Careless Jewel didn’t only notch her first Grade 1 win on August 22nd in the $600,000 Alabama S. (G1) at Saratoga, she absolutely dominated the important 1 ¼-mile event for 3-year-old fillies and gave her sire Tapit an astonishing three Grade 1 winners now from his debut crop at stud.

In what will likely go down as one of the most impressive performances this year, the Canadian invader – accompanied by her Canadian jockey Robert Landry – showed great resilience and talent to overcome significant early trouble and win the Alabama in a romp, crossing the wire all alone by 11 emphatic lengths over her Grade 1 rivals. Careless Jewel did it like a seasoned Grade 1 pro, and whoever was fortunate to witness her performance Saturday would not have been able to tell it was the lightly-raced filly’s first attempt in a Grade 1 affair unless they had her past performances in front of them.

What may have been most impressive about the performance was the trouble Careless Jewel and Landry incurred going into the first turn. After breaking well, Careless Jewel comfortably put herself into the early pace scenario before longshot Be Fair was sent past her and crossed over to take the lead down the long run to the first turn. In doing so, Be Fair quickly wound up directly in front of Careless Jewel, who had no where to go while being virtually boxed in down on the rail making the initial turn at the Spa. It caused a noticeably hard check and some anxious moments as Landry was skiing in the saddle on the heels of the pacesetter before quickly shifting out and just missing contact with other horses.

After the eventful opening turn, Careless Jewel displayed professionalism by settling nicely just to the outside of Be Fair down the backstretch through a very honest half-mile in 47.35 seconds over a track listed as ‘good’. As they approached the far turn, Careless Jewel began to take control, forging to the lead with ease and no threats in site.

It was clear at that point Careless Jewel was going to run a big one, but what she was about to do in the stretch would be breathtaking and bordering on special. The gray filly – who was last seen cruising by 7 ¼ lengths in last month’s Delaware Oaks (G2) – showed how serious of a racehorse she really is, crushing the Alabama cast with a great combination of speed and stamina in the final furlong.

Careless Jewel hit the wire with a powerful surge, stopping the timer in 2:03.24. The effort earned the brilliant filly a 103 Beyer Speed Figure, pairing the 103 Beyer earned in her first stakes score in the aforementioned Delaware Oaks.

“She’s a pretty special filly,” said Landry, who had never before won a race at Saratoga. “She showed up and did her job when it counted and I’m really proud of her.”

Trained by the famed Canadian conditioner Josie Carroll, Careless Jewel now sports one of the most impressive resumes in North America, which includes a record of four wins by a combined margin of 29 lengths from her five starts – including a pair of graded stakes scores by a combined 18 ¼ lengths. Most importantly, she is now a Grade 1 winner in just her fifth race, and her coming-out party Saturday makes her a prime contender in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic division going forward.

“It doesn’t get better than that,” said Carroll. “The one thing about this filly, she’s made the lead, and she’s kicked on, and I think it’s very special when a horse can make pace and kick on. That gave us a lot of confidence.”

Careless Jewel was bred by Gainesway along with Bill Andrade from the Hennessy mare Sweet and Careless, and she was raised at the farm where her popular sire stands. The filly became the second Alabama winner in the last three years that was raised at Gainesway, as Mrs. Bentley L. Smith's Lady Joanne captured the 2007 running.

Gainesway sold Careless Jewel as a yearling for $40,000 at the 2007 Keeneland September Sale to current owners Donver Stable. She has now earned $582,846.

The win added to the extreme quality of Tapit’s champion first crop. On top of his three Grade 1 winners, Tapit has sired five total graded stakes winners that have combined to compile 11 graded stakes victories to date.