Terribly Great 2's: Teen Pauline

We've seen this before:

A beautiful, bay filly, clad in silks of red and yellow, waltz her way into the Winner's Circle.

A group of smiling people pat and greet her, posing for pictures with a spring to their step. Talk of a bright future; words like Breeders' Cup and Kentucky Oaks tossed about like confetti.

If you attended Saratoga last Wednesday, the name Teen Pauline might jump to mind. A 2 year old filly sent to post for the first time, she paraded back with her first win and a track record to her credit.

"She's special. She really is," Trainer Steve Asmussen told reporters. The filly, named for owner Barbara Banke's 84 year-old mother, is "good enough to be named for her mother, so I think that definitely indicates their expectations of her."

If Teen Pauline is to carry on with her early brilliance she is hanging in good company. It would not be the first time that Stonestreet Farm has produced a world-beating female. The great Rachel Alexandra, 20 length winner of the Kentucky Oaks in addition to triumphing in the Preakness Stakes and Woodward, carried the same banner as her much-younger stablemate. Also suited in Stonestreet attire was last year's Champion Two-Year-Old Filly, My Miss Aurelia. Most recently, Stonestreet's powerful juvenile Kauai Katie wowed the world with a 12 length maiden victory.

One need only consult Teen Pauline's pedigree to find the source of her precocious talent.

Her sire, Tapit, is known for producing early-to-rise speedsters. In addition to siring last year's Two-Year-Old Champion Colt, Hansen, Tapit has recently brought forth Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf champion Tapitsfly, Grade 1 winning Zazu, and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies champion Stardom Bound.

Tapit's sire is Pulpit, who came fourth in the Kentucky Derby despite acquiring a leg injury. His sire, A.P. Indy, is known for being one of the most prolific distance influences in the breed, having won both the Belmont Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic before going on to produce numerous distance champions: notably, Rags to Riches, Bernardini, and Mineshaft. Tapit's dam, Tap Your Heels, is sired by great Unbridled. Unbridled won both the Kentucky Derby and Breeder's Cup Classic; he is best known for having sired Kentucky Derby winner Grindstone, who sired Belmont winning Birdstone, who went on to sire Smarty Jones. Tap Your Heel's dam, Ruby Slippers, is sired by English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky II.

Teen Pauline's dam, Effectual, has only had one other foal. No La Hace is currently thriving in claiming sprints, having never come worse than second. Teen Pauline's broodmare sire is chef-de-race Carson City: a sprinter known for producing runners of like ability. 76% of Carson City's offspring's major stakes wins have been at distances less than a mile. He was, however, the damsire of the ill-fated Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. Teen Pauline's granddam, Hooklineandsinker, is sired by Breeders' Cup Classic winning Skywalker.

While Teen Pauline's immediate pedigree leans more to the sprinting side, there are multiple distance influences scattered throughout her ancestry. I would be willing to bet that this filly stretches out to the mile and one eighth of the Kentucky Oaks with little problem. The majority of filly races should be right within her firing range. I am eager to watch her career unfold.