Cross My Heart ♥Most people will remember Paranormal Hunter, Mastermind and Bella Luna for their rare accomplishments, their brilliance and their unwavering ability to win with ease. Most people are awe inspired by these horses and most horses of this type are in the Hall of Fame. At the same time, very few of those horses had to gut themselves every race and validate why they were the top dog. Very few times did heart come into play though they often demonstrated it if the time came.
Cross My Heart ran on speed and heart alone. She was running against all odds as a juvenile. A flighty filly running her fear out and blistering the tracks with record breaking wins. Nearly all black except for a few splotches of white, Cross My Heart looked like a tornado on the grass from the moment she hit the tracks as a juvenile. Fearful of men, Cross ran her heart out just to get away from them when she broke from the gate. Her wild speed was practically unimaginable and her will to not go down in a fight was almost material so real was it.
She won six races as a young filly, capped by a blazing win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. She beat two colts, Flight To Fight and Arlequinn, as well as career long arch nemesis Innocent Passion. Her win stamped her as a horse to watch going forward. When Cross My Heart won, she was rarely headed and if she was, she would run herself and her opponents into the ground. Cross My Heart was a ferocious competitor, one who let her wrath be known every time she ran in the form of speed.
Cross My Heart started her three year old season off with a third place to older fillies in a Green Horse Field's race, but truly didn't seem to take off until March of Year Thirteen. First she hit the Motion Stakes, went long and took down the Miesque Stakes, a prep for the Turf Tiara, went one further and won the first leg of the Turf Tiara in the Debutante Stakes and denied anyone the hope of winning the Turf Tiara that year. She blazed her way to the winner's circle, leaving her mark on that season's filly distance division before reverting back to her old ways and her old rivalry with Innocent Passion. The bay and black fillies hooked up several times with Cross coming out the winner in the Girl's Festival and finishing second in the Star Festival. She zipped through the first two legs of the Turf Sprinter Tiara, taking down the So Sassy Sprint and Daisy Stakes. She looked on her way to sweeping the Tiara, but fell to Innocent Passion in the Butter Cup Sprint.
Given a short break, Cross My Heart recovered to take down a prep race and then the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. She took down Innocent Passion, Sugar Jayde and future G1 star Flying Solo. The win in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint as a three year old was potentially her turning point. After that race, Cross would only finish second in five more races. She took down twelve races in a single season, but did it every time in blazing fashion. Never was there a faster sprinting turf filly than Cross. She was dominating in a division with too many other good horses for it to be a fluke or luck.
Cross My Heart swept through such major races as the Unicorn Horn Turf Mile, once again laying out top milers with her brilliant speed, the Deadly Desires and Pegasus Wings Memorial Stakes, the Costa Rising Stakes, the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf and the First Lady Stakes. She finished off her overwhelming year with another win in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. The unbelievable season was finally enough to get the great black mare her due. She took down the Best Sprinter Mare Award over the venerable Ventura.
Cross My Heart finished 100% in the money. An astounding record for one who had to expend so much in every race she ran in. She placed first 54% of the time and was possibly one of most honest runners to ever grace the track.
Her major wins, spanning from Y12 to Y14:
[Y12]
1st in Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint* - Dec. Week 4[O]
1st in TW Dixianna Breeders Futurity* - Aug. Week 2[O]
1st in Azalea Cup Fillies* - July Week 4[O]
1st in TW Sorrento Stakes* - July Week 2[O]
1st in Just Dance Cup - May Week 4[Open]
1st in Stable Face Off Maiden Turf Sprint* - Mar. Week 5[M]
[Y13]
1st in Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint* - Dec. Week 4 [G4+]
1st in End of Year Turf Sprint - Dec. Week 3 [G3+]
1st in Daisy Stakes* - Aug. Week 2 [O]
1st in So Sassy Sprint* - July Week 4 [O]
1st in Girl's Festival* - June Week 3 [O]
1st in Debutante Stakes* - Apr. Week 4 [O]
1st in Miesque Stakes* - Apr. Week 2 [O]
1st in Motion Sprint* - Mar. Week 3 [O]
1st in Rush Stakes* - Feb. Week 2 [O]
[Y14]
1st in Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint* - Dec. Week 4 [6.5F/T/G4+]
1st in TW Fall Highweight Handicap* - Dec. Week 1 [7.5F/T/O]
1st in Velocity Stakes* - Nov. Wk 4 [6F/T/O]
1st in TW First Lady Stakes* - Oct. Wk 2 [8F/T/O]
1st in TW Senator Ken Maddy Stakes* - Sept. Week 3 [6F/T/O]
1st in TW California Flag Stakes* - August Week 3 [6.5F/T/O]
1st in TW Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf* - July Week 2 [8F/T/O]
1st in TW Costa Rising Stakes* - June Week 4 [5.5F/T/G3+]
1st in Pegasus Wings Memorial Stakes* - May Week 1 [5F/T/G4+]
1st in Deadly Desires Memorial Stakes* - Mar. Week 4 [8F/T/G4+]
1st in Spring Cup Grade One Turf Sprint* - Feb. Week 4 [6F/T/G1]
1st in Unicorn Horn Turf Mile* - Jan Week 4 [8F/T/O]
Cross My Heart's Accomplishments:
Y12 GHF Horse of the Month
Y12 Best Grade Four
Y12 Encouragement Award
Y13 GHF April Horse of the Month
Y13 Encouragement Award
Y14 Best Sprinter Mare
3 Time Breeders' Cup Winner
