On Breeders’ Cup Friday, as the NetJets Juvenile Fillies unfolded behind her in a blur of dirt and urgency, Super Corredora did what she had done best throughout her brief career. She broke sharply, established her rhythm early, and refused to yield when challenged through the stretch. Rivals ranged up to her flank, but none could get past.

Super Corredora wins 2025 Juvenile Fillies (Eclipse Sportswire)

“She just goes,” co-owner Debbie Self said. “She doesn’t care what’s around her.”

For Self, the moment carried both familiarity and disbelief. For more than four decades, she had built businesses the same way her filly raced.

Forward, focused, and unbothered by noise or resistance.

Victories were earned through consistency and effort, not waited on. Standing at the finish line as Super Corredora crossed first, Self allowed herself to absorb the moment. A Breeders’ Cup championship was the culmination of a lifetime spent working, showing up, and trusting the process.

“I’ve worked since I was a kid,” Self said. “I don’t really know how to do anything else.”

That approach defined nearly every chapter of her life. For 43 years, Self owned and operated Stooges Bar and Grill, a Louisville fixture near Muhammad Ali International Airport. The local hot spot was built on long hours, personal connection, and routine. She was there daily, immersed in the rhythms of the business. Racing, whether by chance or design, fit naturally into that lifestyle as it, too, rewards preparation, patience, and commitment.

Stooges Bar & Grill, a labor of love, in happier times. (Courtesy of Debbie Self)

“You don’t get anything by sitting back and waiting,” Self said.

That philosophy also shaped her relationship with West Point Thoroughbreds and its president and CEO, Terry Finley. For nearly a decade, Self has partnered with West Point, sharing decisions, risk, and belief along the way. Their collaboration is grounded in trust and communication, with a shared emphasis on evaluating racing prospects carefully and committing to a long-term vision rather than chasing quick results.

Super Corredora emerged from that partnership, another shared decision rooted in belief in a young horse with the right mind. From the start, the filly showed an edge. She was aggressive, professional, and unwilling to yield. Super Corredora didn’t require coaxing. When pressure came in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, she was ready for the challenge.

“I just kept thinking, ‘This is really happening,’ ” Self said, describing the moment as Super Corredora powered home on one of racing’s biggest stages.

It was the greatest day Self had ever experienced in racing. And for a brief moment, everything felt complete.

Four days later, everything changed.

A UPS plane departing the nearby airport crashed behind Stooges Bar and Grill, killing 15 people, devastating the surrounding community, and altering Self’s life forever. The wreckage, contamination, and loss unfolded with a suddenness that was difficult to process.

“At first I thought it was something else,” Self said.

The bar closed. Employees scattered. The future became uncertain. The restaurant Self had built from the ground up, where her identity lived, was suddenly gone.

“That was my life,” she said. “That’s where I went every day.”

Time with horses proved therapeutic for Self (Courtesy of Debbie Self)

At 76, the idea of starting over wasn’t simply daunting. It felt impossible. The routines that had defined her days were erased overnight. There was nothing left to reopen and nowhere to return. The work that had always been there was gone.

What remained were the horses.

Traveling to the barn became a refuge. Self began spending more early mornings at nearby farms, leaning quietly over the rail, carrots and peppermints tucked into her pockets and passed discreetly to her steadfast equine companions. She traveled across the country to Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita Park, following her horses wherever they trained or raced, simply to be near them.

“They are therapy,” Self said. “They help me cope and move on.”

Her experience mirrors a growing body of research on equine-assisted therapy, which has shown that interaction with horses can reduce stress, support emotional regulation, and help individuals process trauma. The routine, physical presence, and connection horses provide can offer a grounding influence. Self feels that influence each time she steps into a barn.

“The horses didn’t change,” she said. “They were still there.”

Super Corredora continues to do what she has always done: move forward. Her Breeders’ Cup victory placed her among the finalists for an Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old filly, recognition that underscores both her brilliance and her potential after winning the championship event with only a maiden victory to her name.

“It would just be overwhelming,” Self said. “To see all her hard work and heart recognized like that, it would be beyond anything I ever imagined.”

2025 Juvenile Fillies winner Super Corredora (Eclipse Sportswire)

Super Corredora is scheduled to return Feb. 8 in the Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita, the next step on a carefully mapped path Self hopes leads back home to Louisville and the Longines Kentucky Oaks May 1. According to Self, trainer John Sadler has identified two potential final preps for the First Friday in May: the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park or the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks, depending on how the spring unfolds.

If all goes well, Super Corredora could take her owner on another theraputic ride.

Self knows there are no guarantees. There never are. But there is momentum. There is belief. And there is a horse who does not hesitate when it matters.

“You just keep going,” Self said.

Like her filly, Debbie Self doesn’t look back. She moves forward, not because the path is clear, but because stopping has never been an option.

Debbie Self, sixth from right in purple hat and tan jacket, in Breeders' Cup winner's circle (Eclipse Sportswire)