Clairiere and Pauline's Pearl, a pair of Grade 1-winning homebreds for Stonestreet Farm, have been retired from racing, with their 2024 mating plans still to be determined.
Stonestreet Farm announced the mares' arrival to the Lexington, Ky., farm to join its world-class broodmare band on Wednesday via its social media channels. Both horses were trained by Steve Asmussen.
Clairiere, a 5-year-old daughter of Curlin, finished her on-track career with eight wins in 22 starts for earnings of $3,266,392. Her dam, the Bernardini mare Cavorting, was a multiple Grade 1 winner.
After winning on debut as a 2-year-old and finishing second in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes, Clairiere established herself as a threat on the Kentucky Oaks trail with a win in the G2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes and a runner-up effort in the G2 Fair Grounds Oaks. She finished fourth in the Kentucky Oaks, then engaged in a rivalry with eventual champion Malathaat – a fellow Stonestreet-bred – that produced several dramatic finishes throughout the summer and fall.
Clairiere earned her first Grade 1 victory in the Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing, then she finished fourth in the 2021 Breeders' Cup Distaff, less than a length behind winner Marche Lorraine.
She continued to be a force within her division at four, winning the G1 Ogden Phipps Stakes and the G2 Shuvee Stakes before finishing third in the 2022 Distaff at Keeneland, just a head behind the winner, her longtime rival Malathaat.
Finally free of her greatest rival following Malathaat's retirement, Clairiere had another strong season in 2023, taking the G1 Apple Blossom Handicap and another edition of the Ogden Phipps before finishing fourth in her third try at the Distaff at Santa Anita Park.
Pauline's Pearl, a 5-year-old Tapit mare out of the Grade 1-winning Dixie Union mare Hot Dixie Chick, retires with eight wins in 20 starts for $2,146,800.
Like Clairiere, Pauline's Pearl earned a gate in the 2021 Kentucky Oaks, following a runner-up effort in the G3 Honeybee Stakes and a third in the G3 Fantasy Stakes. She finished eighth in the Kentucky Oaks, and spent the rest of the year testing the marquee races at mid-level tracks, coming out of it with wins in the G3 Charles Town Oaks and the listed Zia Park Oaks.
At four, Pauline's Pearl earned her first Grade 1 victory in the La Troienne Stakes, which fit between consecutive wins in the G3 Houston Ladies Classic Stakes. She added a win in the G2 Fleur de Lis Stakes, relocated from Churchill Downs to Ellis Park, before finishing fourth in the G3 Locust Grove Stakes at Churchill Downs in what would be her final start.
Welcome home! G1 winners CLAIRIERE and PAULINE'S PEARL have joined the Stonestreet broodmare band. Their future breeding plans are TBD #homebred #GirlsinGold #shesintheband #StonestreetStables pic.twitter.com/fhZy9zxbe3
— Stonestreet (@StonestreetFarm) November 8, 2023
The post Stonestreet Runners Clairiere, Pauline’s Pearl Retired, Breeding Plans To Be Determined appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
