Never underestimate a champion. This age-old lesson was reiterated to handicappers and racing fans alike when the sensational, speedy mare Groupie Doll defied age and expectations in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
Entering the 2015 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, the first ever at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, there were no shortage of compelling storylines, including the first Triple Crown winner since 1978, American Pharoah, attempting to close out his career with a win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Rarely do top-class racemares duplicate their efforts from the racetrack as broodmares. The odds are simply stacked against such a feat. It has been done, though, and if one were to rank mares who were the best in both careers, Miesque would undoubtedly be near the top of that list. She won 10 Grade or Group 1 races, including two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Mile, and her first two foals were classic winners.
Nineteen times she met the starter and in 15 of those Enable was the first across the line. Her 12-race win streak spanned three seasons as she matured from filly to mare, no stage too big for this homebred Juddmonte star. Under the Twin Spires, she showed what she was made of, adding Breeders’ Cup victor to her already stellar résumé. A record-breaking career not only made Enable a star in Europe, but her stateside performance made her a queen of hearts everywhere.
