WON: Getaway Stakes(G1), Arizona Shoot-Out Special(G3)
2nd: Breeders Bowl Juvenile Filly(G1), G.S.R. Diamond(G1), Desert Filly Juvenile(G3)

Consistency Rewarded

By- Afc

The two year old filly Eclipse award was one of the most highly contested races. Each of the five nominees- City Prospector, Technically T, Oopina, Santillana and Dubai Prospector each had their moments in the sun this year. All of them, save one, each took a thrashing at some point in time.

You can't win them all. We've all learned that lesson. But if you try harder, demonstrate tenacity, courage and consistency, you'll get your just due. Sometimes, greatness is not conferred by a facile win. Sometimes, greatness is defined by how you lose. The immortal Seattle Slew secured his greatness, in the eyes of many, with his brave defeat at the hands of Exceller.

So, in the closest of contests, the voters didn't pick the horse who won the biggest race of the year for two year old fillies. They didn't choose the horse who ran the fastest. They instead opted for consistency. And of all the nominees, from a consistency standpoint, one horse stands out. Never ran a bad race. Never out of it. Always right there.

In any competition, you're always looking around for who can beat you. You plan accordingly. In your competitive heart, you respect the Elway who can throw an 80 yard dart to kill you. You shudder at the prospect of facing down the 100+ mile per hour slapshot of a Bobby Hull. But you fear the guy who shows up each and every week- the one that you just know, if you slip up, he'll drive a stake through your heart every time. The Montanas and the Gretzkys of the world. They're not the biggest, the strongest, the fastest, but they bring it every single time.

And so, in a year of parity in the two year old filly ranks that the NFL would have been proud of, nobody consistently brought her game to the table and put her brilliance on display more often than Dubai Prospector. She might not win them all, but don't ever count her out. She's always knocking on your door, and pretty soon, she's going to blow it down.

Dubai Prospector is a brown homebred daughter of Essence of Dubai out of a Mr. Prospector mare. She had a calculated, and interesting season. There were some gambits performed by O/T ezywin that would land him a spot at any poker table in Vegas. And in the end, all the moves paid off.

Making her debut in a Minnesota sprint, she led every step of the way, right to the wire. In what would be a recurring theme for the year, after a tremedous effort, she finished- second?

"Well," said ezywin, "it would have been nice to get her off the maiden list in that race, but she ran a real nice race. That's a solid figure (76) for a young two year old filly to lay down in her first race. So, I figured we should take a shot at something bigger."

Bigger? You mean an allowance race? "Nope," smiled ezywin. "Stakes race." Not just any stakes race, but the Grade 3 Arizona Shootout Special. Odd? Perhaps. Calculated? Seemingly so. In hindsight- brilliant? Absolutely.

Assuming her customary position at the start- on the lead (she's never been off the lead at the first or second call of any of her races), Dubai Prospector gallantly fought off all challengers en route to a narrow quarter length win. Pay the man!

So, no longer a maiden, Dubai Prospector journeyed across the pond to partake in the Grade 3 Desert Filly Juvenile. Once again demonstrating her considerable gate speed, she blew her way out of the pack right at the start and assumed a commanding five length lead turning for home. But the toll was too great. Leg weary from her full bore assault on the teletimer, Dubai Prospector began to shorten stride, and grudgingly gave ground, until she was finally collared in the last two jumps. Second. Again. This time by a mere half length.

"That was tough," said ezywin. "I really thought she had that one. But she just got a little leg weary at the finish. She just got run down late. But it's not like she disgraced herself. She still managed a new top figure (87) and was beginning to fill out and get more muscular. I wasn't discourged."

Obviously. Next stop? A Grade 1. The Getaway Stakes. Which is precisely what Dubai Prospector did to her opposition. She got away from them, and in the most impressive performance of her career to that point, she became perhaps the first non-maiden special weight winner in the history of the sim to win a Grade 1 race. Impressive. Breaking alertly, as is her custom, the legs did not betray her in the Big Oval stretch this time. When the suitors came a calling at the top of the lane, Dubai Prospector tossed it into overdrive, and held all at bay in the stretch. She Gotaway to an easy 3 1/2 length win that stamped her immediately as a Breeder's Bowl contender.

Which is exactly where she headed next. Off a nine week rest, Dubai Prospector shipped over to the Lone Star State for her toughest challenge yet. The filly with all that speed, the one who couldn't hold off maidens for God's sake in a sprint, how in the hell was she going to pull this off, while going a furlong and a half further than she'd ever run?

"Well, she's got a very efficient stride," explained ezywin. "She really doesn't kill herself making the lead. And when she gets out there, if she gets a chance to relax, you can see her just sort of go into the glide mode. No wasted energy. Nothing. Just relaxed and easy. I figured if she could get out and grab an early lead, get a little breather, the distance could be within her scope. I honestly didn't think it would be much of a problem, the distance. Now, winning that race, that was another story. I knew that would be tough. There was a lot of early speed in there, and there were some devastating closers, too. I knew she had her work cut out for her, but I was confident."

Again, Dubai Prospector broke like a shot and went right to the lead. Accompanying her was Santillana, and the fast filly Marabou Destiny. Marabou Destiny did all the dirty work, keeping Dubai Prospector honest, never letting her relax. Santillana was the beneficiary of the tag team set up, and took it to Dubai Prospector around the far turn. Neck and neck into the stretch, Santillana gradually began to edge away from a game Dubai Prospector, and got the win by two and one half lengths. Marabou Destiny was spent and finished nearly nine lengths back. Second. Again.

Disappointing? "Yeah, sure, I was disappointed," stated ezywin. "But we learned something. That race was full of pace. And none of the closers made a dent that day. Not one. The only horse who outfinished her was right there all the way, and had the advantage of being on the outside, in the cat bird seat, while my filly was stuck on the rail and being hounded the whole way. But she never gave in. She showed me that day that she was more than just a speed horse. She had guts to go with it, and she could stay. I was looking forward to the rematch with Santillana."

It should be noted that among those finishing well behind Dubai Prospector on BB day were City Prospector and Technically T- neither was a factor, and in the light of things to come, it probably, especially in the case of City Prospector, cost them a shot at the Eclipse.

So, what' next? Ever the gambler, ezywin didn't take the easy way out and go back to sprints. He primed Dubai Prospector for a return matchup with Santillana in the Grade 1 GSR Diamond at a flat mile. This time, Santillana would not factor, finishing well back in the pack. Technically T, however, denied Dubai Prospector her shot at a huge win with a strong late rally, overtaking Dubai Prospector in the final strides to get the win.

Second. AGAIN.

But not today. Each of the Eclipse finalists in this division took their turns beating each other up. City Prospector rebounded to take the Movieland Starlet in rocket time with a 107 figure. Oopina got dusted in the GSR Diamond. So what to do?

Toss them all in a bag, and take the one who had the best overall year. And that, without a doubt, was Dubai Prospector. She was never worse than second, and always at the front in every single one of her races.

In a land so fully consumed with winning, a strange thing happened on the way to the two year old filly Eclipse. Second became first. And so it is with Dubai Prospector. She might not win them all, but she just won the biggest prize of the year.  She demonstrated consistency, tenacity and toughness all year long. And now, she's got her just reward.

There's a saying in racing. Second place is first loser. Most of the time, it is. But not today. Congratulations to Dubai Prospector and ezywin. You are now champions.