SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Not every European horse breaks poorly from the gate, but a lot of them do. Generally, it’s not running and gunning but settling and finishing that's prized in an overseas horse.
The 4-year-old filly Pipsy was bred in Ireland and made her first three starts there. She runs more like an American Quarter Horse. Ironically, she botched the break in her first American start yet rallied from last to win the Soaring Softly at Aqueduct about 13 months ago.
In four subsequent races, Pipsy outbroke everyone. She did it again Thursday at Saratoga and never looked back, notching a half-length win over favored Future Is Now in the Grade 2, $200,000 Intercontinental Stakes, a 5 1/2-furlong grass sprint for older fillies and mares.
Other serious pace players stood in the gate with Pipsy on Thursday. The plan, jockey Jose Ortiz said, was to break and find a horse – Future Is Now seemed a leading candidate – to track racing outside and in the clear.
Then the gate opened.
“She broke so well, I couldn’t do that,” Ortiz said.
Over a firm, quick course, Pipsy went her first quarter mile in 21.74. She came to the quarter pole and Ortiz hadn’t asked for anything.
“I thought he either had a lot of horse or was dead,” trainer William Walden said.
Far from gassed, Pipsy laid down a half-mile split of 44.20, then went her fifth furlong in a strong 11.03 seconds before slowing slightly through a 5.68-second final sixteenth. It was good enough.
Pipsy paid $12.80 as the fourth choice and clocked 1:00.98. The 4-year-old is a daughter of Kodiac and the High Chaparral mare Experte, and Woodford Thoroughbreds paid a pretty penny, about $930,000, purchasing the filly at a Tattersalls auction last December. Pipsy had won two of three in Ireland, but after the Soaring Softly, she sandwiched lesser performances around a good second going 6 1/2 furlongs at Kentucky Downs in the Grade 2 Music City.
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Pipsy won a high-level Keeneland allowance race making her 2025 debut and clearly has improved following a winter freshening.
“If you give them that break from 3 to 4, they can either stay the same or they can really take a jump forward,” Walden said.
Future Is Now was denied an Intercontinental repeat at least in part because of a difficult trip, given her tendency to race on the lead or press from the outside. Outfooted for the lead, Future Is Now and Paco Lopez found themselves stuck down at the fence going around the turn. With little room for an outside bid, Lopez came up the fence, and Future Is Now was making some headway before Pipsy came in a path or so at about the sixteenth pole. Shying from her rival, Future Is Now switched to her wrong lead and lost momentum.
“Paco made the best choice, he thought, and, you know, she was just second best today,” said trainer Mike Trombetta.
Three-quarters of a length behind Future Is Now came Kairyu, who outran her 12-1 odds finishing third, a nose in front of Time to Dazzle, a 27-1 shot. Pandora’s Gift, the 3-1 second choice, looked like she had run approaching the furlong grounds but could make no late headway, checking in fifth, one place in front of her Miguel Clement-trained stablemate Danse Macabre, the 7-2 third choice. Creed’s Gold, On Command, and Twirling Queen completed the order of finish.
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