Judy the Beauty (foaled 17 March 2009) is a Canadian-bred, American-trained

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse. Bred by

Adena Springs Adena Springs is a Thoroughbred horse breeding operation owned by Frank Stronach and his family. The main farm is located in Paris, Kentucky, with satellite locations in Florida and Ontario, Canada. Adena Springs has won the Eclipse Award for ...

in Ontario, she has been owned and trained throughout her racing career by

Wesley Ward Wesley A. Ward (born March 3, 1968, in Selah, Washington) is a retired American Champion jockey and a current trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing. Background Ward grew up in the horse racing industry, being the son of trainer Dennis Ward.

who bought her for $20,000 as a yearling. As a juvenile, she won her first three races (including one on turf in France) before finishing second in the

Spinaway Stakes The Spinaway Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old fillies, it is a Grade I event contested at a distance of seven furlongs (1,408 metres) on dirt. ...

. In a brief three-year-old season she finished second in all three of her races. In 2013 she established herself as one of the best female sprinters in North America, winning the

Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes The Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged three-years-old and older over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt held annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course, Lexingt ...

and finishing second to

Groupie Doll Groupie Doll (foaled April 14, 2008) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter, she is best known for winning the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint in 2012 and 2013. Unraced as a two-year-old she showed good form as a three-yea ...

in the

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- ...

. She was even better at five, winning the Las Flores Handicap,

Madison Stakes The Madison Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old or older, over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt held annually in early April at Keeneland Race Course, Lexington, Kentucky during ...

and Rancho Bernardo Handicap before ending her season with a win in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. After her retirement, Judy the Beauty was inducted into the

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The ...

in 2018.

Background

Judy the Beauty is a chestnut mare with a white blaze bred in Ontario by

. She is one of the best horses sired by Ghostzapper who was the

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, " ...

and the World's Top Ranked Horse in 2004. Her dam Holy Blitz won three of her seven races and was a descendant of the influential broodmare

La Troienne La Troienne (1926–1954) was one of the most famous and influential Thoroughbred broodmares in twentieth century America. She produced 10 winners including two Hall of Fame inductees while at stud, while her daughters in turn produced many notab ...

. As a yearling, Judy the Beauty was sent to the Keeneland sales in September 2010, where she was bought for $20,000 by

. The Keeneland-based Ward has trained the mare throughout her racing career.

Racing career

2011: two-year-old season

Judy the Beauty made her track debut in a

maiden race In horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports ...

over four and a half

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in h ...

on the synthetic

Polytrack The track surface of a horse racing track refers to the material of which the track is made. There are three types of track surfaces used in modern horse racing. These are: *Turf, the most common track surface in Europe *Dirt, the most common trac ...

surface at Keeneland on 15 April 2011. Ridden by Jeffrey Sanchez, she started 11/10 favourite and won by one and three quarter

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with Dimension (physical quantity), dimension distance. In most Measurement system, systems of measurement a Base unit (measurement), base unit f ...

from Wish to Opine. She was then sent to race in Europe and won the Prix Caravelle over 1000 metres on turf at

Chantilly Racecourse Chantilly Racecourse (In French: "Hippodrome de Chantilly") is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris. Chantilly Racecourse is located in the country's main ...

on 2 May, leading from the start and beating Ruby's Day by a neck. On her return to North America she won her third consecutive race when she took the Shady Well Stakes over five and a half furlongs at

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The tra ...

, beating Dene Court by half length. On September 4 the filly was moved up in class to contest the Grade I

over seven furlongs at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actu ...

. Starting favorite against seven opponents, she took the lead in the straight but was overtaken in the closing stages and beaten into second place by Grace Hall.

2012: three-year-old season

After an absence of nine months, Judy the Beauty returned to the track and finished second in an allowance race over at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was p ...

in June. In August she returned to Grade I company for the

Prioress Stakes The Prioress Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the eight-week meet at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Inaugurated in 1948 at Jamaica Racetrack, it was raced there through 1959 after wh ...

over six furlongs and finished second, beaten a nose by Emma's Encore. On her only other appearance of the season she finished second again, beaten one and a quarter lengths by the four-year-old Dust And Diamond in the Gallant Bloom Handicap at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

on September 22. In all three of her races in 2012 she was ridden by

Joel Rosario Joel Rosario (born January 14, 1985) is a Champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing, originally from the Dominican Republic. In the space of five weeks in 2013 he rode the winners of the Dubai World Cup and the Kentucky Derby. More rec ...

2013: four-year-old season

Judy the Beauty began her third season by winning an allowance race over six furlongs at Keeneland on April 25 and then finished second to Beat The Blues when favorite for the Grade III Winning Colors Stakes at Churchill Downs a month later. She then ran second to Starship Truffles in the Grade I Princess Rooney Handicap and third to

in the Masters Stakes at

Presque Isle Downs Presque Isle Downs & Casino is a casino and horse racing track near Erie, Pennsylvania, owned and operated by Churchill Downs Inc. History The developer, MTR Gaming Group, broke ground in October 2005 for the new facility, which opened on Februar ...

