Vancouver Filly Heads to G1 Breeders' Cup

Undefeated filly Madone (2f Vancouver x Indian Love Call, by Cherokee Love) kept her record perfect at Santa Anita on Sunday when taking out the $102,000 Surfer Girl Stakes (1m) on turf.

The Simon Callaghan trained filly won on debut at Del Mar and then won the Listed Juvenile Fillies Turf at the same track last month.

Sent out favourite she settled back in the field before charging to the lead and then showed tenacity to hold off a late challenger to win by a neck with nearly four lengths back to the third horse.

“They went fast, which we thought could happen, so Flavien (Prat) just let her settle back early and let her get comfortable. He made a big move with her and thankfully she had enough to hold off the filly that was running at us,” said her trainer Simon Callaghan.

Callaghan confirmed his filly would now head towards for the Group I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on November 6.

“She is professional, she has really grown up a lot,” he said. “She took a little bit of time to come around, but she’s really developing into a real professional.”

A $120,000 OBS March 2YO purchase this year, Madone runs for Kaleem Shah and is the fifth winner for Indian Love Call, a half-sister by Cherokee Run to stakes-winner Allegre from the family of Group I winners Gold Fever and Boisterous.

Madone is the second stakes-winner in two days for Vancouver joining his unbeaten South African trained colt Mount Pleasant.

A Group I winning son of Medaglia D’Oro, Vancouver stands this spring at a fee of $30,250.