In what was an anticipated clash between grade 1 winner Be Your Best and multiple graded stakes victress Beach Bomb, it was the up-and-coming Charlene's Dream who stole the show in the $501,200 Beverly D. Stakes (G2T) Aug. 9 at Colonial Downs.
The race played perfectly into Javier Castellano's hands.
Breaking on top with Be Your Best to Charlene's Dream's inside, it appeared a speed duel was all but inevitable until Tyler Gaffalione took back on the 3-2 favorite, clearing the way for Charlene's Dream on the front end. The Texas-bred filly, stretching out beyond 1 1/8-miles for only the second time in her career, rattled off a :23.78 first quarter before settling into Castellano's hands, slowing down the tempo for a :48.30 half-mile.
"I had watched her other races and she seemed like a horse that didn't want you to take too much of a hold of (early in the race)," Castellano said. "I let her go and let her roll early during the first part of the race ... but by the backstretch I gave her a break. She stayed engaged with the other horse outside and at the top of the stretch she was game. I asked and she responded."
Several lengths clear of the field as the pair raced around the final turn, Charlene's Dream met Be Your Best's challenge with steady resilience as they hit the final quarter-mile. Charlene's Dream never let her more-accomplished rival draw within a neck of her lead, re-asserting herself and storming to the wire on top by 1 1/2 lengths.
Charlene's Dream ($7.20) completed the 1 3/16 miles over a firm turf course in 1:53.74, less than a second off the Colonial track record of 1:52.98.
The Brendan Wash-trained Spanish Eyes rallied late to edge Be Your Best for runner-up honors. Beach Bomb, a distant third early, finished fifth.
Ed Moger Jr. trains Charlene's Dream for owner Domeyko Taylor, who purchased the daughter of Qurbaan for $35,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. A daughter of the War Front mare Clara Kelly, Charlene's Dream remains the sole graded stakes winner for third-crop sire Qurbaan. The son of Speightstown stood the past term for a stud fee of $2,500 at the Indiana Stallion Station near Anderson, Ind.
Bred by Eric Moreau-Sipiere & Randi Moreau-Sipiere, Charlene's Dream has hit her best stride as a 4-year-old but also posted black-type victories as a 2-and 3-year-old on both the turf and synthetic. The filly burst onto the scene in a big way earlier this spring with a dominating win in the Gallorette Stakes (G3T) on Black-Eyed Susan day.