. On 5 October, Judy the Beauty met Groupie Doll again in the Grade II Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes over six furlongs at Keeneland. Ridden by

John Velazquez John R. Velazquez (born November 24, 1971) is a Puerto Rican jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He began his career in Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1990. In 2004 and 2005 he was the United States Champion Jockey by earnings and both ye ...

she took the lead approaching the final furlong and won by a lengths from Gypsy Robin, with Groupie Doll three quarters of a length away in third. After the race, Ward said "I've owned this filly for a few years now, and I'm just elated. Any time you can have a home-court advantage (the horses have) a big advantage and that's what this filly had. She trains here every day. She's just outstanding." On November 2 Judy the Beauty contested the seventh running of the

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 ...

, with

Luis Saez Luis Saez (born May 19, 1992) in Panama City, Panama) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Saez rode Maximum Security to finish first in the 2019 Kentucky Derby but was subsequently disqualified due to interference. The two later w ...

taking over the ride for the injured Velazquez. After tracking the leaders in the early stages she made steady progress in the straight and finished second, half a length behind Groupie Doll.

2014: five-year-old season

On her first appearance as a five-year-old, Judy the Beauty started 1/2 favorite for the Grade III Las Flores Stakes over six furlongs at Santa Anita on March 9. Ridden by Velazquez, she took the lead early in the stretch and won by four and three quarter lengths from Heir Kitty. Five weeks later the mare was moved up in class and distance and was made 3/5 favorite for the Grade I Madison Stakes over seven furlongs at Keeneland. Despite being forced to race four wide on the turn, she took the lead in the stretch and won by two and a half lengths from Better Lucky. Ward said "I'm ecstatic. She's been so unlucky so many different times when she's been beaten right on the money. To finally vindicate with a grade 1 is just unbelievable. She's getting a lot more composed as she gets older. She used to be a little bit fractious saddling and a little nervous in the post parade. Now she just walks into the gate with a lot of class. Three weeks later the mare started odds-on favorite for the Humana Distaff Handicap at Churchill Downs but finished fourth behind Midnight Lucky, Street Girl and Scherzinger after fading in the stretch. After a break of more than three months, Judy the Beauty returned in the Rancho Bernardo Stakes over six and a half furlong at

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundi ...

on 17 August. Ridden by Mike Smith, she was well off the pace at half way but finished strongly to take the lead in the stretch and won by one and a half lengths from Madame Cactus, with the odds-on favorite Reneesgotzip in third. Smith commented, "Impressive; extremely impressive. I've been wanting to ride this mare for a long time. I finally got to and it sure looks like I picked the right day. She's something. She can run with any of them. Boys, too. Look out!" On 1 November 2014 at Santa Anita, Judy the Beauty made her second attempt to win the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Ridden again by Smith she started the 7/2 favorite against nine opponents including Artemis Agrotera (

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 ...

), Stonetastic (Prioress Stakes), Sweet Reason (

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 Tiar ...

Test Stakes The Test Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race open to three-year-old fillies and run each summer at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is contested at a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt and is an influenti ...

) and Leigh Court (Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes). After tracking the leaders in the early stages, Smith moved the mare to the wide outside to make her challenge in the straight. She overtook the pace-setter Stonetastic a furlong out and then held the late challenge of Better Lucky to win by a head, with a gap of three lengths back to Thank You Marylou in third. After the race, Ward announced that the mare would remain in training, saying "With the Breeders' Cup at her home base of Keeneland next year, I've decided to keep her in training for another season. This is the kind of horse that keeps you going, keeps you working hard in this game. Horse racing is all about dreams coming true."

2015: six-year-old season

Judy the Beauty did not fare well as a six year old, going winless in all four starts for the season. Her best finishes were seconds in the Gr.I Humana Distaff Handicap and Gr.II

Honorable Miss Handicap The Honorable Miss Handicap is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are three years old or older over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt track scheduled annually in September at Saratoga Race Course in Sarato ...

, and a third in the Gr.II

. She ran again in the Filly and Mare Sprint to defend her title, but finished fifth behind winner Wavell Avenue.

Retirement and Broodmare Career

Judy the Beauty was retired in November 2015, after the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. On April 22, 2017 Judy the Beauty foaled a chestnut filly by Triple Crown winner

American Pharoah American Pharoah (foaled February 2, 2012) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the American Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2015. He was the 12th Triple Crown winner in history, and in winning all four races, became the first ho ...

. Judy the Beauty was named into the

in 2018.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist, 2 2009 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ontario Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 1-x Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winners Eclipse Award winners Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees