The Eclipse Award for the top juvenile filly of 2013 came down to a photo-finish in the biggest race of the year for the division. Ria Antonia and She's a Tiger nearly hit the line at the same time in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I)...and the order of finish wound up being reversed via disqualification.
She's a Tiger, a tenacious filly by Tale of the Cat owned by Mark Dedomenico, Allen Aldrich, Lisa Hernandez, Stuart Downey, Phil Lebherz, and trainer Jeff Bonde took the Juvenile Fillies field wire to wire at Santa Anita Park, keeping her nose in front of the rallying Ria Antonia at the wire, but drifted out during the stretch run, causing the stewards to take a lengthy look at the replay before making their call. She's a Tiger was taken down and placed second for interfering with Ria Antonia, but gets the Eclipse as the top juvenile filly based on her sterling 3-3-0 slate from six starts.
If there was any precedent in the category, it came from the inaugural running of the Breeders' Cup in 1984. Fran's Valentine finished first but was disqualified from the win and Harbor View Farm's Outstandingly was put up. Outstandingly was named that year's champion 2-year-old filly; however, she continued to race after the Breeders' Cup, winning the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (gr. I). Neither She's a Tiger nor Ria Antonia started after the 2013 World Championships.
Bred in Kentucky by Dr. Rodney Orr and a half sister to the grade I-winning sprinter Smiling Tiger , She's a Tiger was a $150,000 product of the 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale. She broke her maiden by nine lengths at first asking at Pleasanton, then shipped south to win the Landaluce Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park by a three-quarters of a length. A runner-up effort, losing by a half-length to Concave in the Sorreno Stakes (gr. II) at Del Mar preceded a gritty half-length win in the grade I Del Mar Debutante Stakes. Prepping for the Breeders' Cup, she was headed late by Secret Compass in Santa Anita's Chandelier Stakes (gr. I).
The votes below represent only first-place votes from members of the consolidated voting entities, NTRA, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers And Broadcasters.
She's a Tiger, 212; Chriselliam, 15; Ria Antonia, 10; Sweet Reason, 3; Stopshoppingmaria, 3; Streaming, 3; My Conquestadory, 2; Artemis Agrotera, 1.
