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Sim Trainer Stats Sim Race Stats |
CECIL ROO Owner/Trainer: toplight Record: 67-28-11-12; $6,515,800
Win: Derby De English-G1, Adelaide Oaks-G1, Sydney Oaks-G1, Sand Castle Golden Turf Classic-G1, Ark de Triumph-G1, Big Turf Race-G1, Cedora D. S-G1, Dahlia Memorial-G1, Flounder Turf Distaff-G1, Pan American Handicap-G2, Spankie-Sho All Comers-G2, Yabba Dabba Doo Handicap-G2, Bluto Cup-G2, Spring Sunset Handicap, British Columbia 1061 Cap, Mezzo Handicap, Irish Faberge Stakes, Delaware 879 Special, Epsom 795 Special, Fain Stakes, Louisiana 704 Cap, Epsom 641 Handicap, Ostend 453 Stakes. Place: Demona Handicap-G1, Del Webb Oaks-G1, Michigan Turf Sophomore Invitational-G2, The New South Wales 599 Challenge, Ostend 586 Special, Ascot 572 Stakes, Sweden 565 Stakes, Epsom 488 Stakes, Delaware 425 Handicap. Show: ASR Cup-G1(2x), Owners’ Stakes-G1, Miami Beach Turf Stakes-G2, Utah 1635 Handicap, Taiwan 1376 Stakes, Heffeman Filly Appreciation Stakes, Ostend 439 Stakes. She began her career somewhat modestly, taking five tries to break her maiden, and finishing her two year old as a useful sort. Her only other victory in thirteen trips to the post was a win in the Ostend 453 Stakes, earning a 76 SF for the 6 ½ panels, defeating a bunch of future claimers and one nice filly, Music Winter, who had won a graded stakes on dirt earlier that season. Not a bad campaign, but certainly no one, except her immediate connections, had any idea about the heights this filly would achieve. The beginning of Cecil Roo’s sophomore season would bear no resemblance to the middle. An allowance score and an off-the-board finish in a graded sprint kicked off the campaign. In her next four starts, the ‘Roo began to develop the reputation of a front-runner who simply couldn’t quite get the distance - each time either pressing or setting the pace, only to get caught at the wire. Four stakes - four seconds. The daughter of Affirmed would finally break the losing streak in three starts later, winning a modest stakes, which was enough to convince her connections to give her a shot in the G1 Sydney Oaks. And so, in the 24th start of her career, a star was born. Only three horses went off at longer odds in the 12 horse field. But Cecil Roo had finally learned to rate, saving ground in fifth in the early going, content to let the leaders pull 5 lengths ahead of her. Kirkland finally let her roll at the mile mark, and it was all over. The blood bay filly unleashed a devastating kick on the unsuspecting field, rolling home six lengths in front, ears pricked, and looking like she could do it all over again. Favorites Granny Well, Again With Jo Ann and Hannah Dance were left struggling in her wake. The 88 SF for the 12 furlongs was a lifetime best SF for the filly, and toplight had a filly who looked the real deal. The ‘Roo proved that win was no fluke by following it up with an equal facile score in the G1 Adelaide Oaks. This time sent off as the third betting choice, Liver Cat tried to steal the race on the front end, but smallish filly would have none of that, rating two lengths behind that rival before once again storming home the six plus length winner. Cut back to 9 furlongs, Cecil Roo could only manage second in a G2 event, but her next start would be a date with history. Having conquered the best of the turf routing fillies, Cecil Roo would take on the colts in the classic Derby De English. Girls simply don’t beat the boys; at least, that’s what the betting public thought. In the field of 12, Cecil Roo was seventh on the tote board, with 15/1 odds. The role of favorite went to Craven Stakes winner Pompous Project. For a while, the crowd looked like they had picked the winner, with the favorite opening up an uncontested six length lead down the backstretch, with the ‘Roo content to rate back in fifth. But then they hit the mile mark, and it was all over. Cecil Roo flew past Pompous Project like he was standing still, and kept going, and going, and going, until she hit the wire 8 1/4 lengths ahead of the boys, posting a 97 SF in the process. Toplight’s star filly was the