Brody’s Cause filly wins Santa Ynez S. (G2) in style

Kalypso started the year off in terrific fashion for Brody’s Cause with a sharp score in Sunday’s $200,000 Santa Ynez S. (G2) at Santa Anita Park.

The newly-turned 3-year-old filly, who was bred by Spendthrift Farm, was coming off a solid second to Varda in the 1 1/16-mile Starlet S. (G1) a month ago.

Cutting back to seven furlongs on Sunday, Kalypso battled with Brilliant Cut for the lead for most of the race. She shook free of her foe in mid-stretch and pulled away under a hand ride from Joel Rosario to finish the distance in 1:23.42 on a fast track.

“I would try her long again, as they get older they are maturing,” trainer Bob Baffert said of future plans for Kalypso. “You can slow her down a little bit, like today she was pretty relaxed. She wasn’t too rank where she went real fast, but we’ll just see how (she) comes out of it.”

Kalypso is owned by David Bernstein, Rockingham Ranch and Chad Littlefield. Winner of the Anokia S. last year, she is now 2-2-1 in five starts and has earned $245,600. The chestnut filly sold for $240,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Summer Yearling sale.

Pedigree Notes from the TDN

Brody’s Cause, winner of the 2016 GI Toyota Blue Grass S., was represented by 2020 GIII Iroquois S. winner Sittin on Go, as well as GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. runner-up Smiley Sobotka and GII Best Pal S. runner-up Girther. Brody’s Cause finished in the top 10 on the 2020 Freshman Sire list by both black type winners and black type horses.

Malibu Cove, dam of Kalypso, is a full-sister to multiple graded winner Prospective. The daughter of Malibu Moon produced a filly by Hit It a Bomb in 2019 and a colt by Mor Spirit in 2020. She was bred back to Jimmy Creed for 2021.