Hey Ladies! Cawaja Beach Is Back On Track

Unquestionably, 2009 has been the year of the filly. Rachel Alexandra is making headlines as she travels across the USA to take on both the boys and the girls. What you may not know is that Canada is experiencing a similar wealth of talent that suggests girl power is on the rise.

The story of the Canadian Triple Crown run has been the grit and determination of the filly Milwaukee Appeal. Trained by Scott Fairlie, the determined filly put away her rival Tasty Temptation in the Woodbine Oaks, a race deemed faster than the boys efforts in the Plate Trial won by Eye of the Leopard.

Despite having just two weeks rest, both Milwaukee Appeal and Tasty Temptation made the decision to run against the boys in the 1 1/4M Queen's Plate. While Tasty Temptation put in a solid effort in the Queen's Plate to finish fourth, a driven Milwaukee Appeal overcame traffic trouble to cross the line third in a tight finish with winner Eye of the Leopard and place horse Mr. Foricos Two U. "Around the turn I thought we had a chance to win but they weren't coming back," said Stewart Elliott, jockey for Milwaukee Appeal. "She ran a great race...she gave everything she had out there."

A few short weeks later, Milwaukee Appeal was back to take on the boys in the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales Stakes raced on the dirt at 1M3/16 at Fort Erie. Elliott was back to ride Fairlie's filly and the pair fought gamely through the stretch against a fresh Gallant who won the race in a finish so close it took the stewards ten minutes to come to a decision.

Heartbreaker! Milwaukee Appeal loses the Prince of Wales by the width of a coin


However, if you had asked Fairlie last year who his best young Canadian-Bred filly was, the answer would have been Cawaja Beach. The undefeated Cawaja Beach won four races as a two year-old including three Stakes wins in the Shady Well, Nandi and Victorian Queen. Cawaja Beach improved off each effort saving her best work for last overcoming a seven-length deficit in a wide trip to nail Sans Sousi at the wire in a six furlong sprint. Unfortunately, Cawaja Beach came out of the race with an injury and had to be shelved ending her two year-old campaign.

Scott Fairlie, Mike and Cawaja Beach smile for the camera


Those unfamiliar with the Woodbine circuit might ask - who did she beat?

On July 13, 2008 Cawaja Beach contested the 5 1/2 furlong Shady Well Stakes and defeated Van Lear Rose and Koonunga Hill in the process. Van Lear Rose went on to be named Canada's Outstanding Two Year-Old filly after winning the Mazarine Stakes before finishing sixth in the Juvenile Fillies on Breeders' Cup day.

Cawaja Beach returned August 6th, 2008 to try the Nandi Stakes at six furlongs and put in another untested performance to defeat Koonunga Hill and Cataleenda. Koonunga Hill is a known commodity locally with wins on the turf and poly topped by a win in the Ice Water Stakes.

In her final start of 2008, Cawaja Beach raced from well off the pace in the six furlong Victorian Queen Stakes. Jockey Daniel David and the big filly were off the screen as the leaders posted quick fractions of 22.16 and 44.99 before heading into a memorable stretch run. With considerable patience, David untethered Cawaja Beach, tipped out to the centre of the track and ate up the poly to win by a length and a quarter. They made it look so easy and apparently it was as after the race a smiling David exclaimed, "I knew down the backstretch she was going to win." Sans Sousi finished second in that race and in May of this year, Sans Sousi won the Lady Angela Stakes over, you guessed it, Koonunga Hill.

Three consecutive Stakes wins for Cawaja Beach over fields containing multiple Stakes winners, including the eventual Sovereign Award winner Van Lear Rose.

The filly has been working up a storm of late as she prepares for her first start as a three year-old in the Passing Mood Stakes for Ontario-sired three year-old fillies on July 22. On July 6th, Cawaja Beach breezed five furlongs in 59.40 and a week later breezed in 1:00.40. In speaking with Fairlie on Wednesday, the top conditioner proudly exclaimed, "You don't see too many three year-old fillies that look like that...with a barrel like that," as he pointed into the stall at his muscular charge.

What follows is the remainder of our short, candid, interview.

TDH: How is Cawaja Beach doing following the injury?
SF: She came out of her last race with a very small lesion on her tendon. It was minor, but it was there, so we had to give her the time. We did stem cell therapy on her. It's where they culture bone marrow and then inject them into the injured site.

TDH: As a two year-old, would Cawaja Beach have been considered your top two year-old filly.

SF: As a two year old definitely. Milwaukee Appeal really improved immensely, but as a two year-old this filly (Cawaja Beach) was much better. She was never really tested. She won all her races very comfortably. All her races she won easy, she was never really set down.

Milwaukee Appeal enjoys some rest and relaxation after a successful triple crown run



TDH: I remember Cawaja Beach being a big closer, coming out of the clouds to win races.

SF: Just her last race, all her other races she was close to the place laying second or close to the lead or just off of it. She was never far out of it except for her last race.

TDH: Considering how well Cawaja Beach closed in that last race, two turns would not seem to be an issue.

SF: She was probably six or seven lengths behind the last horse and really wide on the turn. Our intentions were too run her long which was never going to be an issue but we were looking forward to trying two turns.

TDH: What are your plans for Milwaukee Appeal?

SF: She will get a break now. Probably about six weeks.

TDH: It was a heart breaking loss in the Prince of Wales and but for a little traffic trouble she could have won the Queen's Plate as well.

SF: She's an amazing filly. In the Prince of Wales she lost the bob. She got to the lead but her head was coming back and the other horse's head was coming down. It was the tightest photo that I've ever been in. It's just unfortunate. I've lost that way before but not by that small a margin.

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While Woodbine racing fans wait for a chance to see Cawaja Beach back on the track, the filly's younger brother, Who's Big Daddy, has been turning heads recently winning the Clarendon Stakes. Also trained by Fairlie, Who's Big Daddy has won two of three career starts and will try the $150K Colin Stakes in his next start on July 18th.

2008 presented Woodbine with a bountiful crop of brilliant young fillies and there could be some highly competitive races in the fall if the ladies can stay healthy. Van Lear Rose won the silverware as a two year-old, Milwaukee Appeal developed exponentially to win the glory as a three year-old but on July 22, all eyes will be on the undefeated potential of Cawaja Beach.