Ce Ce (foaled March 5, 2016) is an

American Champion American Champion Aircraft Corporation, is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft headquartered at the Rochester, Wisconsin airport. Founded in 1988 on the acquisition of the Champ, Citabria, Scout, and Decathlon, it has been producing repla ...

Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of the 2020

Apple Blossom Handicap The Apple Blossom Handicap is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old or older, run under handicap conditions over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt track held annually in April ...

and 2021

Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint is a 7-furlong (1408 m) Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred fillies and mares three years old and up. As its name implies, it is a part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-e ...

Background

Ce Ce is by

Elusive Quality Elusive Quality (January 27, 1993 – March 14, 2018) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was a record-setting sprinter on the racetrack and the leading sire in North America of 2004. He sired the 2004 Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones. ...

out of Bo Hirsch's home-bred Belong to Me mare Miss Houdini, a winner at the Grade 1 level, having taken the

Del Mar Debutante Stakes The Del Mar Debutante Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies run each year in early September at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. A Grade I event since 1999, the Debutante is raced on dirt at a distance of s ...

at 2 in 2002. Miss Houdini is also the dam of 2009 Grade II

Arkansas Derby The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. In 2004, t ...

winner Papa Clem and is in turn out of the Lord Avie mare Magical Maiden, who was a $26,000 2-year-old purchase by Bo Hirsch's father—the late Clement L. Hirsch—and went on to win the 1991 Grade I Hollywood Starlet and the 1992 Grade I

Las Virgenes Stakes The Las Virgenes Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over the distance of one mile on the dirt scheduled annually in late January or early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The eve ...

earning $903,245. Miss Houdini, trained by

Warren Stute Warren R. Stute (September 30, 1921 - August 9, 2007) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer who conditioned racehorses for almost 70 years from a base in California. Clement L. Hirsch, co-founder and owner of Oak Tree Racing Associat ...

, only made a total of four starts at two and three, with earnings of $187,600.

Career

2019: three-year-old season

Ce Ce's first race was a Maiden Special Weight race on April 12, 2019 at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

, where she came in first. She participated in her first graded race on June 8, 2019, when she came in 4th at the Grade-1

Acorn Stakes The Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile with a current purse of $500,000. It is the first leg of the US Triple Tiara ...

2020: four-year-old season

She began her 2020 season with a February 17, 2020 win in an Allowance Optional Claiming race at Santa Anita Park. On March 14, 2020, she got the biggest win of her career when she won the 2020

Beholder Mile Stakes The Beholder Mile Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged three and up. It is run over a distance of one mile on the dirt each year in March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. History The event was ...

, edging out Hard Not to Love. Ce Ce picked up another Grade-1 win on April 18, 2020, this time in the 2020

, besting Ollie's Candy by a head. On May 31, 2020, Ce Ce finished in third place in the 2020

Santa Maria Stakes The Santa Maria Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late May at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A race for fillies and mares age four and older, it is contested on Pro-Ride synthetic dirt over a distanc ...

behind her rival, Hard Not to Love.

2021: five-year-old season

Ce Ce started her 2021 season at Santa Anita where she was an easy winner of a seven-furlong allowance optional claiming race in mid-April. That set the table for a stretch-out effort in the -mile Grade 2

that didn't pan out. Kept around one turn, Ce Ce shipped to South Florida and was a -length winner of the Grade 2

Princess Rooney Stakes The Princess Rooney Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged three and older over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt run annually in early July at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Hist ...

. Ce Ce was brought to Saratoga for the

Ballerina Stakes The Ballerina Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are three years old or older over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt track scheduled annually in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Sprin ...

against a strong field including champion

Gamine A gamine is a slim, often boyish, elegant young woman who is, or is perceived to be, mischievous, teasing or sexually appealing. The word ''gamine'' is a French word, the feminine form of ''gamin'', originally meaning urchin, waif or playful, ...

. Gamine got off to a good start and set fractions of 23.20, 45.68 and 1:09.20 while Ce Ce tagged along in fourth place. In the end, Ce Ce finished in third place, three lengths behind Gamine in a time of 1:21.39. Prior to the Breeders' Cup she was a handy winner of the 3 October GIII Chillingworth Stakes at Santa Anita. On November 6, again Ce Ce faced Gamine who was a hot 2/5 odds-on favorite in her attempt to repeat winning the

Del Mar Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "from the sea". It may refer to: Places in the United States * Del Mar, California * Del Mar High School, located in San Jose, California * Del Mar racetrack, located in Del Mar, California * Del Mar Fai ...

. In a five horse field Ce Ce tracked Gamine and the three-year-old Bella Sofia four wide into the turn, easing out around them on the turn and loomed five wide into the stretch. She cleared them with a furlong remaining and drew away late. For her performances during the year Ce Ce earned US Champion Female Sprint Horse honors.

2022: six-year-old season

Statistics

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 2016 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 12-c American Grade 1 Stakes winners