2004 Hall of Fame Inductee: Flawlessly

Flawlessly is the second Harbor View Farm homebred elected into the Hall of Fame, joining Affirmed, the last winner of the Triple Crown. The announcement came from the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in a teleconference Tuesday afternoon.

Flawlessly, a daughter of Affirmed, out of La Confidence, by Nijinsky II was bred in Kentucky. The 1998 foal recorded a stellar record of 16-4-3 from 28 starts and earned $2,572,536, twice being named champion grass female in 1992 and 1993.

"We had the good fortune of breeding and racing Affirmed, and now that one of her daughters is in now, that's the thrill of a lifetime," said Patrice Wolfson during the teleconference. Patrice, and her husband, Louis, breed and race under the Harbor View name.

"She won nine grade I races, and just like her sire, she just loved to run," Wolfson said. "When you breed and race, this is what you hope for. She was a lovely filly and she raced from her 2-year-old year through her 5-year-old year."

Flawlessly began her career on the East Coast under the care of trainer Dick Dutrow, winning the Gardenia Stakes (gr. IIIT) in her third career start. She also won the Tempted Stakes (gr. III) in December of 1990. After bleeding badly while failing to finish the Busanda Stakes in January of 1991, Flawlessly was given time off and sent to Southern California and Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham.

"Charlie loved her," Wolfson said. "He spaced her races out and just loved the filly. He did a fantastic job with her."

Fantastic may be an understatement as she dominated the distaff turf division on the West Coast for three years. She won seven of her first eight starts for Whittingham, including the first of her consecutive three wins in the Matriarch Stakes (gr. IT) and one of two Beverly Hills Handicaps (gr. IT). In her 20 starts for Wittingham, she went 13-4-2, failing to hit the board only once, a ninth-place finish in the 1993 Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT). She was ridden exclusively for Whittingham by Chris McCarron.

Of her nine grade I wins, Flawlessly won the Matriarch three times, the Ramona Handicap at Del Mar three times, the Beverly Hills Handicap twice, and the Beverly D. Handicap at Arlington Park once.

As a broodmare, Flawlessly has only had two foals. Her first, Flawlessness, a 1996 filly by Storm Cat, was a winner. The following year, she delivered another filly, Dreamlike, also by Storm Cat, who was unraced.