Initial experiences often carry a unique significance.
Among the many outstanding horses conditioned by Todd Pletcher, the remarkable Ashado achieved the distinction of being the first to be enshrined in the sport’s Hall of Fame – a fitting tribute to one of racing’s premier fillies from the early 2000s.
Ashado, a recipient of two Eclipse Awards, demonstrated remarkable resilience and quality, securing 12 wins out of 21 races and placing outside the top three on just two occasions. She earned a Grade 1 triumph in each of her three competitive years, accumulating a total of seven such victories.
Furthermore, she delivered Pletcher his initial success in the Breeders’ Cup, out of a total of 14, by prevailing in the 2004 Distaff. This achievement also marked her as the first female horse to claim both the Kentucky Oaks and the Distaff titles in a single season.
Her inaugural championship also coincided with Pletcher’s first of eight Eclipse Awards for outstanding trainer. His career subsequently ascended with such intensity that this 2021 Racing Hall of Fame inductee currently holds the sport’s record for total lifetime prize money.
Upon her retirement in 2005, her career earnings totaled $3,931,440, positioning her slightly below Azeri’s record for a filly or mare, which stood at $4,079,820.
However, her prowess extended beyond her racing achievements; the esteem she commanded was further highlighted by the record-breaking $9 million offer she garnered when auctioned as a potential broodmare in November 2005.
During Ashado’s induction into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2014, her owner, Jack Wolf, succinctly remarked, “It’s a tremendous honor for a horse. She truly merits this recognition.”
And indeed, she truly did.
Acquired for $170,000 as a yearling, Ashado, sired by Saint Ballado and out of the Halo mare Goulash, competed for Wolf’s Starlight Racing, with Paul Saylor and Johns Martin also holding ownership stakes. She was entrusted to the care of Todd Pletcher, then a nascent yet ascending trainer, who had previously honed his skills as an assistant to the esteemed D. Wayne Lukas.
Early in her career, Ashado displayed considerable promise. Her maiden race at Belmont Park on June 18, 2003, saw her dominate the field with a commanding seven-length win, starting as the 11-10 favorite.
Capitalizing on this initial success, she then raced at Saratoga Race Course, establishing herself as a leader in the 2-year-old filly category with consecutive victories in the Grade 2 Schuylerville and Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes.
Following these three consecutive wins – her career’s longest winning streak – her trajectory altered slightly. She placed third in the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes at Belmont Park, then journeyed to Santa Anita Park where she secured second place, trailing only the eventual division champion Halfbridled, in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Prior to concluding her 2-year-old season, Ashado competed once more, demonstrating her tenacity by narrowly winning the 1 1/8-mile, Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct by a nose.
The Demoiselle Stakes provided Ashado with her initial experience and success in two-turn races, a format that would become central to her performances as a three-year-old.
Her 2004 campaign commenced strongly with a dominant 3 ¾-length victory in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks. Although she subsequently placed second to Madcap Escapade in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland Race Course, Ashado was still favored at 2.30-to-1 odds in the Kentucky Oaks.
Delivering one of her most exceptional career displays, Ashado remained unperturbed by the challenging muddy conditions. She maintained pressure on the early leaders before pulling away to secure a 1 ¼-length triumph over Island Sand, with Madcap Escapade finishing in third.
“It marked our inaugural appearance at a prominent event with the favored contender,” Pletcher commented post-race. “While I’ve certainly had opportunities in major competitions like the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup, this occasion brought added tension. She’s been in superb form, performing exceptionally well. I anticipated victory today, and that brings considerable pressure. We definitely felt it.”
However, the shine of the Kentucky Oaks victory was somewhat dulled by a period of inconsistent results for Ashado. She placed second in the Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes, then secured a 4 ½-length win in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks, only to fatigue in the final furlong and finish third in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga.
