Varda, a graduate of last year’s Fasig-Tipton New York-bred yearling sale and a $700,000 buy at OBS in June, rolls in Grade 1 Starlet at Los Alamitos. Benoit Photo.
By Melissa Bauer-Herzog
Saturday evening in California racing wrapped up an incredible day for the New York-bred program as Varda made easy work of the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos Race Course.
The newest Grade 1 winner for the Empire State’s rich and storied program, Varda shut the curtain on a day that saw New York-breds also win a Grade 2 and Grade 3 at Aqueduct.
Second in the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes last out in September at Santa Anita Park, Varda was ready to roll in her return. Racing more than 5 lengths behind the leader in last for much of the running of the 1 1/16-mile Starlet, the 2-year-old daughter of Distorted Humor clicked into gear on the turn to make her charge.
The race turned bittersweet for her trainer Bob Baffert right as Varda started her challenge when Varda’s stablemate, Princess Noor, took the lead and was quickly pulled up at the top of the stretch.
Kalypso inherited the lead for a brief period before Varada reached her as they entered the closing stages of the race. Jockey Drayden Van Dyke kept Varda well in hand as she easily passed Kalypso in the stretch and the race was all but over from that point. Van Dyke gave her an easy time of it to the line to give Baffert a fourth consecutive Grade 1 Starlet victory. Varda won in 1:44.53.
Varda, now 2-for-3, was a $700,000 purchase by Baoma Corp. at this year’s OBS Spring sale of 2-year-olds in training sale in June.
Varda is also another successful graduate of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale after bringing $100,000 in 2019 when purchased by Raven Bloodstock from the Paramount Sales consignment.
The filly was bred by Masters 2013 LLC and the Distorted Humor Syndicate and is out of the winning Sky Mesa mare She’ll Be Right. Already one of three stakes horses for that mare with her Grade 2 second, Varda becomes the first Grade 1 winner from She’ll Be Right’s five winners from five to race.
The mare is also the dam of Grade 3-placed Big Family and stakes-placed Getouttamyway.
She’ll Be Right is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Storm Treasure.
Varda is far from the only successful stakes winner in the family with top racehorses from around the world on her page. Leading the charge is dual South African champion Overarching and Grade 1 winner Lady Of The House, in addition to Hong Kong listed winner Victory Mount. Closer to home, the family also includes Grade 1 winner Abscond and multiple graded stakes winner Cambodia.
She’ll Be Right had a New York-bred Lookin At Lucky colt last year and a Maclean’s Music colt in April, with both bred by Masters 2013. The mare visited Accelerate this year and is carrying a three-quarter sibling to her yearling.
