Fighting Mad goes all the way in Clement Hirsch (G1)

Monday | August 03, 2020

Fighting Mad’s victory in Sunday’s Clement L. Hirsch (G1) capped a huge weekend for the Baffert stable, coming one day after Improbable took the Whitney S. (G1) at Saratoga and Thousand Words earned a trip to the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby (G1) with his victory in the Shared Belief S. at Del Mar.

The Hirsch was Fighting Mad’s second straight graded win, with the first a front-running score in the May 31 Santa Maria S. (G2) at Santa Anita Park.

Like she did in the Santa Maria, Fighting Mad went right to the front and was never headed on Sunday. Up by 1 1/2-lengths after six furlongs in 1:10.57, she maintained that margin through most of the stretch and comfortably held off a belated bid by Ollie’s Candy to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:43.46 for the 1 1/16-miles on a fast track.

“Basically, she ran them off their feet,” said Baffert. “The way she acted in the paddock, she ran an incredible race. She was trembling and sweating and I was worried, but once the race started she was pretty serious. ”  

Fighting Mad is owned by her breeders Gary and Mary West. Winner of the Torrey Pines S. (G3) last year, she is 5-1-0 in eight starts and has earned $444,008. 

As part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In series, the Hirsch victory earned Fighting Mad an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) this November at Keeneland.

View All News