2007 Gazelle Stakes Winner
Lear's Princess was a high class filly who delivered one of the great upsets of the 2007 season. She was foaled in 2004 and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin. Her sire was the European bred stallion Lear Fan, a son of Roberto, and her dam was Pretty City, a daughter of Carson City. She carried a deep pedigree built for both speed and class on the dirt.
Lear's Princess had a strong three year old season in 2007. The signature win came in the Gazelle Stakes at Belmont Park, a Grade 1 race for three year old fillies. Lear's Princess ran the race of her life, defeating no less than Rags to Riches, the 2007 Belmont Stakes winner who had become the first filly to win that classic in over a hundred years. The win sent shockwaves through the racing world and stamped Lear's Princess as a true Grade 1 filly of her generation.
She came back as a four year old in 2008 with hopes of bigger things, but her training was interrupted by an injury that spring. She tried to come back but never quite recaptured the magic of her Gazelle Stakes day. Her connections decided to retire her at the end of the year. Even with that short window of dominance, Lear's Princess had built a Grade 1 resume that made her one of the most attractive broodmare prospects in the country.
She was sold at the Fasig Tipton Kentucky November sale for 2.7 million dollars as a broodmare prospect, drawing huge interest from breeders around the world. Lear's Princess went on to a career as a producer, where the same pedigree that took her to a Grade 1 win was passed on to the next generation. She is remembered as the filly who dared to take on a Triple Crown winning filly in Rags to Riches and walked away with one of the biggest upsets of the year.
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