It’s not every day that a US$10,000 investment pays off at an 1800 percent return rate within five days, but that is exactly what happened after impressive maiden winner Faiza was supplemented to the Starlet Stakes (USA-G1) at Los Alamitos on December 5. It cost US$10,000 to make Faiza eligible to the race, but on December 10, the filly withstood a stern stretch battle against Pride of the Nile and a stewards’ inquiry to capture the US$180,000 first prize as well as a Grade 1 win for her resume.
Faiza is the first top-level winner for freshman sire Girvin, who is moving to Airdrie Stud, Kentucky, for 2023 after starting his stud career at Ocala Stud, Florida. The winner of three graded stakes including the 2017 betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (USA-G1), the son of multiple Grade 1 winner Tale of Ekati is currently fifth on the American freshman sire list with 20 winners to his credit. Five of those winners are stakes winners, including Faiza and Saratoga Special (USA-G2) winner Damon’s Mound.
On the distaff side, Faiza is the third foal of the Smart Strike mare Sweet Pistol, whose most recent foals are the yearling Cairo Prince filly Her Best Friend and an unnamed 2022 filly by Complexity. Unplaced in both her starts, Sweet Pistol is a half sister to 2019 Los Alamitos Futurity (USA-G2) winner Thousand Words (by Pioneerof the Nile).
Sweet Pistol was produced from Pomeroys Pistol, a good sprint mare who won three graded stakes winners as a 3-year-old (two of them at Grade 2 level) and was twice Grade 1-placed. The sire of Pomeroys Pistol, the Boundary horse Pomeroy, was a still better sprinter, winning the 2004 King’s Bishop Stakes (USA-G1) and 2006 Forego Handicap (USA-G1). Pomeroys Pistol is out of the unraced Point Given mare Prettyatthetable, whose half sister Im Classic Quality (by Elusive Quality) is the dam of 2015 Daytona Stakes (USA-G3) winner Toowindytohaulrox (by Harlan’s Holiday). The next dam in the tail-female line, Swearingen (by Deposit Ticket) won four listed stakes and was Grade 2-placed.
Faiza’s pedigree shows a nice balance between speed and stamina, and ordinarily she would be considered a promising candidate for the 2023 Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1). If owner Michael Lund Petersen wants her pointed there, however, he will have to move her to another barn as current trainer Bob Baffert is serving a suspension from racing at tracks owned by Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI), a status that cost Faiza the 10 points toward an Oaks starting berth that she would have otherwise earned for her Starlet victory. Still, she looks like a nice filly that should have a lot of options open to her, and will be interesting to keep an eye on.
Faiza is the first top-level winner for freshman sire Girvin, who is moving to Airdrie Stud, Kentucky, for 2023 after starting his stud career at Ocala Stud, Florida. The winner of three graded stakes including the 2017 betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (USA-G1), the son of multiple Grade 1 winner Tale of Ekati is currently fifth on the American freshman sire list with 20 winners to his credit. Five of those winners are stakes winners, including Faiza and Saratoga Special (USA-G2) winner Damon’s Mound.
On the distaff side, Faiza is the third foal of the Smart Strike mare Sweet Pistol, whose most recent foals are the yearling Cairo Prince filly Her Best Friend and an unnamed 2022 filly by Complexity. Unplaced in both her starts, Sweet Pistol is a half sister to 2019 Los Alamitos Futurity (USA-G2) winner Thousand Words (by Pioneerof the Nile).
Sweet Pistol was produced from Pomeroys Pistol, a good sprint mare who won three graded stakes winners as a 3-year-old (two of them at Grade 2 level) and was twice Grade 1-placed. The sire of Pomeroys Pistol, the Boundary horse Pomeroy, was a still better sprinter, winning the 2004 King’s Bishop Stakes (USA-G1) and 2006 Forego Handicap (USA-G1). Pomeroys Pistol is out of the unraced Point Given mare Prettyatthetable, whose half sister Im Classic Quality (by Elusive Quality) is the dam of 2015 Daytona Stakes (USA-G3) winner Toowindytohaulrox (by Harlan’s Holiday). The next dam in the tail-female line, Swearingen (by Deposit Ticket) won four listed stakes and was Grade 2-placed.
Faiza’s pedigree shows a nice balance between speed and stamina, and ordinarily she would be considered a promising candidate for the 2023 Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1). If owner Michael Lund Petersen wants her pointed there, however, he will have to move her to another barn as current trainer Bob Baffert is serving a suspension from racing at tracks owned by Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI), a status that cost Faiza the 10 points toward an Oaks starting berth that she would have otherwise earned for her Starlet victory. Still, she looks like a nice filly that should have a lot of options open to her, and will be interesting to keep an eye on.
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