Glass Slippers (horse)

Last updated
Glass Slippers
Owner T G and Mrs M E Holdcroft.svg
Racing silks of Bearstone Stud
Sire Dream Ahead
Grandsire Diktat
DamNight Gypsy
DamsireMind Games
SexFilly
Foaled25 March 2016 [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
Colour Bay
BreederBearstone Stud
OwnerBearstone Stud
TrainerKevin Ryan
Record17: 7-3-1
Earnings£858,205
Major wins
Prix Moonlight Cloud (2019)
Prix du Petit Couvert (2019)
Prix de l'Abbaye (2019)
Flying Five Stakes (2020)
Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (2020)
Awards
Yorkshire Horse of the Year (2020)

Glass Slippers (foaled 25 March 2016) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for her performances over sprint distances. As a two-year-old in 2018 she showed promising form as she won two minor races from five starts. In the following year she was beaten in four races in Britain but the showed top class form over sprint distances when she was campaigned in France later in the year. She won the Prix Moonlight Cloud and the Prix du Petit Couvert before recording her first Group 1 victory in the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp. She continued to race at the highest level in 2020, adding another Group 1 win in the Flying Five Stakes and going on to take her biggest victory in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

Contents

Background

Glass Slippers is a bay filly with a large, diamond-shaped white star bred and owned by Terry Holdcroft's Shropshire-based Bearstone Stud. She was sent into training with Kevin Ryan at Hambleton in North Yorkshire. The filly has been ridden in most of her races by Tom Eaves.

She was from the fourth crop of foals sired by Dream Ahead, an outstanding sprinter from the Godolphin Arabian sire-line whose wins included the Prix Morny, Middle Park Stakes, July Cup, Haydock Sprint Cup and Prix de la Forêt. As a breeding stallion, his other progeny have included Donjuan Triumphant (British Champions Sprint Stakes) and Al Wukair (Prix Jacques Le Marois). [2] Glass Slippers' dam Night Gypsy showed modest racing ability, winning one minor race from four attempts. [3] She was descended from the British broodmare Shellshock who was a half-sister to Dibidale and to the dam of Tony Bin [4]

Racing career

2018: two-year-old season

On 7 June Glass Slippers made her debut in a five furlong maiden race at Haydock Park for which she started a 50/1 outsider and finished third to Angel's Hideaway, beaten four and a quarter lengths by the winner. Franny Norton took the ride when the filly ran sixth in a similar event over six furlongs at Goodwood Racecourse on 1 August after being repeatedly denied a clear run. Two weeks later she went off the 5/4 favourite for a minor race at Beverley Racecourse and recorded her first success as she took the lead a furlong from the finish and came home two lengths clear of her rivals. [5] On 1 September Glass Slippers started at 3/1 for a more competitive race over six furlongs at Chester Racecourse and won "a shade comfortably" by a neck from Light My Fire after going to the front in the last 75 yards. [6] Three weeks later the filly was stepped up in class for the Group 3 Firth of Clyde Stakes on heavy ground at Ayr Racecourse and finished sixth to Queen of Bermuda after tiring in the closing stages.

2019: three-year-old season

Glass Slippers made no impact on her first appearance of 2019 as she trailed home fifteenth of the sixteen runners behind Dandhu in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury on 13 April after losing both of her front shoes in the race. [7] In the Listed Cecil Frail Stakes at Haydock in May she was matched against older fillies and mares and produced a better effort as she came home fifth behind Forever In Dreams, beaten just over two lengths by the winner. On 22 June she dropped back to five furlongs for the Listed Land O'Burns Fillies' Stakes at Ayr and was beaten a neck by the five-year-old mare Rebecca Rocks in a race which saw the first two finishers racing on opposite sides of the course. At York Racecourse on 12 July she finished fourth to Royal Intervention in the Group 3 Summer Stakes.