now horse, the one everyone was talking about. It would not be the last time Cecil Roo would defeat the boys, but for now, she returned to terrorize the girls some more, winning the G2 Bluto Cup over a stellar field. The win streak came to an end in the G2 Upper California Derby, and the rest of the season would be somewhat anticlimatic, with three minor stakes wins, and a second and third against G1 competition, but still, all in all, it had been a historic year. At her best distance, 12 furlongs, Cecil Roo’s record was 4-3-0-1, all G1 events. At four, Cecil Roo would begin her campaign with two easy ungraded stakes wins. She didn’t care for the good turf in her next outing, but her next three starts were pure magic. Back at her favorite 1 ½ mile distance, the ‘Roo laughed at the boys, coming home 5 lengths in front of three graded stakes winners. Sent to the sands of Dubai, the star filly would take on the likes of Joe Cayenne, High Devil, Seattle Hit, Prospector Rizzo and Her Dances and would beat them home. Joe Cayenne never fired, and Cecil Roo would arrive at the wire a 2 3/4 length winner, posting a monster 112 SF for the distance in the process. By any standard, this was probably the best race of her career to date. The ‘Roo would take on the boys again in the G1 Big Turf Race, run at 14 furlongs, and once more, the blood bay filly emerged victorious by 5 ½ lengths, earning a 111 SF for the grueling marathon distance. Stretched out to two miles, the gutsy mare would tire in the final quarter, gamely holding on for third in the G1 ASR Cup. After that effort, Cecil Roo returned to beat up on her own sex, reeling off three straight victories, including a G1 and a G2, the latter by 3 1/4 lengths over Road Rubbing, who would go on to earn championship honors later that year as top older mare. The win streak was snapped in the G1 Royally Modest Cup, but Cecil Roo promptly rebounded in the G1 Cedora D. against a small, but all-star field. Jennifer’s Seas became the first filly to defeat the ‘Roo in 2001, outkicking her rival late to win the 9 furlong G1 Demona Handicap by a little more than a length. Stretching back out in distance, Cecil Roo won a G2 event over the girls, before embarking on another date with destiny, this time in the G1 Ark De Triumph. Competing against the likes of Dusty Dance, September Matt and Judge Zach, the crowd didn’t care - making the filly the narrow 2.90 to 1 favorite over Dusty Dance. Cecil Roo did not disappoint, once more displaying her patented move at the mile mark to win one of the most prestigious races in the sim by 1 3/4 lengths. However, those heroics left the gas tank a big empty, and so Cecil Roo could only manage fourth in the BB Distaff. Cecil Roo would finish the season with a 17-11-1-2 record, 5 of those wins against G1 competition. In honor of those accomplishments, she was named Champion Turf Filly, but couldn’t top Joe Cayenne for Horse of the Year honors. The toplight star began her five year old season with a bang, winning an ungraded stakes as a prep before going on to take Equinics gold in the G1 Dahlia Cup, smoking the residencies’ finest by 5 ½ lengths. Alas, although no one knew it at the time, that would be the last G1 win of her career. After three losses in graded stakes, Cecil Roo would spend the majority of the season in ungraded stakes, although she would race only once at her preferred distance. That would be a 12 furlong Delaware stakes, where she romped home a 6 length winner. Cecil Roo would go out a winner, in an allowance race, during an abbreviated four race campaign at age six. In hindsight, it is a shame she didn’t compete more often at 12 furlongs, as Cecil Roo’s lifetime record at that distance was 11-8-0-2. Cecil Roo finished her career with nine G1 wins, the most by any filly in the sim, and behind only a handful of colts, including Joe Cayenne, Allied Assault and Horseshoe Bay. Her earnings of $6,515,800 is also a sim record for a distaffer. Cecil Roo is also the only filly to win the Derby De English and is also the only filly to win the Ark De Triumph. |
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