One of the most intriguing 3-year-old fillies running in today's Grade I $700,000 American Oaks at Hollywood Park is the Irish-bred Mrs Kipling, owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay and trained by renowned turf specialist Neil Drysdale.
The most obvious question is what in the name of breeding logic is Mrs Kipling, a daughter of Australian sprint champion Exceed And Excel, doing in a 1 1/4 -mile turf marathon?
"We don't know if she can go 10 furlongs yet," Drysdale said. "It's an experiment."
The international field of 14 horses, seven of which are from outside California, presents a handicapping challenge because many have shown potential but no one knows which are capable of winning at the distance.
It is the eighth race on an 11-race card that includes the Grade I $300,000 Triple Bend Handicap at seven furlongs on the Cushion Track.
Flay bought Mrs Kipling in England for $235,000 on the advice of Drysdale after she had won two of five starts as a 2-year-old, none longer than six furlongs on the turf. But Drysdale saw that Mrs Kipling's dam was by the Darley stallion Carnegie, who won four times at 1 1/2 miles, adding to the puzzle of how far Mrs Kipling might run.
"If you looked at her on paper as a 2-year-old, she was running in five-furlong races," Flay said. "He discovered after bringing her to California and giving her time off that she wanted to go further. It surprised me in a good way."
Mrs Kipling won the Grade III Senorita Stakes at one mile on the turf at Hollywood Park on May 3 in the excellent time of 1:34.2. That earned her an invitation to what has become perhaps the most prestigious turf race for 3-year-old fillies in the United States. Jockey David Flores has the mount.
Flay said he watched the Senorita Stakes from home in New York while cooking dinner for his wife and father.
"That was pretty exciting," he said.
Flay, who owns five upscale restaurants and got into the horse-racing business about eight years ago, is hoping Mrs Kipling can deliver her first Grade I victory.
"She doesn't have to have the lead," he said. "She gets very relaxed, and that's a sign of a horse, in my opinion, that has a lot of class. You kind of press the button and she circles them at a moment's notice."
Drysdale said he was encouraged in that Mrs Kipling continued to grow between her 2-year-old and 3-year-old seasons.
"She's a very attractive filly," he said. "Sometimes you purchase a 2-year-old and that's what you get."
