Triumph and tragedy struck during the first race Sept. 4 at Saratoga Race Course, the 6 1/2-furlong Seeking the Ante Stakes, where the winner Samborella became the first winner for freshman sire Outwork and then had to be later euthanized when she took a bad step at the wire.
Samborella was making her second career start for an ownership group that includes the all-women syndicate All About the Girls Racing, Gold Square, Paul Braverman, Richard Nicolai's Fortune Farm, and Harlow Stable. Jeremiah Englehart trained the filly.
Anna Seitz Ciannello, founder and U.S. manager for the All About the Girls Racing syndicate, reported the loss of Samborella on Twitter following the race.
"It is with a very heavy heart my partners and I have to say we had to put down our beautiful Samborella today. She showed us her brilliance in a spectacular performance in winning the Seeking the Ante S.," Ciannello tweeted.
It is with a very heavy heart my partners and I have to say we had to put down our beautiful Samborella today. She showed us her brilliance in a spectacular performance in winning the Seeking the Ante S. and took a bad step at the wire. 💔RIP pretty girl pic.twitter.com/uAyTt5rlok
— Anna Seitz (@AnnaSeitzFT) September 4, 2020
The maiden winner was highly regarded at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Preferred Yearling Sale where she sold for $500,000 to agent Travis Durr in the name of All About the Girls Racing.
Bred in New York by WinStar Farm, Samborella is the third black-type performer produced by the Tiznow daughter Light and Variable. The mare also has produced English black-type winner Bye Bye Hong Kong (Street Sense ) and grade 3-placed winner Our Country (Constitution ). She has a yearling colt by Exaggerator that is cataloged as Hip 2669 in the upcoming Keeneland September Yearling Sale and foaled a colt by Candy Ride this year. The mare was bred back in the spring to Ashford Stud's Uncle Mo , who is the sire of Outwork.
As a racehorse, Outwork won the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) and was runner-up in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2). He started in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) but was unplaced. He became the first grade 1-winning son of Uncle Mo to enter stud. Outwork stands at WinStsar Farm in Kentucky for $15,000.