After four consecutive defeats in Britain, Glass Slippers was sent to France to contest the Listed Prix Moonlight Cloud over 1200 metres at Deauville Racecourse on 4 August and started a 10/1 outsider in an eight-runner field. She was in contention from the start, went to the front 300 metres from the finish and held off a challenge from Bravo Sierra to win by a neck, despite being forced to the right by the runner-up in the closing stages. [8] On 15 September the filly returned to France for the Group 3 Prix du Petit Couvert over 1000 metres at Longchamp Racecourse and went off at odds of 14.9/1 in a twelve-runner field headed by the Prix de Saint-Georges winner Sestilio Jet. Glass Slippers started slowly and looked outpaced in the early stages before beginning to make headway in the last 300 metres and overtook Shades of Blue (another British-trained three-year-old filly) in the final strides to win by a short neck. [9]

Glass Slippers started at odds of 12.8/1 when she was stepped up to Group 1 for the Prix de l'Abbaye over 1000 metres at Longchamp on 6 October. Battaash was made the odds-on favourite while the other fourteen runners included Fairyland, Mabs Cross, Shades of Blue, Sestilio Jet, Spinning Memories (Prix de Meautry), Soldier's Call (Flying Childers Stakes), Invincible Army (Duke of York Stakes) So Perfect (Lacken Stakes) and Finsbury Square (Prix du Gros Chêne). Glass Slippers took the lead after 300 metres and was never headed, drawing away from her rivals in the closing stages to come home three lengths clear of So Perfect. [10] After the race Tom Eaves said "We were a bit concerned about the ground, but she jumped really well, travelled through the race well and I knew she'd stay. The team at home have kept her in tip-top shape all year, which is hard with fillies, and all she's done is improve." [11]

2020: four-year-old season

The flat racing season in Britain and Ireland was restructured as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and Glass Slippers made her first appearance of the year in the King's Stand Stakes which was run behind closed doors at Royal Ascot on 16 June. Starting the third choice in the betting she tracked the leaders but was unable to make any significant progress in the last quarter mile and came home fifth of the eleven runners behind Battaash. In the King George Stakes at Goodwood she overcame a poor start to move into second place approaching the final furlong but never looked likely to threaten the leader Baattaash and was beaten two and a quarter lengths. On 13 September the filly was sent to Ireland for the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh in which she started the 9/2 second favourite behind A'Ali (Prix Robert Papin) in a fourteen-runner field which also included Que Amoro (runner-up in the Nunthorpe Stakes), Equilateral (Scarbrough Stakes), Liberty Beach (Molecomb Stakes), Keep Busy (Prix Yacowlef), Alligator Alley (Roses Stakes) and Maid In India (World Trophy). After settling in fifth place, Glass Slippers moved up into second place approaching the final furlong, took the lead from Keep Busy in the last 100 yards and "kept on well" to win by half a length. [12] Tom Eaves said "She has been extremely good to me... She takes a while to warm into her season and comes good at this time of year. She's an amazing filly. You could do anything with her. She's so relaxed, has a great mind and is so tough. They went a good pace but Kevin filled me with loads of confidence and I knew she'd come home good." [13]

On 4 October Glass Slippers returned to Longchamp and started the 1.7/1 favourite when she attempted to repeat her 2019 success in the Prix de l'Abbaye. She settled in second place behind Air De Valse before taking the lead 400 metres from the finish but was soon headed by the three-year-old Wooded. She rallied strongly in the closing stages but was unable to regain the advantage and was beaten a neck into second place. [14] For her final run of the year, the filly was sent to the United States to contest the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (a race which had never been won by a European-trained horse) over five and a half furlongs at Keeneland on 7 November. She started the 8/1 sixth choice in the betting behind Leinster (Woodford Stakes), Imprimis (Shakertown Stakes), Big Runnuer (Eddie D Stakes), Got Stormy (Fourstardave Handicap) and Oleksandra (Jaipur Stakes). Glass Slippers raced towards the rear before moving up along the inside rail on the final turn and then "squeezed through" a narrow gap between her opponents (hampering Imprimis as she did so) to take the lead in the last 100 yards and win by half a length from Wet Your Whistle. [15] After the race Kevin Ryan said "She's a filly that improves as the season goes on. When she won in Ireland, we sort of then planned to come here to give her the time... We decided on going on a brave ride up the inner and go the shortest route, and if it didn't work, such is life. Today was our day... She's got a great temperament and she doesn't worry about things. So when she does travel, she straight away she gets into her water, she gets on her food, and you have no worries that way... if everything goes right, we would love to come back." [16]

