Eunomia ships west, scores new career high in BC WAYI Clement L. Hirsch

Saratoga shipper Eunomia sprang a 12-1 upset in Saturday’s $402,000 Clement L. Hirsch (G1) at Del Mar. The latest Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee to plunder a major race on the California circuit, she scored her first graded victory in this “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1).

At the opposite end of the career arc, defending champion Seismic Beauty threw in another clunker as the 3-2 favorite. The handwriting was on the wall early, as the Hirsch unfolded very much like her flop in the May 30 Santa Margarita (G2) at Santa Anita.

Once again, Seismic Beauty was taken out of her comfort zone by the early speed of Simply Joking, who beat her to the lead. Both dueled themselves into defeat, only this time, Eunomia was on the scene to capitalize. The one who capitalized in the Santa Margarita, Om N Joy, again rallied on Saturday, but she had to settle for second to the Eastern invader.

Eunomia’s decisive edge was her ability to attend the pace and chug on enough through the lane. Bettors overlooked her after a sixth in the Ruffian (G2) at Aqueduct, regarding the other fresh faces in the Hirsch, Majestic Oops and Chasten, more highly. Yet neither ran up to market expectations, while Eunomia rebounded here. 

Breaking cleanly, unlike her buckling start in the Ruffian, Eunomia secured an outside tracking trip for Micah Husbands. The Tiz the Law filly was parked in third as Simply Joking rattled off an opening quarter in :23.20, pressed by Seismic Beauty. 

Eunomia took closer order down the backstretch, and Seismic Beauty found herself forcing the issue between rivals at the half in :46.81. The favorite soon called it a day, leaving Eunomia to continue the pressure on Simply Joking at the six-furlong split in 1:10.99.

The top two opened up on the rest of the field on the far turn, and Eunomia telegraphed that she had more in hand. As she gradually pulled away from Simply Joking, Om N Joy gained ground late to pose a threat. But the closer couldn’t erase the entire gap.

Eunomia held on, despite a leg-weary final sixteenth in :7.07, by a half-length. Negotiating 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.10, she returned $26.80.

Om N Joy, who might have gotten there if the Hirsch were 1 1/8 miles like the Santa Margarita, had a length to spare over Simply Joking. Majestic Oops did her best work late in fourth, followed by Hey Jessie, the lackluster Chasten, Bank Shot, and the eased pair of Seismic Beauty and 90-1 longshot A Thousand Miles.

“I didn’t have any special instruction on how to ride her,” Husbands told Del Mar publicity. “Saffie just told me to find a good spot and make her comfortable. She did just that. I could tell they weren’t going that fast for these type horses, so I was comfortable with her all the way around. She gave me a good kick, and we got it done. My first ride at Del Mar and it was a good one.”

Joseph added to his California collection that includes the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) (Soul of an Angel), the 2025 Gamely (G1) (Be Your Best), and the past two runnings of the Hollywood Gold Cup (G2) (Skippylongstocking and Forged Steel). 

“Ideally I wanted her to sit just behind the front runners,” Joseph said, “but the filly was a bit keen. I had told Micah she doesn’t like to fight you so he didn’t do that and instead got into a good rhythm where she got comfortable and we got first run on them. Obviously, the horse on the inside was battling, and I was just hoping our filly would find a little bit more and she did. Thankfully she held them off.”

Campaigned by St. Elias Stables and WSS Racing, Eunomia has compiled a record of 16-5-1-2, $566,193. She was initially sold to Lothenbach Stables for $80,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. With the passing of Bob Lothenbach, Eunomia was part of his dispersal as a juvenile at OBS March, where she brought $190,000 from Jewel Box Racing. 

The bay was originally trained by Vicki Oliver. After a sharp entry-level allowance score at Keeneland last October, she changed hands and joined Joseph. 

Eunomia made a winning debut for her new connections in a second-level allowance at Tampa Bay Downs and graduated to stakes. Her first black-type laurel came in the March 14 Sandy Bottom S. at Colonial Downs, bookended by a third in the Royal Delta (G3) and a near-miss in the Doubledogdare (G2).

Bred in the Bluegrass by Breed First, Eunomia is a half-sister to stakes-placed sophomore Confessional, who was third in the Virginia Derby the same day she won the Sandy Bottom. They are out of the American Pharoah mare Speedy Vanessa, herself a half-sister to Grade 1 queen Karlovy Vary, the dam of graded turf winners Mean Mary and Bye Bye Melvin.