This column highlights the performances of 3-year-old maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are graded/group winners, or have dams that are graded/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners, in particular, who meet these criteria are more likely to go on to be graded stakes winners.
Answered Prayers answered her connections' prayers when she broke her maiden April 8 at Keeneland.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Answered Prayers broke sharply and sat in a tracking position off the leader, Flash of Freedom, who set fractions of :23.44, :48.07, 1:13.20, and 1:39.17. She continued to travel in hand under jockey Junior Alvarado down the backside and, on the far turn, she advanced on the leader. Answered Prayers hit the top of the stretch under a drive and collared the leader. She won the 1 1/16-mile dirt race by 2 1/2 lengths, in a final time of 1:45.99. As the post time favorite, she paid $6.74 for the win and earned an 81 Equibase Speed Figure and a 78 Beyer Speed Figure in her second career start.
Answered Prayers is a homebred for Emory A. Hamilton. She is by the champion sprinter Speightstown, and out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare, Tokyo Time, who was second in the Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T) and has had four foals win on the track. Her most notable winner is Answered Prayers' full brother, Olympiad , who won the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), along with scoring in three other grade 2 races. The final start of his career came in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), where he finished second to Flightline.
Keeneland maiden wins continue
On April 11, also at Keeneland, La Rascasse broke her maiden on debut.
Under jockey Axel Conception, the daughter of Authentic broke awkwardly but settled mid-pack in the 7-furlong dirt race. She continued to inch closer to the leader and, as the field hit the top of the stretch, her competition was behind her. She was clear until a late run from Belle came, but she was able to dig in and win by a head on the wire. The William Walden trainee completed the race in a final time of 1:23.47. Paying $14.10 for the victory, she also earned an 87 Equibase Speed Figure and an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.
La Rascasse is the first winner for her Candy Ride dam, Hallawallah. Her second dam is the multiple graded stakes winner, Maryfield, whose most notable victory came in the inaugural Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint in 2007. At the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, she was purchased for $750,000 by her owner, Resolute Racing.