In February 2021 Glass Slippers was named Yorkshire Horse of the Year for 2020. [17]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Glass Slippers (GB), bay filly, 2016 [1]
Sire
Dream Ahead (USA)
2008
Diktat (GB)
1995
Warning Known Fact (USA)
Slightly Dangerous (USA)
Arvola Sadler's Wells (USA)
Park Appeal (IRE)
Land of Dreams (GB)
1995
Cadeaux Genereux Young Generation (IRE)
Smarten Up
Sahara Star Green Desert (USA)
Vaigly Star
Dam
Night Gypsy (GB)
1998
Mind Games (GB)
1992
Puissance Thatching (IRE)
Girton (IRE)
Aryaf (CAN) Vice Regent
Fashion Front (GB)
Ocean Grove (IRE)
1993
Fairy King (horse) (USA) Northern Dancer (CAN)
Fairy Bridge
Leyete Gulf Slip Anchor (GB)
Shellshock (GB) (Family: 19-b) [4]

Related Research Articles

Dayjur was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter he ran eleven times between June 1989 and October 1990 and won seven races. In 1990 he dominated European sprinting, winning the King's Stand Stakes' the Nunthorpe Stakes, the Ladbroke Sprint Cup and the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp. On his final racecourse appearance he finished second to Safely Kept in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. The Racing Post called him "the world's fastest horse".

Habibti was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who was one of the highest-rated sprinters in European racing history. Habibti was unbeaten as a two-year-old, winning the Group Two Lowther Stakes in England and the Moyglare Stud Stakes in Ireland. In early 1983 she was campaigned over longer distances without success before being switched to sprinting in summer. She won her remaining four races that season, taking the July Cup at Newmarket, the William Hill Sprint Championship at York, the Vernons Sprint Cup at Haydock Park and the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp Racecourse. At the end of the season she was named Britain's Horse of the Year and was rated the best three-year-old filly of the last thirty-six years by Timeform. Habibti was less successful when kept in training at four, but did win the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. At the end of 1984 she was retired to stud, where she had little success as a producer of winners.

Hever Golf Rose was a thoroughbred racehorse who was bred and trained in the United Kingdom, and campaigned throughout Europe in a career that lasted from 1993 to 1998. She was a specialist sprinter, showing her best form over distances of five and six furlongs, who was known for her consistency and durability, and was particularly effective on soft ground. In a six-year career, she ran in sixty-six races and won seventeen. In her best season in 1995 she won six Group races and was named European Champion Sprinter. A year after her retirement, Hever Golf Rose died after failing to recover from the anaesthetic following an operation on a joint injury.

Sanedtki was an Irish-bred, Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who was trained in France for most of her career before moving to the United States for her last two races. Although she was capable of competing at the highest level against specialist sprinters, she showed her best form over distances between 1400 metres and 1600 metres.

Lianga was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Equally adept as a sprinter or as a miler, she won eleven of her twenty-one contests in a racing career which lasted from May 1973 until November 1975. She won her first four races as a two-year-old including the Prix du Bois and the Prix Robert Papin. In the following year she won the Prix Imprudence and Prix Maurice de Gheest. Lianga reached her peak as a four-year-old in 1975 when she recorded victories in the July Cup, Prix Jacques Le Marois, Prix de l'Abbaye and Vernons Sprint Cup and was rated the best older female racehorse in Europe by Timeform, ahead of Allez France and Dahlia. After her retirement from racing she became an influential broodmare whose female-line descendants have included Danehill Dancer and Street Sense.

Handsome Sailor was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. A specialist sprinter, he showed useful, but unremarkable form in his first two seasons, winning three of his nine starts as a juvenile and two from four in an abbreviated three-year-old campaign. He emerged as a top-class performer in 1987, winning the Duke of York Stakes in England and the Prix de Ris-Orangis in France. He was even better as a five-year-old, winning a second Duke of York Stakes and adding victories in the Temple Stakes, William Hill Sprint Championship and Prix de l'Abbaye. His form was less impressive in 1989 but ended his racing career with a victory in the Flying Five. He was not a success as a breeding stallion and died in 1997 at the age of fourteen.

