FIVE YEAR OLD MARE - GONE WEST - LYPHARD - THE AXE II

Owner: THEATRICAL

Record: 26/ 9-9-4

Earnings: $2,062,714

Stakes:

1st: Breeders Bowl Distaff (G1), Canadian Distaff Turf (G1), Dancing Idiot (G1), Old Man River BB (G3), Sure Will Handicap (G3), Dzurilla Appreciation Stakes, Arizona Special Stakes, Iowa Handicap Stakes

2nd: Princess Di Handicap (G2), Natural Spring Stakes (G3), Other Spa Stakes (G3), Short Female Sprint (G3), Monrovia Stakes (G3), KRC Tribute Stakes, Epsom Challenge Stakes, California Handicap Stakes, OK Bayou Handicap Stakes

3rd: Nevada Special Stakes, Hail The Ruckus Stakes, California 187 Handicap Stakes

Theatrical grinned as the visitor jumped back from the stall door when the huge chestnut mare inside charged the webbing and snorted at the intruder. The trainer shrugged his shoulders, held his palms upward and commented, “ She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, but at the same time she is her own boss and knows what she likes and what she doesn’t. What she doesn’t like is being bothered after she has done all her daily chores. Each day she either gallops, walks the shed row, trains, or races. After that she gets her bath, has her legs done up, and is curried. When she is put back in her freshly done stall, she really doesn’t want to be bothered. She has been so good to us; she gets whatever she wants. She is the queen around here and she knows it. She is all woman and will not tolerate being disturbed.” The visitor nodded his head in agreement as he kept a wary eye on the mare. He chuckled and said, “I will always be able to say that a real queen put me in my place.”

The queen he was referring to was Theatrical’s newly crowned, Eclipse Award winning Champion Older Mare, One Attack. The selection of the amazon mare is bound to be one of the most controversial of all Eclipse Award winners. Not that the ‘Iron Lady’ didn’t deserve one, but most fans thought she had a better shot in the Older Turf Female division. After all, she only made five starts on the main track, winning a pair of stakes, while she had 21 very successful starts on the turf. Regardless of her turf record, in the biggest main track race of the year, The Breeders Bowl Distaff GI, against the very best the world had to offer, she showed why no filly or mare racing on the dirt should be held above her.

The old saying, ‘in the right place at the right time’ plays a remarkable part in the story of One Attack. The right place in this case was Florida’s Payton Park, a renowned training center for thoroughbreds, known for its tranquil surroundings and deep cushioned, very safe training surface. The right time was about seven in the morning as Theatrical was checking on several horses he had sent there for rehabilitation. He was mostly enjoying the feel of the morning sun and the camaraderie of several other trainers that were here doing the same. As he watched the horses work, the sight of an unusually large and beautiful red horse galloping by grabbed his attention. He continued to savor the morning, while his keen trainer’s eye missed nothing. As the boy galloped the big red horse past him again, Theatrical noted the easy way that she moved and how lightly she struck the ground for one so large. She continued to warm up and Theatrical continued to watch. Suddenly, as the horse started down the backstretch for the third time, the rider dropped her over to the rail and let the big horse run. The jockey rode motionless, crouched over her withers as the big red mare flew around the track and literally skimmed the ground with long and powerful strides. She flashed past the finish line with the rider never once giving her any encouragement whatsoever, as if she was giving all that she had and to ask for more would have been an insult. “Who is that? Anybody know?” Theatrical asked of no one in particular. “That’s the mare that belongs to the guy stabled down from me,” came an answer. “Don’t remember his name, but he says that she’s given him a lot of headaches and has a lot of problems. She’s a coming five-year-old and has never started. Her name’s One Attack and she’s in Monday for a tag. Not sure how much.”

He never said it, but the reply on Theatrical’s mind was, “She doesn’t look like a problem to me.” The rest is history. Monday morning Theatrical filled out the claim sheet and that afternoon, after completely demolishing a field of $50,000 claimers, One Attack was in Theatrical's barn.

One Attack has shown talent since she started; the more she has raced, the better she has gotten. In her first 11 starts of the year she only won twice, including a stakes while sprinting on the main track. In her next 11, she earned a reputation as a hickory-tough mare, as well as the moniker ‘The Iron Lady,’ by dancing in every dance and avoiding no one’s horse. She took on the best in training and came away with six more victories including two Grade I and a pair of Grade III triumphs as well as two other stakes. Then it was time for the Breeders Bowl. She was cross - entered in both the Distaff and the Filly and Mare Turf, but all believed she was headed for the grass event. After the entries were drawn, and everyone saw that she was in the Distaff, most thought her trainer had lost his mind. “What’s he doing?” and, “Did you see what Theatrical did with One Attack?” were among some of the kindest remarks leading up to race day. Theatrical didn’t care; he and One Attack were about to show the world why he won the Eclipse Award as top trainer and why he is always one step ahead of his peers.

After the start of the Distaff, One Attack took her customary time to get her feet under her and to find a rhythm. She dropped back and was content to race in eighth for the early part of the race. Past the half she began to advance on her own. She made up ground around the turn and into the stretch and as the field came to the eighth pole, she was fourth, four lengths behind the leader. When her rider, W.Jenkins, asked the big lady for more, she gave more than enough. With the Florida sunlight bouncing off her magnificent copper colored coat, she stretched out with ground devouring strides and swept to victory in the Breeders Bowl Distaff, defeating the best fillies and mares in the world.

