The 2002 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies

The 2002 edition of the Breeders' Cup was held for the first (and so far only) time at Arlington Park near Chicago, Illinois. I will always hold a soft spot in my heart for this version of the Breeders' Cup as it was the first one I was personally able to attend. I was invited to participate in All-Star Announcers Day on the Friday before the Cup and it was a tremendous thrill to be a part of it. I got to get acquainted with some of my fellow announcers I had not met before and also was there for an exciting day of racing as well. By the way, in case you are wondering, I still remember the winner of the race I called at Arlington, Murray's D.J. won a one-turn mile under the ride of Tony Farina.

Back to the business at hand, however, and that is a look back at the 2002 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. This race stands out to me because of the way it was won by Storm Flag Flying. She had taken the lead at the top of the stretch and was subsequently passed and appeared hopelessly beaten by Composure in mid-stretch and Storm Flag Flying dug into her reserve of heart and rallied again on the inside to once again get past Composure and surge to a victory and prove herself a champion on that epic afternoon. Storm Flag Flying's performance headlined a day of amazing performances and horses including Azeri, Volponi, Orientate, Domedriver, and others.

Storm Flag Flying was voted Champion Two-Year-Old Filly off of that win in the Breeders' Cup in 2002. Storm Flag Flying was not finished with the Breeders' Cup after that race either. She ran a gallant second to Ashado in the 2004 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Lone Star Park. For her career, she finished with thirteen top three results in fourteen lifetime starts, including seven wins. Her career earnings were $1,951,828. To watch Storm Flag Flying's victory in the 2002 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UbbPN3xwnU.

Tune in again tomorrow for more from They Are Off. For right now, I am Gone... GOODBYE!