Although Streaming was a debut maiden winner for Hall of Fame trainer Bob
Baffert, the blueblood was overlooked at odds of 10-1 in Saturday’s Grade 1,
$500,500
Hollywood Starlet. But the Smart Strike lass out of a half-sister to
champions Rags to Riches upstaged her rivals, stamping herself as a rising star
in this last-ever running of the juvenile fillies’ feature at Hollywood Park.
The betting public was focused on Rosalind, sent off as the 8-5 favorite in
the wake of her third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies; Taste Like Candy, a
5-2 chance who was a smashing winner first out for Hall of Famer Jerry
Hollendorfer; and Pocahontas heroine Untapable, a troubled eighth in the
Juvenile Fillies and the 7-2 third choice here. Yet Streaming outshone them all
and stole the spotlight.
Taste Like Candy, stretching out from a 5 1/2-furlong maiden to two turns,
sped to the early lead. Streaming, likewise tackling a route for the first time,
was bumped by Arethusa at the start. But Streaming soon recovered beneath Martin
Garcia and moved up to prompt Taste Like Candy through fractions of :23 4/5 and
:47 4/5 on the Cushion Track. After ratcheting up the pressure on the leader
through six furlongs in 1:12 4/5, Streaming put her head in front. Untapable
commenced her rally into third on the far turn, but wasn’t going well enough to
reach the top two.
Streaming continued to hold the upper hand at the top of the stretch, despite
Taste Like Candy’s game attempt to come back on the inside. The farther they
went, the more powerful Streaming became, until she drew 1 1/2 lengths clear at
the wire in a final time of 1:44 4/5 for 1 1/16 miles. The Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine
Holdings and Edward McGhee homebred fueled a win payout of $23.60.
Taste Like Candy had 1 1/4 lengths to spare over Untapable, who saved third
from the closing Rosalind by a nose. Arethusa, Bajan, Be Proud and the eased
Concave concluded the order of finish.
Now a perfect two-for-two, Streaming brandishes a bankroll of $287,000. The
Kentucky-bred bay recently made her premiere at Hollywood, rallying from just
off the pace to take a six-furlong maiden on November 15.
Streaming boasts a superb pedigree. She is a half-sister to three stakes
performers — Canadian stakes winner Cascading and the stakes-placed pair of
Distracting and Gifting. Their dam, the Storm Cat mare Teeming, is a winning
daughter of Grade 2 queen Better Than Honour.
Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour is famous for producing back-to-back
Belmont Stakes winners in Jazil (2006) and Rags to Riches (2007). Champion Rags
to Riches became the first filly to win the third jewel of the Triple Crown
since the dawn of the 20th century. She defeated Curlin, who ironically is by
Streaming’s Sire, Smart Strike. Rags to Riches landed three other Grade 1s
during her Eclipse Award-winning campaign, sweeping the Las Virgenes, Santa
Anita Oaks and Kentucky Oaks.
Better Than Honour is also responsible for Casino Drive, the 2008 Peter Pan
hero who aimed to give his dam a Belmont three-peat, only to be scratched on the
morning of the race, and Irish highweight stayer Man of Iron, winner of the 2009
Breeders’ Cup Marathon.
Streaming’s third dam is 1982 Kentucky Oaks star Blush with Pride. She has
produced Group 3 scorer Turnberry Isle, by Deputy Minister and thus a full
brother to Better Than Honour; Group 2 winner Smolensk, herself the dam of
stakes scorers Martha’s Moon and Can the Man, third-place finisher in last
summer’s Del Mar Futurity; and Group 1-placed Maryinsky, who has foaled European
co-champion filly Peeping Fawn and French Group 1-winning sire Thewayyouare.
Streaming’s fourth dam, Broodmare of the Year Best in Show, is the ancestress
of such luminaries as El Gran Senor, Try My Best, Xaar, Aldebaran and Spinning
World.
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