Caitlinhergrtness Looks to Fire Best Shot in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup
At 0h02, on October 12, 2024 • By Keeneland
Elliott Walden of WinStar Farm, who was known to play a little basketball in his younger days, was watching some videos a couple of years ago when he ran across footage of Caitlin Clark at the University of Iowa.
“I saw a video of (Clark) and thought we’ve got to name a horse after her, and that was a year before we bought (the filly),” Walden said of Caitlinhergrtness, who is co-owned by Siena Farm and will make her Keeneland debut Saturday in the $750,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) Presented by Dixiana for 3-year-old fillies.
Now in the hands of trainer Kevin Attard, Caitlinhergrtness arrived at Keeneland at 10 p.m. Thursday after vanning from Woodbine. The daughter of Omaha Beach made her first four starts on dirt for Todd Pletcher.
“Elliott and I spoke around the end of February in regard to her coming north to Woodbine,” Attard said. “Her being a Canadian-bred and with the 3-year-old program that we have for Canadian-breds, it just made sense to try her here and see how things unfolded.
“She obviously showed talent early in her career and seemed to be a horse that could possibly fit the bill for the Woodbine Oaks.”
Once at Woodbine, Caitlinhergrtness began to thrive on the all-weather surface.
“I had originally entered her in a synthetic race to try and get a prep in before the Oaks, but it failed to fill,” Attard said. “Talking to Elliott and discussing our options, we elected to run her on the turf as our backup and she won impressively.
“The Oaks came back quickly in two weeks, but she seemed to bounce out of it well enough to give her the opportunity to run in it.”
Despite an outside post in the Oaks, Caitlinhergrtness was caught late and finished second beaten a neck going 1⅛ miles over the all-weather surface. That set up her run against males in the King’s Plate on Aug. 23 going a mile and a quarter over the all-weather.
“We basically let her decide if we should tackle the boys in the King’s Plate,” Attard said. “She just seemed to keep flourishing. She ran a game and determined race (winning by three-quarters of a length) that day to win, and it was just a big highlight of my career.
“The King’s Plate in Canada has so much meaning and significance – (winning is) very rewarding to everyone involved with her. She’s made history, and we’re hopeful she continues to write more.”
Saturday’s race could mark the start of a huge three-week span for Attard, who has 2022 Canadian Horse of the Year Moira and Grade 1 winner Full Count Felicia both pointing to the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly and Turf (G1) on Nov. 2. Attard said the two mares would ship to Del Mar from Woodbine on Oct. 28.
