Spendarella (foaled April 27, 2019) is an American

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse who has won multiple graded stakes as a three-year-old in 2022 on the turf including Grade I

Del Mar Oaks The Del Mar Oaks is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid August at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. Open to three-year-old fillies, it is contested at a distance of one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs) on the tur ...

at Del Mar.

Background

Spendarella is a bay filly, bred in

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

by Gainesway Thoroughbreds, the breeding arm of

Gainesway Farm Gainesway Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding business in Lexington, Kentucky. It was originally called Greentree Stables, Greentree Farms. The 1,500-acre (6 km2) property has been home to stallions such as Youth (horse), Youth a ...

. Her sire is the Japanese-bred

Karakontie Karakontie (foaled 30 January 2011) is a Japanese-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of the best French-trained two-year-olds of 2013 when he won three of his four races including the Prix La Rochette and Prix Jean-Luc Lagar ...

, grandson of champion

Sunday Silence Sunday Silence (March 25, 1986 – August 19, 2002) was an United States, American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In 1989, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but failed to complete the Triple Cr ...

. Her dam is out of the California-bred

Unusual Heat ''Unusual Heat'' is the seventh studio album by British-American rock band Foreigner, released in June 1991, by Atlantic Records. Recorded at several different studios across the state of New York and England, and produced by Terry Thomas and ...

mare Spanish Bunny, who broke her maiden at Del Mar in 2010. Gainesway purchased Spanish Bunny in foal to Sundarban for US$130,000 from Taylor Made Sales Agency at the 2015

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for ...

November Breeding Stock Sale. Spanish Bunny is also the dam of 2015 Grade I

American Oaks The American Oaks is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the turf held annually in late December Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, USA. The event currently of ...

and Grade II Honeymoon Stakes winner Spanish Queen, a daughter of Tribal Rule who was voted that year's champion California-bred 3-year-old filly, and Spanish Loveaffair a multiple stakes-winning full sister to Spendarella. The mare has a 2-year-old filly by Destin named Spanish Destiny and a 2022 colt by Uncle Mo. Spendarella is trained by H. Graham Motion and owned by Gainesway Stable, the racing arm of

Career

2022: three-year-old season

Unraced at 2, Spendarella debuted at Gulfstream Park on February 2, winning a maiden race by lengths over one mile with jockey Jose Ortiz aboard. A month later on March 5 followed that with victories in the Grade III Herecomesthebride Stakes at Gulfstream Park and the Grade II Appalachian Stakes at

Tyler Gaffalione Tyler Gaffalione (born September 12, 1994, in Davie, Florida) is an American jockey who, since being voted the Eclipse Award for the 2015 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, U.S. Champion Apprentice Jockey, has become one of racing's ...

rode her for the first time in the

race. At

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Gra ...

, in the Group 1

Coronation Stakes The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards (1,603 metres), and it is sche ...

Spendarella and jockey

William Buick William Buick (born 22 July 1988) is a Norwegian-born British flat jockey. He shared the champion apprentice jockey title in 2008 with David Probert and won the Lester Award for Apprentice Jockey of the Year in 2007 and 2008. From 2010 to 2 ...

finished second, but was game in defeat to European two-year-old champion filly

Inspiral Orbital decay is a gradual decrease of the distance between two orbiting bodies at their closest approach (the periapsis) over many orbital periods. These orbiting bodies can be a planet and its satellite, a star and any object orbiting it, or ...

, the daughter of

Frankel Frankel is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Benjamin Frankel (1906–1973), British composer * Bethenny Frankel (born 1970), American chef and reality television personality * Charles Frankel (1917–1975), American philoso ...

. Trainer Motion told on TVG, "I'm thrilled with her. She's a very brave filly, and I think she proved she is a grade 1 filly today." Spendarella was sent to the West Coast, to California where on August 20, she faced twelve other fillies in the Grade I

. Starting as the 6/5 favorite jockey Tylor Gaffalione let Spendarella lope along in third behind early fractions of :23.82 and :47.05. He had her in a perfect spot to watch the leaders Gracelund Gray and Cairo Memories and yet keep an eye out for the rest of the field. Cairo Memories took over from a fading Gracelund Gray around the final turn. As Gracelund Gray began backing up, Gafflione angled Spendarella out slightly around her. From there, Spendarella easily caught Cairo Memories entering the stretch. It was immediately obvious that no one was going to catch the invader, and Spendarella cruised home to win by 4 1/2 lengths in 1:47.09.

Statistics

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
An (*) asterisk after the odds means Spendarella was the post-time favorite.

Pedigree

Spendarella is inbred 5s x 4d x 4d to

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred that, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. After being retired from racing, he became one of the most successful Stallion, sires of the 2 ...

, meaning

appears in the fourth generation on the dam's side twice of the pedigree and in the fifth generation on the sires's side through his son

Storm Bird Storm Bird (19 April 1978 – 3 December 2004) was a Canada, Canadian-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. He was the outstanding European two-year-old of 1980, when he was unbeaten in f ...

References

{{reflist, 2 2019 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 9-f American Grade 1 Stakes winners