Word is out that Willis Horton is considering entering his champion filly Take Charge Brandi in the Rebel Stakes (USA-G2), where she might meet her male counterpart American Pharoah. Frankly, why not? If she keeps to her own sex, she'll run for $150,000 in the Honeybee Stakes (USA-G3) at the same distance and track. Running against the boys, she'd make as much by finishing third in a race with a $750,000 pot. And as Horton has already pointed out, if she wins, he'll have the option of pointing her to the Kentucky Derby (USA-G1) or the Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1).
In my opinion, American owners and trainers are sometimes too conservative about running a talented filly against males, something European and Australian owners and trainers do without a second thought. There are many times when a Grade 1-class filly could be spotted to run for larger purses against males in Grade 2 or 3 races, and a solid win against males in such a race carries as much weight on a catalog page as all but the most elite of Grade 1 sex-restricted races. Since there is little evidence that running against males is more likely to result in a breakdown than running against other females, why not just go with the highest-value race that best fits a filly's aptitudes and current fitness level and looks like a reasonable spot, regardless of whether it's against males or females?
In my opinion, American owners and trainers are sometimes too conservative about running a talented filly against males, something European and Australian owners and trainers do without a second thought. There are many times when a Grade 1-class filly could be spotted to run for larger purses against males in Grade 2 or 3 races, and a solid win against males in such a race carries as much weight on a catalog page as all but the most elite of Grade 1 sex-restricted races. Since there is little evidence that running against males is more likely to result in a breakdown than running against other females, why not just go with the highest-value race that best fits a filly's aptitudes and current fitness level and looks like a reasonable spot, regardless of whether it's against males or females?
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