Following a six-week rest granted by Pletcher, Ashado made a strong comeback in the Grade 2 Cotillion Handicap at Philadelphia Park (presently Parx Racing), achieving a 2 ¾-length win. This performance poised her for an outstanding showing in the impending Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Lone Star Park.
In her first encounter with older fillies and mares, Ashado delivered a masterful performance at the Breeders’ Cup. She tracked the leaders a few lengths back, and even after being impeded at the quarter pole, she asserted control in the homestretch, pulling away like a true champion to secure a 1 ¼-length win.
“This filly has unequivocally performed brilliantly in every race of her career,” Pletcher stated following the Distaff. “Winning the Kentucky Oaks and [the Breeders’ Cup] is crucial for elevating an organization to a higher echelon.”
Her Breeders’ Cup triumph solidified Ashado’s claim to the 3-year-old filly championship, while also setting high expectations for her subsequent 4-year-old season.
Nevertheless, 2005 began with an unexpected setback as Ashado, sent off as the 1-2 favorite, tired and finished fifth in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park. This marked the first instance in her 15 races that she did not secure a top-three placing.
Her subsequent race showed improvement; she held a 2 ¾-length lead at the eighth pole but ultimately finished second by three-quarters of a length in the Pimlico Distaff Handicap. Ashado then regained her peak performance, triumphing by three lengths in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Handicap at Belmont Park, followed by an emphatic 9 1/2-length win in the Grade 1 Go for Wand Handicap at Saratoga.
Though once more celebrated as the premier distaff mare, Ashado’s form dipped after her decisive Go for Wand win. Immediately following one of her career-best efforts, she delivered her poorest performance in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga, showing minimal contention and finishing fourth, 14 ¾ lengths adrift of the winner, Shadow Cast.
Ashado consistently avoided losing more than two consecutive races, and she once more demonstrated her resilience by claiming the Grade 1 Beldame Stakes at Belmont, thereby establishing herself as the favored contender for the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Distaff, also held at Belmont Park.
Having won four of her six previous starts at Belmont leading into her return appearance at the Breeders’ Cup, Ashado was dispatched as the 2.25-1 favorite. However, she did not deliver her characteristic sterling performance, finishing third, 9 1/2 lengths behind the winning mare, Pleasant Home.
The 2005 Breeders’ Cup ultimately marked Ashado’s last race, yet her three Grade 1 victories that year were acknowledged with an Eclipse Award as the 2005 champion older female.
Her subsequent career phase unfolded in November 2005 at the Keeneland November breeding stock auction. An intense bidding competition erupted between two prominent entities in racing, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum and Coolmore, culminating in Sheikh Mohammed acquiring her for $9 million, a record sum for a racehorse or broodmare prospect.
“Selling her was deeply emotional for us, given the immense satisfaction we derived from her ownership,” Wolf conveyed to BloodHorse after the transaction. “She maintained remarkable soundness throughout her racing tenure. However, it’s comforting to know she was acquired by an organization that will continue to provide her with superlative care, mirroring the standard we offered during our ownership.”
Ashado’s performance as a broodmare was not exceptional, and she produced her final foal in 2022. Michael Banahan, Godolphin USA’s bloodstock director, informed BloodHorse in December of that year that Ashado continued to have an active “fan club” who would visit her in central Kentucky, and that the cherished mare would spend her remaining years in an environment suitable for a dual Hall of Famer, a truly luminous figure in American racing during the early 21st century.
Disclaimer: This article originated in 2015 and has since undergone revisions.
INTERESTING TIDBITS
- Before Ashado fetched $9 million in 2005, the highest price previously recorded for a breeding mare or prospect was $7.1 million, paid by Coolmore for Cash Run in 2003.
- Ashado was the favored horse in her last 13 competitive outings.
- Across her three appearances in the Breeders’ Cup, Ashado achieved a first-place, a second-place, and a third-place finish.
- Ashado performed exceptionally well on wet tracks, securing victories in five of her seven races run on “off” surfaces.
