Sistercharlie Wins Again in Beverly D. Stakes

If anyone is going to prevent Sistercharlie from earning an Eclipse Award as the champion female turf horse of 2018… well, let’s just say they’ve got their work cut out for them!

With just 2 ½ months remaining until the Breeders’ Cup, Sistercharlie is in the midst of assembling an Eclipse-worthy resume that will be hard for anyone to top. Earlier this year, she prevailed in the Jenny Wiley Stakes (gr. I) and Keeneland and the Diana Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga, and on Saturday, she added the prestigious $600,000 Beverly D. Stakes (gr. I) at Arlington Park to her string of major victories.

Furthermore, Sistercharlie accomplished the task in a manner that suggests she isn't slowing down as the season progresses. With John Velazquez in the saddle for trainer Chad Brown, Sistercharlie was reserved toward the rear of the field early on as stablemate Thais carved out very slow fractions of :24.53, :50.53, and 1:15.29. Such a pace should have put Sistercharlie at a severe disadvantage, but the Irish-bred daughter of Myboycharlie shrugged off the adversity with aplomb, unleashing a sharp burst of speed around the far turn that carried her into contention at the top of the stretch.

From there, the race was essentially over, though yet another of Sistercharlie’s stablemates—Fourstar Crook, who defeated Sistercharlie by a head in the New York Stakes (gr. II) two months ago—did put in a sustained rally to make the finish close. But Sistercharlie always appeared to have the race measured and held on to prevail by a comfortable half-length, with Thais staying on well to finish third and give Chad Brown a sweep of the trifecta.

With three Grade 1 wins under her belt this year, Sistercharlie may have already done enough to earn the Eclipse Award, and she’ll certainly have done enough if she can win the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. I) in November at Churchill Downs. Her fees-paid spot in the race is already secure since the Beverly D. was a “Win and You’re In” for the Filly & Mare Turf. One possible chink in her armor is the fact that she’s never traversed the 11-furlong distance of the Filly & Mare Turf, but it should be noted that Sistercharlie compiled a 2-for-3 record going 10 ½ furlongs in France last year, with her lone defeat coming with a trouble trip in the prestigious Prix de Diane Longines (Fr-I) at Chantilly.

In other words, if you want to steal the Eclipse Award from Sistercharlie, you’ll probably have to do it in the Breeders’ Cup. And beating her, even going 11 furlongs, could be a task easier said than done.