Queen of the Fillies

By Whirlaway

The sophomore ladies this year were an extremely competitive group of talented gals that included dirt starlets Nimble Flyer, Ghouls Gold, Stone Barking and turf heroine Surf the Turf. To narrow it down to only five for the nomination had to be a monumental task. And alas, four of them would need to be satisfied having earned a spot as Princess on Her Royal Highness's Royal Court. The fans have crowned their champion - a lady of grace, fluidity of movement, and of course - dizzying power. She is QUEEN BUSHEL.

How did this princess establish herself as the queen over her peers? Very simple... a sensational second half of the season planned out masterfully by her trainer, Erik. Queen Bushel didn't start off 2001 as a household name: she'd been a moderately successful two-year-old, even chalking up a G3 win in her freshman year. As she came into her own and began to blossom at age three, Erik sent his filly out on a mission. To challenge the best of her generation and dance every dance while taking on all comers. In a 2001 campaign of nineteen starts, fifteen of them were graded and she finished first or second in two-thirds of those, including six G1's.

After a disappointing sixth in her season debut at a mile, Erik reeled her back to a more familiar distance of 7F. It was that race, the G3 Backward Gal, that stamped this filly as something special. Storming from behind to sweep to the lead, winning by 2-1/2 lengths, she posted a speed figure of 109 - astonishing for a three-year-old filly in January! The Queen had begun her march forward to state her claim upon the crown. Her ever-growing legion of fans were absolutely ecstatic to see her back in G1 company at a mile next out - and Queen Bushel did not disappoint them. Again, demonstrating her devastating turn of foot in the stretch, she won by 4-1/2 lengths at a canter to claim her first G1 - the Sweet Nanette Stakes.

However, the flashy blood bay daughter of Eastern Echo still had some play in her, some maturing yet to do. The G1 California Oaks at 1-1/16 miles really had her connections scratching their heads as she didn't have her mind on running that day. The distance couldn't be the factor, could it? She'd won a G2 impressively at age two at that distance. They tried again - and were rewarded as she came back to finish a very strong 2nd in the G2 Fantasy with a 107 figure. She followed that up with another placing in the G1 Lool Oaks. She'd flashed enough talent to prove she belonged among the best. Next up, the famed Bluegrass Oaks, but yet another disappointment as the filly finished fourteenth in the 9F classic. One more classic attempt - the G1 Chestnut Stakes - at 11F where the filly again stuck her toes into the dirt. When would the temperamental filly show her true colors? What was wrong? She'd shown a bit of her old brilliance between those two dull efforts while winning a G3 easily at a mile. Perhaps the filly really wanted no part of distances beyond one mile? Erik wisely decided to turn his star filly back to sprint races for the summer.

A masterful plan - as the filly got her confidence back in spades. A G3 7.5 furlong race would signal the start of an phenomenal summer and fall campaign. She finished second that day, but the 110 figure sent a clear signal that she had turned the corner and found her best stride. It would be the start of a seven race streak of first or second as the Queen came to life and began her serious march to the top of her division. After a win in a listed stakes at 7F, it was time for the true Test -- err, make that -- the G1 Exam Stakes at the historic Spa in upstate New York. A brilliant move in late stretch got her nose on the line first for her 2nd G1 win of the year in what is widely considered the most prestigious filly sprint race every year. The speed figure, an eye-popping 117, would have beat most of the best older fillies in training, much less three-year-olds!

After three consecutive placings (including two G1's), Erik knew this was a different filly than the one who'd struggled in the spring classics. Queen Bushel had matured fully into nearly 17 hands of rippling muscle. Sleek, streamlined, and always with a spring in her step and an air of invincibility. The week of Vermont's G1 High Noon Appreciation, the Queen was training out of her skin. Erik had to send two ponies with her to the track every morning as she was so full of herself, and in fact had managed to dump not one, but two exercise riders. The High Noon was 1-1/16 miles - a distance of possible concern - and the best dirt fillies had come together for this race. It would not be an easy task, but Queen Bushel's antics in the days leading up to the race left no doubt in the mind of her connections. She was going to run, and she was going to run big.

