Benoit photo

A year ago, Tapit all but clinched Leading Freshman Sire and Leading Juvenile Sire honors in North America after his champion filly Stardom Bound dazzled in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita. Friday, another emerging superstar by Tapit returned to the scene of the crime and gave her sire his second Breeders’ Cup-winning 2-year-old in as many years, as Tapitsfly streaked to victory in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Under jockey Robby Albarado, Tapitsfly broke sharply and assumed a good outside stalking position behind pacesetter Rose Catherine as the full field of 12 moved onto the backstretch. The lone gray in the race, Tapitsfly was easy to spot tracking the leader before making her bid in the stretch. She collared Rose Catherine with a determined run and out-finished that filly with a strong turn of foot inside the sixteenth pole.

Tapitsfly hit the wire a decisive winner, finishing a half-length on top after running a mile in 1:34.25 over a firm local course.

“She's a fighter,” said a proud Albarado. “She worked very well this week, so we had a good indication that she'd run good.”

The win marked a tremendous accomplishment for Tapit, who now has Breeders’ Cup winners from each of his 2-year-old crops to race. For Tapitsfly, it is the filly’s second stakes victory, as in September she won her only other turf start in the P G Johnson S. at Saratoga.

Trained by Dale Romans, Tapitsfly earned $540,000 to move her career bankroll to $668,142 for owner and breeder Frank Jones, Jr. She now owns a record of 3-2-1 from seven starts with her only off-the-board finish coming in her debut in a 4 ½-furlong race at Churchill in May.

“No one deserves to win a race like this more than Mr. Jones,” Romans said. “He’s been in the business a long time and has had horses for over 30 years. My father (Jerry Romans) trained for him before me. It’s just a great win for him and for me, too. I thought we had a great trip. I thought that if she got her nose in front, she wouldn’t stop.”