Post by S u N f r O s T ~ on Feb 25, 2015 21:55:19 GMT -5
February Week Two brings with it the Spring Dawn Treader Cup, the time for champions to step up and get noticed by the racing world. The Dawn Treader Cup is known for the qualities of the horses that win it. It is not rare for there to be upsets in this race. What is rare, though, is a horse that wins the Dawn Treader Cup for the second time...and ladies and gentlemen, that is exactly what Italian Ice will be attempting to do this weekend.
We here at The Wire know Italian Ice well. The daughter of Impressario and Rising Fury made no secret of her love for this track. As a juvenile, Icee won such races as the Wire Finish Cup Juvenile Dirt, Silver Stride Stakes, Follow The Hoofprints Dirt Classic and Sanford Stakes over this track. And as a three year old, after racing hard but missing in the Turf Triple Crown, Italian Ice returned to the Wire with a vengeance. She made history by becoming the first Canadian Triple Crown winner ever. Those were among the only starts she made at The Wire that season - the only other one was a second place finish against older in the Flower Bowl - but Icee left her mark. But as a four year old, Icee returned to the track she loved and wowed the crowds. She won enough races to steal Filly Of The Year under the noses of the Dirt and Turf Queens of Year Fourteen, Eternal Phantom and Bella Luna. Some of her victories include the Wire Finish Cup Dirt (her second Wire Finish Cup win) and the Breeders Cup Distaff.
And among those races, most importantly, was the Autumn Dawn Treader Cup. With a pace advantage, Italian Ice defeated Nightshade, the only foe that showed up, by two and three quarter lengths. She proved her class and her love for this track all at once. In the Spring Dawn Treader Cup, she will once again face an ever determined and deadly Nightshade as well as Reflected In Water and former stablemate Sweet Inferno. This will not be an easy race to win...but Italian Ice is not an easy foe to face.
What makes Italian Ice special? According to Valencia Andrews, Italian Ice was the most talented horse she had ever sat on when she first got on her as a juvenile. They were paired very late in the season, yet together managed to take home the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. They were then separated again, but came back together to wage war in the Turf Triple Crown. And after winning the Canadian Triple Crown, their partnership became absolute. As well as this partnership, Italian Ice is also amongst the most versatile horses Stride Of Perfection had ever raced. Just looked at her Breeders Cup wins - one in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, the other in the Distaff. Few other horses can boast of such versatility in the Breeders Cup. In fact, one horse in particular comes to mind - Icee's sire Impressario, who won the Juvenile, Classic, Mile and Turf. How's that for a horse to live up to?
Italian Ice had been training brilliantly following her Breeders Cup Distaff victory. She went out for a jaunt with Eternal Phantom over the sand course just before the mare's retirement was announced and looked great. When asked about their tactics for the race, Valencia did not give too much away, just smiled. Head trainer Amber Black was a bit more talkative. "We're expecting a good amount of speed on the front end from Sweet Inferno. Having trained that mare for three years, I know how she runs. She has mountains of stamina to back that speed, so outrunning her is not going to happen. Icee will rate off of her and make her move like she always does. She is sharp and ready to go."
And indeed she appears to be. The mare was last spied just a couple days ago, working out with the rising Fleet Street. She put away the younger colt with ease and is showing all of the class she's been known to have all her life. Is a victory in the cards for Italian Ice in the Spring Dawn Treader Cup? She is facing Dubai World Championship winner Nightshade, Unicorn Horn Dirt Classic winner Sweet Inferno and Belle Victoire Derby winner Reflected In Water. All of these mares have made starts on the season, and won...will this hurt this ever-consistent mare's chances?
Well, when we asked Valencia that the response was "Not a chance in hell." I guess we'll have to wait until race day to find out! Italian Ice has a lot of advantages going into this race. Valencia Andrews will no doubt capitalize on all of them. So watch out, history books...Italian Ice may be looking to write herself into you once again!
