Kentucky-bred Full Count Felicia left little doubt who was best in the $750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1) at Woodbine on Saturday, Sept. 14.
The daughter of War Front sprinted clear early in the 1 ¼-mile turf affair, leading by as many as 19 lengths under a snug hold. Still moving strongly around the far turn, Full Count Felicia simply ran her four rivals off their feet. She cruised home to score by 3 ½ lengths in the end. Ridden by jockey Kazushi Kimura, Full Count Felicia covered the marathon distance in a brisk 1:59.29 for owner Gold Square LLC and trainer Kevin Attard.
“I was trying to let her, you know, try to (set) her own pace and be comfortable. It worked out well,” noted Kimura.
Attard shared after the victory that he could not have imagined the impressive manner in which Full Count Felicia won the race. The E.P. Taylor field featured such classy Grade 1 performers as Moira and Fev Rover (IRE).
“Never in a million years,” said Attard. “I thought Fev Rover and Full Count Felicia would, kind of, you know, duke it out a little bit early. She set an honest pace, I thought. Then I looked around at the three-eighths, and she had an insurmountable lead. And I’m thinking, ‘Is she gonna stop?’ But you know, she’s a nice filly. I don’t think she got the respect she deserved. And I think she’s just improving, just getting better with each start.”
Fresh off a front-running score in the Canadian Stakes (G2) at Woodbine, Full Count Felicia is now a winner in seven of 18 lifetime starts with earnings of $756,354. She was bred in Kentucky by Joseph Allen LLC, and she is produced from the Galileo (IRE) mare Claire de Lune (IRE).