Very few horses have had the privilege of defeating Indiana standout Lady Fog Horn. She Mabee Wild moved into that category Wednesday, Oct. 5, defeating Indiana’s 2015 Horse of the Year in a gritty stretch battle of the $100,000-added Richmond Stakes.
She Mabee Wild, ridden by Jesus Castanon, began her journey in the one and one-sixteenth mile event from post three. The four-year-old daughter of Mr Mabee broke alertly and secured the coveted spot right behind Carmalley Chrome and Rodney Prescott, the expected front runners of the field. Carmalley Chrome kept her distance from the field and led the way by open lengths down the backstretch. Castanon kept She Mabee Wild under wraps and set his own pace, knowing that heavily favored Lady Fog Horn and Albin Jimenez would be rolling into focus anytime after the halfway point.
The intensity of the race heated up around the turn as horses began to close in on Carmalley Chrome. She Mabee Wild maintained her course along the inside while Lady Fog Horn was forced four wide through most of the turn.
In the stretch, Lady Fog Horn had found her best stride in the center of the track but She Mabee Wild and Joyous Lady on the inside were not going to go away quietly. In the final strides, She Mabee Wild and Lady Fog Horn were fending each other off, and neither filly was willing to give in. It took the final stride of the race to determine the winner as She Mabee Wild reached the finish line just the margin of a head over Lady Fog Horn. Joyous Lady and Tommy Pompell held on to third place with ease in the race that stopped the timer in 1:42.86.
“I’ve had this filly (She Mabee Wild) her whole life,” said Trainer Mark Danner, who is stabled at Churchill Downs. “We ran her in Hot Springs this year and she won a nice allowance there. The winter took its wear and tear on her, so we turned her out for the summer to let her rest. She has always been an honest, hard working horse. She’s bad in the gate, but the gate crew here does a fantastic job with her.”
She Mabee Wild paid $15.00, $5.00 and $3.20 across the board. She is now four for 15 lifetime for owner and breeder Michelle Shaw of Louisville, Ky.
“She (She Mabee Wild) wasn’t that bad in the gate today,” said Castanon, who was aboard the filly for the first time in her career. “Once she settled, she was ready to break. I was expecting to see the eight (Carmalley Chrome) go out for the lead and I wanted to stay close. I let her settle and I knew they would be trying to get to me later on. We got a jump ahead and that carried my filly to the wire. She was fighting back and so was the other filly (Lady Fog Horn). I’m very proud of the way she raced today.”
In only two years of competition, She Mabee Wild has accumulated more than $200,000 in purse earnings. Her win in the Richmond Stakes was the first stakes win of her career.
“I’ve been in the business for a while but only in the breeding business for about the last six or seven years,” said Shaw. “Right now, I have one broodmare in foal and I have a two-year-old besides this filly. We have a half-brother to this filly also. I thought Jesus (Castanon) gave her a perfect ride today. Really, with her, she runs the way she wants to, but the race set up perfect for her today.”