Last to first for Sir Prancealot mare in mile Grade 2 at Churchill Downs

Beau Recall added another good performance to her résumé when winning the Grade 2 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes on firm ground at Churchill Downs this evening. Now aged five and trained by Brad Cox, the daughter of former Tally-Ho Stud stallion Sir Prancealot (by Tamayuz) beat Got Stormy by a length and a quarter, with Daddy Is A Legend a head back in third.

Victory looked unlikely as the field swept into the straight but the mare produced a sustained run that took her from last to first to record a second career win at this level. That prior victory, in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine Stakes of 2018, came when she was trained by Simon Callaghan. The previous summer she lost out by a nose to Dream Dancing in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks over nine furlongs.

All of this is quite a leap forward on her two-race juvenile season in Ireland when, for trainer Adrian McGuinness, she finished fifth in a Fairyhouse maiden before taking a seven-and-a-half-furlong claimer at Tipperary. Her original trainer had secured her for just €17,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.

There was plenty of other European interest in the Churchill Downs race as fourth place went to the former Andre Fabre-trained stakes winner Environs (by Dansili), with 2017's Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) heroine Precieuse (by Tamayuz) fifth, and former Marco Botti-trained Grade 1 scorer Capla Temptress (by Lope De Vega) seventh. Botti is also the former trainer of German Group 2 sprint winner Raven's Lady (by Raven's Pass) who was ninth, whereas the last horse home was the Irish-bred mare Take These Chains (by Fastnet Rock).

Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes (G2)
1600m , 400.000 $ , for 4yo+ mares#KYDerby145
□□#churchilldowns

Beau Recall (IRE)
(5m Sir Prancealot - Greta D'Argent by Great Commotion)
J: @iradortiz
T: Brad Cox
O: Slam Dunk Racing and Medallion
2nd Got Stormy
3rd Daddy Is A Legend pic.twitter.com/Y8Omzq5HIX

— □□ (@WorldRacing_) May 4, 2019

Beau Recall's sire began his stallion career in Ireland but did not return to Europe after the 2017 southern hemisphere season and now resides at Cornerstone Stud in South Australia. The mare represents his first crop as do the Group/Grade 2 scorers Madam Dancealot and Sir Dancealot and the pattern-placed stakes winner Pepita.

She was bred by Tom Wallace, is out of the multiple mile to 12-furlong winner Greta D'Argent (by Great Commotion), and has several successful siblings. Fortinbrass (by Baltic King) got all but one of his eight wins over six furlongs whereas Coolminx (by One Cool Cat) won five times from five to seven furlongs and earned some valuable blacktype when runner-up in a six-furlong listed contest at York. Her first two foals are already winners.

Greta D'Argent's half-brother Winged D'Argent (by In The Wings) won the Listed Further Flight Stakes over 14 furlongs and was placed in both the Group 2 Henry II Stakes and Group 2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier, and their dam Petite-D-Argent (by Noalto) won over six at Newmarket and seven at Epsom.

Beau Recall is a credit to all of her connections. It will be fascinating to see how her eventual broodmare career turns out, especially if she remains in North America.