Meccas Angel Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Mecca's Angel is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. She was a specialist sprinter who excelled over the minimum distance of five furlongs. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 2013, winning two minor contests and twice finishing second in Listed races. In the following year she improved to win four of her five races including the Scarbrough Stakes and World Trophy. As a four-year-old she made only three appearances but was rated the best female sprinter in the world after wins in the Prix de Saint-Georges and the Nunthorpe Stakes. In 2016 she struggled for form in the spring but then won the Sapphire Stakes before becoming the first horse in over thirty years to win a second consecutive Nunthorpe Stakes at York.

Cherokee Rose was an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 1993 when she won one of her three races and finished a very close second in the Group Three Prix du Calvados. She failed to win in an interrupted three-year-old season. She emerged as a top class performer in 1995 when she won the Prix du Palais-Royal, Prix de la Porte Maillot, Prix Maurice de Gheest, and the Haydock Sprint Cup. After her retirement from racing she has considerable success as a dam of winners.

Lavinia Fontana was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was a durable sprinter who raced in five countries and won nine of her 36 races between April 1991 and November 1995. Competing mainly in minor races early in her career she won once in 1991 and three times in the following year. She was moved up in class as four-year-old and recorded major victories in both the Prix du Petit Couvert in France and the Premio Umbria in Italy. In the following year she showed her best form in autumn, producing a career-best performance to take the Haydock Sprint Cup in England and winning the Premio Chiusura in Italy. She was less successful as a six-year-old, but did add a second win in the Premio Chiusura before being retired from racing. As a broodmare she produced two minor winners from six foals.

Pipalong was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was sold cheaply as a yearling but developed into a top-class specialist sprinter who excelled on soft ground. Trained in Yorkshire by Tim Easterby, she was highly tried throughout her racing career, running thirty seven times between April 1998 and October 2001.

Prohibit is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse who excelled over sprint distances, producing most of his best performances over five furlongs. In his first three seasons he was trained by John Gosden and showed useful form, winning three minor races but appearing to be some way short of top class. After being sold and transferred to the stable of Robert Cowell he showed improved form, winning the sprint race at the 2010 Shergar Cup and winning a strongly contested edition of the Scarbrough Stakes. He reached his peak as a six-year-old in 2011 when he won a handicap race in Dubai, the Group One King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Prix du Petit Couvert in France as well as running prominently in several other major sprints including the Prix de Saint-Georges, Temple Stakes, Prix du Gros Chêne and Nunthorpe Stakes. He remained in training for three more seasons but never won again and was retired in 2014 with a record of nine wins from fifty-nine starts.

Zieten was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Trained in France as a juvenile he was unbeaten in four races including the Prix La Flèche, Prix d'Arenberg and Middle Park Stakes. In the following year he took his unbeaten run to five in the Prix de Fontainebleau but was beaten in six subsequent races. As a four-year-old he raced in Japan and England and recorded a final big win in the Challenge Stakes. He was then retired to stud and had some success as a breeding stallion.

Pharaoh's Delight was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was one of the best two-year-old fillies in Europe in 1989 when she won the Windsor Castle Stakes, Princess Margaret Stakes and Phoenix Stakes as well as finishing second in the Moyglare Stud Stakes. Although she never won again the filly raced until the age of four and was placed in several top-class sprint races including the Nunthorpe Stakes, Haydock Sprint Cup and Prix de l'Abbaye. She was retired from racing at the end of the 1991 season and had some success as a dam of winners.

Marsha (horse) Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Marsha is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was a specialist sprinter, all but one of whose victories came over the minimum distance of five furlongs. After winning two minor races as a juvenile in 2015, she made progress throughout the following year, taking the Land O'Burns Fillies' Stakes and the City Walls Stakes before ending her season with a win in the Prix de l'Abbaye. In 2017 she added wins in the Palace House Stakes and the Nunthorpe Stakes and was sold at the end of the year for a record price of 6,000,000 guineas.