Now the voters have spoken. This is the one they want for their champion. They had the foresight to recognize that even though she campaigned mostly on the turf, she should be rewarded for her excellent over-all record, and when they held the grand ball on the main track, here was the Queen. And what a queen she is! Eighteen times first or second in 26 starts and over $2 million in prize money won. Three Grade I victories and eight stakes won all told. A magnificent record and the awesome good looks of a movie starlet complete the package. She is One Attack. The Iron Lady.

Race ID	Trk	RST	Srf	Dist	Race	Time	SP#	#	PP	C1	C2	C3	FIN	Odds
523.0211	FL	F-3yo+	D	7	Natural Spring Stk -G3	1:21 4/5	109	12	12	10 4	10 6	4 5	2 2	2.10
516.0304	KY	F-3yo+	T	9	-Stk	1:48 4/5	106	11	7	6 2	6 3	1 hd	2 1	2.20
488.441	NV	F-3yo+	T	9	The Nevada 488 Special -Stk	1:49 2/5	96	8	2	4 1	4 2	4 2	3 6	.60
474.0208	FL	F-3yo+	D	9	Breeders Bowl Distaff -G1	1:48 1/5	111	12	10	8 5	8 8	4 4	1 1	9.40
460.0406	NY	F-3yo+	T	9	Dzurilla Filly Turf Appreciation -Stk	1:48 4/5	107	12	7	5 4	5 5	2 1	1 2	2.40
446.0402	NY	F-3yo+	D	6.5	Green Bloom Stk -G3	1:15 2/5	96	12	12	10 5	10 8	10 9	8 9	5.60
439.2810	OT	F-3yo+	T	8.5	Canadian Distaff Turf -G1	1:43 3/5	97	5	3	3 3	3 4	2 1	1 5	.40
425.0508	LA	F-3yo+	T	8.5	Old Man River BB -G3	1:42 4/5	105	11	9	6 3	6 4	2 2	1 2	2.20
411.0408	NY	F-3yo+	T	9	Princess Di Cap -G2	1:48 3/5	104	7	3	2 hd	1 1	2 3	2 4	2.30
404.1509	AZ	F-4yo+	T	8	The Arizona 404 Special -Stk	1:36 1/5	97	7	1	4 2	3 2	1 1	1 4	1.90
390.0405	NY	F-3yo+	T	8.5	Other Spa BB -G3	1:42 1/5	109	8	8	2 4	2 5	3 2	2 1	6.40
376.0212	FL	F-4yo+	T	8	The Florida 376 Handicap -Stk	1:36 2/5	24	6	2	6 8	6 15	6 29	6 dist	.90
369.3407	E2	F-4yo+	T	8.5	The Epsom 369 Challenge -Stk	1:43 1/5	96	6	4	5 4	5 6	2 5	2 3	1.80
355.2809	OT	F-3yo+	T	9	Dancing Idiot -G1	1:49 2/5	103	6	2	3 2	3 4	2 1	1 2	2.40
292.0108	CA	F-3yo+	T	8	Sure Will Cap -G3	1:36	99	9	3	6 4	5 7	4 4	1 3	3.00
271.0106	CA	F-4yo+	T	6.5	Short Female Sprint -G3	1:16 2/5	100	12	10	9 4	7 6	2 4	2 1	5.90
257.0109	CA	F-4yo+	T	8	The California 257 Handicap -Stk	1:35 1/5	99	12	5	7 4	7 6	5 4	2 6	9.60
250.0109	CA	F-4yo+	T	8	The California 250 Special -Stk	1:36	75	12	11	9 6	10 10	10 13	10 17	5.20
243.0206	FL	F-4yo+	T	8	Alw-64400	1:36	89	12	4	8 4	9 6	4 4	3 8	2.70
229.0509	LA	F-4yo+	T	9	OK Bayou BB Handicap -Stk	1.49 1/5	98	9	1	3 1-1/2	3 2-3/4	2 1-1/2	2 4	1.30
215.1006	TX	4yo+	T	6.5	The HAIL THE RUCKUS Stakes -Stk	1.16 4/5	88	8	7	4 2-3/4	4 2-1/2	3 3-1/2	3 3	2.20
201.011	CA	F-4yo+	T	8	Alw-53100NW3x	1.36 1/5	99	5	4	2 3/4	2 3/4	1 1	1 5-1/4	1.00
194.0208	FL	F-3yo+	D	7	Shirley Smith Stakes -G3	1.20 3/5	95	12	1	10 6-1/4	9 9	10 11-1/4	9 13	8.70
187.011	CA	F-4yo+	T	6.5	The California 187 Handicap -Stk	1.16	90	10	3	7 4-1/4	7 6	5 6-1/2	3 5-1/2	2.00
173.1909	IA	F-4yo+	D	6.5	The Iowa 173 Cap -Stk	1.15 2/5	105	5	2	1 hd	1 1/2	1 3	1 4-1/2	.80
166.0105	CA	F-4yo+	T	6.5	Monrovia Stakes -G3	1.16 4/5	87	8	7	4 1-3/4	4 2-3/4	1 1/2	2 2-1/2	1.70
159.0309	KY	F-4yo+	T	8	The Kentucky 159 Handicap -Stk	1.36 1/5	98	10	4	7 2	6 5	2 1/4	1 5-1/4	2.70
152.0205	FL	F-3yo+	D	6.5	Alw-36600NW1x	1.15 2/5	98	8	8	6 4-3/4	4 5	3 4	2 2-1/2	3.70
145.0202	FL	3yo+	D	6	Clm-50000	1.11	83	12	4	8 2-1/4	7 2-3/4	1 3/4	1 5	2.50