Del Mar and Santa Anita Park are some of the iconic horse racing tracks, and conquering even one of them is a huge achievement. But conquering both of them, that too in only the first two races of a career is absolutely mindboggling. And here we are witnessing this incredible achievement of a 2-year-old.

After making her debut last year in November, the American horse has taken the equestrian arenas by storm. Securing a Grade 1 victory in her debut race, and now taking on Santa Anita Park, the Hall of Famer Richard E. Mandella trained is well on the road to glory at Kentucky Oaks.

Horse racing champion wins Santa Ynez Stakes

It was only the third race of Kopion’s career, and didn’t she nail it? The champion horse shone brightly on her Santa Anita Park debut with a dominant victory in the $100, 000 Santa Ynez Stakes. The 2-year-old raced past her opponents in glaring fashion, outpacing the 2nd-best horse by a massive 5 3/4-length. Although she was the top favorite for the Grade 3 contest, Kopion nonetheless raced way better than expectations.

With only 3 other horses in contention, Kopion immediately won a tight first quarter and led the way throughout the race. None of the others were even able to get close to the filly with Kopion touching the finish line in 1:23:89 for seven furlongs. Santa Ynez Stakes also marked the first Oaks points race of 2024, and as Kopion takes the first 10 points, she is promising to be a favorite for Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. Although Kentucky Oaks points are awarded to the top five finishers, Santa Ynez Stakes had an allocation of 10-5-3-2 points due to only 4 horses.

Kopion conquers Del Mar in the debut race

Kopion was bought by Spendthrift Farm at the 2022 Keeneland September Sale for $270, 000 and with Santa Anita’s victory, she takes her earnings to $96,600. Earlier, the 2-year-old filly picked $36,600 for her debut win at Del Mar, announcing herself in exhilarating fashion to the horse racing world. She first made her debut in the Del Mar, and a day later, conquered the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante.

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Sired by the auspicious stallion Omaha Beach, Kopion starred in her debut race with a galloping 3 3/4-length victory in the 1307m Rnull Del Mar. She was ridden by renowned jockey Flavien Prat, who later rode her to victory at Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante and Santa Ynez Stakes as well. Kopion glaringly won the Debutante, marking the first Grade 1 victory of her career, and of course, the start of many more.

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