In what was the deciding race of the year, the Queen did not disappoint. With her fifth graded race, third G1, and a world of talent facing her, she rose to the occasion as all great champions do. Four lengths was the official margin of victory, but Queen Bushel made it all look easy while firmly staking her claim to the three-year-old filly championship. The rest of the season had very little impact after that. Queen Bushel's incredible summer and fall campaign, blazing turn of foot, trio of G1's, and maturity into a solid racemare rocketed her to #1 in the rankings. Two of the leading Royal Court Princesses had their chance at her that October day in Vermont, but that pivotal race would turn out to be a coronation for a Queen.

Queen Bushel - Champion three-year-old filly of 2001.

Race ID	Trk	RST	S	D	Race	Time	SP#	#	PP	C1	C2	C3	FIN	Jockey	Odds
1250.6802	TW	F-3yo+	D	7	Natural Spring Stakes -G3	1:21 1/5	101	14	7	14 7	14 10-3/4	13 11-1/2	10 10-3/4	M Scott	6.60
1222.0404	NY	F-3yo+	D	8	Air Line Handicap -G3		99	13	12	11 6-1/2	11 10-1/2	9 11-1/4	5 11-1/2	B Child	7.00
1201.3914	GA	F-3yo	D	8	The Georgia 1201 Stakes -Stk		100	12	2	10 5-1/4	10 8-3/4	6 11-1/2	4 12-3/4	R Wisniewski	1.00
1173.3715	VT	F-3yo	D	8.5	-G1	1:42	112	14	5	9 6	8 8-3/4	4 4	1 4	W McClendon	2.30
1159.0413	NY	F-3yo	D	7	-Stk	1:22 2/5	104	7	7	6 4-3/4	6 7	3 5-1/2	2 1/2	N Lawton	.40
1145.3714	VT	F-3yo	D	7	-G1	1:21 3/5	115	11	2	7 4-1/2	7 6-1/4	4 2-1/2	2 1/4	B Langhorne	1.70
1124.2708	UT	F-3yo	D	8	Mountain West Festival -G1	1:35 1/5	106	9	5	8 6-1/4	6 9-1/4	3 5-3/4	2 1	O Osbourne	.90
1103.0414	NY	F-3yo	D	7	Exam Stakes -G1	1:21 2/5	117	14	12	12 5-1/2	12 8-1/2	3 6	1 1/2	N Lawton	4.20
1089.1414	NM	F-3yo	D	7	The New Mexico 1089 Special -Stk	1:22 1/5	109	6	1	6 4-1/2	5 6-1/2	3 3-1/2	1 3	F Duffy	.70
1068.2115	MI	F-3yo	D	7.5	-G2	1:28 3/5	110	12	10	11 5-3/4	10 8-1/2	7 5-3/4	2 1-1/4	S Wilkinson	5.90
1054.0414	NY	F-3yo	D	11	Chestnut Stakes -G1	2:17 1/5	72	14	7	9 5	11 9-1/4	13 19-3/4	13 34-1/4	D Givins	4.30
1040.1913	IA	F-3yo	D	8	Leopard Stakes -G3	1:36	99	6	2	4 2-3/4	4 4	2 1-1/2	1 3-3/4	O Parker	1.00
1019.0314	KY	F-3yo	D	9	Bluegrass Oaks -G1	1:48 4/5	86	20	2	16 8	16 13	16 17	14 19	A Darling	6.50
998.1214	PA	F-3yo	D	8.5	lool Oaks -G1	1:42 2/5	102	12	3	9 6-1/2	9 10	6 9	2 3-3/4	Q Miller	2.40
984.0614	AK	F-3yo	D	8.5	Fantasy Stakes -G2	1:42 1/5	107	14	4	8 4	6 5-1/2	5 1/2	2 2-1/4	V Jennings	2.50
956.0114	CA	F-3yo	D	8.5	California Oaks -G1	1:42 3/5	86	10	6	8 4-3/4	8 8	9 11	9 16-1/2	F Gossett	2.20
942.0913	NJ	F-3yo	D	8	Sweet Nanette Stakes -G1	1:35 2/5	105	13	3	10 4-1/2	8 6-1/4	3 1-1/2	1 4-1/2	Q Oliver	3.30
928.1412	NM	F-3yo	D	7	Backward Gal Stakes -G3	1:22 1/5	109	11	1	9 5-3/4	9 8-1/4	4 4	1 2-1/2	F Duffy	3.60
914.0413	NY	F-3yo	D	8	StarHandicapping.com Stakes -G2	1:35 4/5	92	10	2	7 5-1/2	7 8-1/4	7 7	6 7	O Selby	2.90