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In the spirit of Rachel Alexandra, Havre de Grace defeated the boys in the 2011 Woodward just as Rachel defeated the boys in 2009. In both case they were the favorites, but victory was by no means assured, as they both had to contend with some talented horses. Havre de Grace defeated two horses that have won Grade 1 events, Ice Box and Giant Oak who won the Florida Derby and Donn Handicap, respectively. She also defeated Mission Impazible and Flat Out who have won Grade 2 races. In addition, the horse that came in second, Flat Out has the highest Beyer Speed Figure this year for dirt races over a mile – he received a 113 for his big effort in the Grade 2 Suburban, and she held him off by a length. To put her victory in the Woodward in perspective, Tizway, the horse that many consider to be the top handicap horse in the country right now, defeated the afore-mentioned Flat Out by three lengths in early August in the Grade 1 Whitney, so if Tizway is better than Havre de Grace, she is not that far behind. And the 111 Beyer Speed Figures she received for her effort matched the 111 that Tizway was assigned for his Whitney Handicap win. Her connections think she is Horse of the Year material and her victory in the Woodward puts her right in the discussion. In order to do so, she will probably have to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. A Horse of the Year award would make her the third consecutive female horse to win those honors, the previous winners being Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra. It is a definite possibility as she has faced most of the better male handicap horses from the East Coast she will have to deal with this year, and there are no real monsters out in Southern California. Some horses she might face should she run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (the Ladies’ Classic is the other option) from California include First Dude, Game on Dude, and Twirling Candy, but none of those horses seem to be much better than the best horses she has already faced in the Woodward. From a speed figure standpoint, the caliber of the handicap division this year seems to be a little below what we have seen in other years. Therefore, it’s a prime time for Havre de Grace to take a shot at the boys and she has a realistic chance too. Her next start is targeted to be back against her own sex, in the Grade 1, $350,000 Beldame Stakes on Oct. 1 at Belmont Park.
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