Perhaps the best female to race in the last 5 years?

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by DaTruth

Which makes Jolypha's third in the 1992 Classic even more amazing. It was her first start in North America and her first start on dirt. She finished two lengths behind 3yo HOY AP Indy and a 1/2 length behind champion older horse Pleasant Tap. Behind her were very good older horses like Strike The Gold, Hollywood Gold Cup winner Sultry Song, Strub winner Defensive Play, Meadowlands Cup winner and Classic runner-up Twilight Agenda, and Hollywood Gold Cup winner Marquetry.

I think that was a magnificent performance. Unfortunately very few handicappers talk about her or comprehend what she did there because they don't comprehend the differences between turf and dirt racing and how much more difficult it is to do that at 10F on dirt.

I was and still am less familiar with Jolypha's overall record, her trips etc... than I am with most US based horses, but I think it's highly likely she was a great mare if that wasn't a "one time" peak dirt performance or trip that enabled her to run big. Even though I was a huge fan and serious handicapper at the time, I don't recall the details of that race and didn't have a full understanding and appreciation for what she did at the time either.