The Measure of Grace

Originally posted on Horse Racing Nation:

What is the measure of a man? For as long as pen and parchment have existed, and man first discovered the power and influence of words, there has been a desire to record, and question, the accomplishments of others. From Julius Caesar, to Leonardo da Vinci, Queen Victoria, and Martin Luther King, great figureheads in history have been put through countless tests to measure their worth in a million different areas of proficiency. Perhaps the question we need to be asking coming into Saturday’s Woodward Stakes is this: What is the measure of a filly?

Havre de Grace has been under constant and ever-increasing scrutiny, since she gave Champion Blind Luck one of the most testing races of her career in the Delaware Oaks (gr.2) on July 10^th last year. The two fillies have since established one of the greatest rivalries thoroughbred horse racing have ever seen. Five times Havre de Grace and Blind Luck have faced each other since last July, and never has another horse finished between them. Havre de Grace began the year with an impressive score by more than three lengths over her nemesis in the Azeri Stakes (gr.3). She humbled the Apple Blossom Handicap (gr.1) field, minus Blind Luck, in her next start before capturing the Obeah Stakes (gr.3) with breathtaking ease. She locked in mortal combat the entire length of the Delaware Park stretch in her next start, proving tough-as-nails once again while finishing second to Blind Luck, defeated by a nose for the win in the Delaware Handicap (gr.2). [Read the complete post on Distaff Runner at Horse Racing Nation]