Half Sister to Cave Rock Dazzles in Saratoga Debut

This column highlights the performances of 2- and 3-year-old maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are graded/group winners, or have dams that are graded/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners, in particular, who meet these criteria are more likely to go on to be graded stakes winners.

Saratoga Race Course

Angel Gift, a half sister to the ill-fated grade 1 winner Cave Rock, made her debut a winning one June 8 at Saratoga Race Course for Todd Pletcher and Repole Stable. 

Bred in the Empire State, Repole purchased the 2-year-old out of last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York Bred Yearling Sale. Angel's Gift, a daughter of the grade 3-winning Bellamy Road mare Georgie's Angel, was the highest-priced filly at the sale and shared the co-highest price of $300,000 with three others. 

Sent to post as the second choice in a field of seven New York-bred fillies, things got off to a rough start for Angel Gift when she broke in the air leaving the gate, colliding into a rival to her outside. Under the trusty hands of veteran rider Irad Ortiz Jr., the pair regrouped from their shaky beginning by the first-furlong marker but was forced to contend five-wide for the rest of their journey. 

Despite racing a trip that was closer to seven furlongs rather than the 5 1/2 furlongs of the race, Angel Gift steered clear of trouble and motored down her rivals for a dazzling four-length score. She clocked the distance in 1:05.25 over a track quickly drying out after a weekend of intermittent thunderstorms.

Three years earlier, Cave Rock lit the racing world on fire with a scintillating debut victory during the Del Mar summer meet. Following a six-length romp over eventual Santa Anita Derby (G1) victor Practical Move, the son of Arrogate stormed through two straight grade 1 victories in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and American Pharoah Stakes (G1). Favored in that year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), Cave Rock's eye-popping win streak came to an end when he was caught late by 2022 champion 2-year-old Forte  in the only loss of his career. The Breeders' Cup would be the final race for the brilliant star-crossed colt, who succumbed to post-surgery laminitis in August 2023.