Never Retreat was making her third appearance at Woodbine this season, having
“She loves it here,” assistant trainer Drew Coontz said. “That was
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Under Julien Leparoux, Never Retreat prompted longshot Woolly Bear (Proud
Citizen) through steady splits of :24 and :47 3/5. Stars to Shine (Tale of the
Cat) chased in third on the outside, while Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1)
winner Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect) drafted just behind the leaders, and
Diana S. (G1) heroine Zagora (Fr) (Green Tune), the 3-1 favorite, was held up
toward the rear of the full field.
Never Retreat eased past Woolly Bear leaving the far turn and struck the
front. Stars to Shine covered her move and launched a bold challenge, but Never
Retreat simply spurted right away from her. Opening up by daylight in midstretch,
Never Retreat was gone by the time the deep closers got involved.
Zagora tried to mount a rally down the center of the course, but the
124-pound highweight was unable to pick up well enough. Instead, it was 24-1
shot Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul [Ire]) who caught fire late.
Although Perfect Shirl came with a rattling run inside the final furlong, she
could not catch Never Retreat, who held her off by a half-length. The winner
completed about 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:45 and paid $15.50, $7.40 and
$5.40 as the 6-1 fourth choice.
“She broke good and put me in the race nice,” said Leparoux, who later
notched a big stakes double aboard Turallure (Wando) in the Woodbine Mile
(Can-G1). “She relaxed beautifully for me. She got to the lead very early
but she kept on going. She’s a nice filly.”
“He (Leparoux) got her settled and relaxed pretty well and did a wonderful
job,” Coontz said. “Julien said it all, ‘she’s a good filly.'”
Never Retreat has amassed $1,058,769 in earnings from her 30-10-7-6 record. She
For original trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, Never Retreat was promoted to second
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Joining the Block franchise in 2009, Never Retreat placed in both the
Blushing K.D. H. and Virginia H. Tarra Illinois Owners S., but began to improve
markedly in 2010. She crossed the wire first in the Furl Sail H., only to be
demoted to second for causing interference. Never Retreat then lost on the
head-bob in the Marie G. Krantz Memorial H., and concluded her stint at Fair
Grounds with a third in the Bayou H. She was in tip-top form in the latter part
of the year, landing the Lady Canterbury S. and Kentucky Cup Ladies Turf S. and
missing by a nose to Fantasia in the River Memories S., her first try at
Woodbine.
Bred by Gerry O’Meara and Stanley Inman in Kentucky, Never Retreat was sold
for $410,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling. She is out of the
Canadian stakes-placed Lisieux (Steady Growth), who has also produced a juvenile
filly named Beaucoup (English Channel), a yearling filly by Bob and John and a
2011 filly by Flower Alley. Another Never Retreat half-sibling, Laoub (Red
Ransom), is the dam of Australian stakes winner Moulin Lady (Reset) and current
English juvenile Bannock (Bertolini), runner-up in the Richmond S. (Eng-G2) and
National S. and third in the July S. (Eng-G2).
Lisieux is herself a half-sister to multiple Grade 2 heroine Sweetest Chant
(Mr. Leader), the dam of Grade 2 queen Danzig’s Beauty (Danzig), who in turn
produced multiple Grade 2 star and top sire Distorted Humor (Forty Niner). This
is also the family of Grade 3 scorer Liam’s Dream (Saint Liam), Grade 2 winner
Cassaleria (Pretense) and Canadian Grade 2 victor Seaside Retreat (King Cugat),
who ran seventh in Sunday’s Northern Dancer Turf S. (Can-G1).