Eight Belles form

[The Indomitable DrugS]

What happened to her was awful and sad.

What probably will go ignored though is that she was one of the all-time greatest form reversals in horse racing history.

The very first race ever run over the synthetic Tapeta surface was the 100K Inaugural Stakes at Presque Isle Downs. The favorite was the 3-year-old filly Cantrel - who was a mind-boggling 40-to-50 point form reversal.



Obviously you noticed a trainer change and a long layoff before the insane spike in form. Cantrel, with her walking time bomb form, broke down in the race and had to be destroyed.

Unlike Cantrel, Eight Belles mind-boggling form reversal came without either a trainer change or a layoff.



Something happened in the four week span between December 23rd and Jan 21st that turned a very mediocre filly with 5 career starts into suddenly the best 3yo filly in an above average crop in almost an instant.

Her 15 length allowance win at FG was probably the single most puzzling race I've ever come across when doing analytical work on a card.

I was trying to build a case for King's Silver Son in the Rebal Stakes at Oaklawn. He was coming off of a win at FG in which he only recieved an 80 Beyer in his last start.

As I studied the FG races that day, I almost fell on the floor when I saw that an N2L race for fillies went 20 points faster than KSS did in a similarly paced route on the same card. All that popped into my head was 'did this filly I never head of have the greatest trip of all-time - or is she some lightly raced phenom cut out to be the next Inside Information - or is a horse I'm trying to make a case for in a Graded Stake really a routine 5K claimer?'

I compared her trip to KSS's - shockingly, if anyting, KSS's was a touch easier.

Now came the real exciting part - you get feeling like you do before opening up a gift as you get ready to pull up her form and watch her previous race.

But, it wasn't a race - it was five of them! This wasn't some nice debut winner who took care of 'biz in her debut and really put it all together in a big way next out. This was a filly with a very medicore form. When I watched her first five races, I discovered not only was her form mediocre - but so was her talent.

In case anyone didn't know - KSS, off his 80 Beyer, was 2nd in the Rebel next out. He wasn't quite a 5K claimer after all.

Eight Belles repeated her magical performance four more times before breaking both front ankles while galloping a quarter mile after the wire. An odd way to go for a filly with an odd form.