Inside Information, whose Hall of Fame career ended with a sterling 13 1/2-length victory in the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) at Belmont Park and an Eclipse Award as that season’s champion older female, died October 14 from natural causes at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. She was 26.
Bred and raced by the late Jockey Club chairman Ogden Mills (Dinny) Phipps, Inside Information was born and raised at Claiborne and was trained throughout her career by fellow Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey. Another Hall inductee, jockey Mike Smith, rode her in all but one of her 17 career starts.
As a three-year-old in 1994, Inside Information captured the Acorn (G1), Ashland (G1), and Bonnie Miss (G2), but finished a distant third in the Mother Goose (G1) in her final stakes appearance of the season after an early duel.
At age four, Inside Information captured the Spinster (G1), Ruffian H. (G1), Shuvee H. (G1), Molly Pitcher H. (G1), and Monmouth Breeders’ Cup (G3) prior to the Distaff, and also finished second in the Ballerina H. (G1) after stumbling at the break.
Part of an entry with the more highly-regarded Heavenly Prize, the previous year’s champion three-year-old filly, that was favored at 4-5 in the 1 1/8-mile Distaff, Inside Information took the early lead and skipped across the muddy surface to win in a rout over her stablemate and multiple Grade 1 winner Lakeway, who had defeated Inside Information by more than 10 lengths in the 1994 Mother Goose. The final time was a swift 1:46.
Subsequently retired to Claiborne with a mark of 17-14-1-2, $1,641,805, Inside Information later produced the 2005 champion three-year-old filly Smuggler.
By Private Account and out of the Key to the Mint mare Pure Profit, Inside Information was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008. She will be buried at Claiborne’s Marchmont cemetery.
1995 Ruffian Handicap
1995 Spinster