Battaash Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Battaash is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter who usually competes at the minimum distance of five furlongs, he is noted for his exceptional speed and unpredictable temperament. He won once from five starts as a juvenile in 2016 and was gelded in an attempt to improve his behaviour. In the following year he emerged as one of the best sprinters in the world, winning the Scurry Stakes, Coral Charge and King George Stakes before ending the season with an emphatic win in the Prix de l'Abbaye. In 2018 he won the Temple Stakes and recorded a second victory in the King George Stakes. As a five-year-old he won a second Temple Stakes and a third King George Stakes before producing his best performance of the season to take the Nunthorpe Stakes. In 2020 he was unbeaten in three starts, namely the King's Stand Stakes, King George Stakes and Nunthorpe Stakes.

Leggera was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who produced her best performances in France. As a juvenile, she won two of her four starts including the Listed Prix Saraca on her final start. In the following year she was ran well without winning in the early part of the year before taking the Group 2 Prix de Pomone and the Group 1 Prix Vermeille and then produced a career-best performance when running a close second in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. She was not as successful in 1998 when she won the Doonside Cup in Scotland and finished fourth in her second attempt at Arc de Triomphe. She had no success as a broodmare.

Fairyland (horse) Irish Thoroughbred racehorse

Fairyland is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. She was one of the best two-year-old fillies in Europe in 2018 when her wins included the Marble Hill Stakes, Lowther Stakes and Cheveley Park Stakes. In the following year she won the Flying Five Stakes and ran well in several major sprint races.

Mabs Cross British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Mabs Cross is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. She did not compete as a two-year-old in 2017 and in the following year she ran mainly in minor sprint handicaps before being stepped up in class to win the Arran Scottish Fillies' Sprint Stakes on her final appearance of the season. In 2018 she made relentless improvement, winning the Palace House Stakes in spring and then being placed in the King's Stand Stakes and the Nunthorpe Stakes before recording her biggest success in the Prix de l'Abbaye. The highlight of her final campaign was a second win in the Palace House Stakes.

Promising Lead is a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She did not race until she was three years old in 2017 when she won a maiden race on her debut and went on to win the Upavon Fillies' Stakes before being narrowly beaten in the Group 1 Prix de l'Opéra. In the following year she won the Middleton Stakes and the Pretty Polly Stakes on her only two starts. As a broodmare she produced several minor winners.

Wooded is an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed promising form as a juvenile in 2019 when he won one minor race and was placed in both the Prix La Rochette and the Prix Thomas Bryon. He won the Prix Texanita on this three-year-old debut but was beaten in his next three starts before recording his biggest win on his final start when he took the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye. He was retired from racing at the end of the year.

References

  1. 1 2 "Glass Slippers pedigree". Equineline.
  2. "Dream Ahead Progeny". Racing Post.
  3. "Night Gypsy Race Record & Form". Racing Post.
  4. 1 2 "Constantia – Family 19-b". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
  5. "EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes result". Racing Post. 16 August 2018.
  6. "Foxy Bingo Fur Her Eyes Only / EBF Fillies' Conditions Stakes result". Racing Post. 1 September 2018.
  7. "Fred Darling Stakes result". Racing Post. 13 April 2019.
  8. "Prix Moonlight Cloud". Racing Post. 4 August 2019.
  9. "Prix du Petit Couvert result". Racing Post. 15 September 2019.
  10. "Prix de l'Abbaye result". Racing Post. 6 October 2019.
  11. Riley, Stuart (6 October 2019). "Flying filly Glass Slippers stuns Abbaye field as Battaash disappoints". Racing Post .
  12. "Flying Five Stakes result". Racing Post. 13 September 2020.
  13. Jennings, David (13 September 2020). "All roads lead to Longchamp for Glass Slippers as autumn ace strikes again". Racing Post.
  14. "Prix de l'Abbaye result". Racing Post. 4 October 2020.
  15. "Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint result". Racing Post. 7 November 2020.
  16. Crosby, Claire (7 November 2020). "Glass Slippers Rallies to Win Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint". The Blood-Horse.
  17. Carr, David (7 February 2021). "Glass Slippers 'Strengthened Up' Ahead of 2021 Campaign". The Blood-Horse.