught at the wire, but today she ran a great race,” Pierce said. “We spent a long time getting this filly to settle and getting her off the lead because her last two races she has been kind of headstrong and it’s hard to win these kind of races on the lead all the way.”
Deceptive Vision saw a huge jump in her Equibase figure for her 2 ½ length victory in the race. She had scored a career-best 110 figure in her Dance Smartly second but that performance was rated 13 points lower than the Canadian win.
The 123 Equibase Speed Figure Deceptive Vision earned in the race puts her on the top of the Speed Figure list for Turf Females by four points. Even more impressive than just her figure against females is that she sits third behind two males on the Turf list with both of those higher figures coming in the same race, a performance neither has backed up.
Two other horses based in America have qualified for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf and they have two different running styles (looking only at American starts). In her lone U.S. start, Euro Charline hung out around the sixth position and didn’t take the lead until after the final in-race call of the race, beating closer (and possible Filly and Mare Turf starter) Stephanie’s Kitten.
On the other side of the spectrum, Minorette needs to be close to the lead for her kick to have any impact. That filly’s best starts in the country have come when she was no worse than five lengths off the lead in the race, which isn’t as big of a potential challenge in a turf race as it would be a dirt race but it is still a weakness.
In my opinion, Deceptive Vision’s ability to run on the lead or settle is a huge advantage. There isn’t any real pace in the race yet from the Win and You’re In entries, which could set up well for Deceptive Vision to control the pace if needed. However, now that Pierce has gotten her to settle, if someone enters the race who wants to take the front, Deceptive Vision has the advantage of not being one who will need to be close to that filly, potentially tiring out early.
The one worry to have with Deceptive Vision from a racing standpoint is that she has never run farther than nine furlongs. It’d be nice to know how she can handle that extra furlong she’ll have to face in the 1 ¼-mile Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf but as you’ll see in the section below, there is something that points to that being a non-issue.
Pedigree
From A.P. Indy’s penultimate crop, Deceptive Vision has quite the set of siblings produced by her dam Eye of the Sphynx.
A.P. Indy needs little introduction when it comes to giving his offspring the ability to route. The 1992 Belmont Stakes winner has sired multiple big name horses to win at 1 ¼ miles and farther, including Jockey Club Gold Cup winners Bernardini and Mineshaft, Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches, and closer to home for Deceptive Vision, her Queen’s Plate-winning brother Eye of the Leopard.
EYE OF THE LEOPARD WON THE 2009 QUEEN'S PLATE

Deceptive Vision’s female family obviously also keeps the route influence strong in her blood. Her dam Eye of the Sphynx was the champion 3-year-old filly in Canada and won the 2004 Woodbine Oaks at 1 1/8 miles. But Eye of the Sphynx’s biggest proof of being able to pass stamina along sits squarely on her foals’ records.
The above-mentioned Eye of the Leopard was the 2009 champion 3-year-old colt in Canada and he was obviously able to get the 1 ¼ miles and his full brother Hotep was second in the 2010 edition of the race. Hotep didn’t have as much success at the stakes level as his brother and didn’t win at the 1 ¼ mile mark but he also showed that he was a router with wins coming from 8.5 to nine furlongs.
The only one of Eye of the Sphynx’ four foals to race who didn’t win at a route is Bigstormbrewin’, who has won at sprint distances. That gelding has only had two tries at any distance farther than seven furlongs and finished third and fourth, respectively, in those races.
Looking at Eye of the Sphynx’s half siblings, her half sister Quiet Cleo was a stakes winner at 1 ¼ miles on the turf. Another half sister also won at farther than a mile, showing that Eye of the Sphynx isn’t the only one with stamina in the family.
Obviously, the filly going into the Filly and Mare Turf without a 1 ¼ -mile race under her belt is a concern at this level. However, looking at her family and her strong finish against a credible field, the concern isn’t as big as with some horses.
As the field becomes clearer in the coming month, it will be easier to see where exactly Deceptive Vision fits in the race. But even with the slight distance concern, where she’s sitting now looks like a good position to be in.