by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — Shortly before Some Girls was scheduled to start in the John Simpson Stakes on Oct. 7, 2010 at Vernon Downs, Gates Brunet, her conditioner, pilot and co-owner, suffered a massive heart attack and Debbie, Brunet’s wife, was so overwhelmed with what was happening, that she scratched the 6-5 morning line favorite.

“At the time I didn’t question it,” remembered the 59-year-old Munnsville, N.Y., resident. “But once I was in recovery, I thought why did you do that? She was the overwhelming favorite and could have won more money.”

The daughter of Conway Hall-Emotional Rescue, who is also owned by Ted Gewertz, Michael Rosenthal and Jean Brunet, was purchased at the 2009 Harrisburg Sale for $33,000. In her freshman campaign, Some Girls earned $254,663 and recorded eight victories and two second-place finishes from 11 pari-mutuel trotting miles. The filly established a lifetime mark of 1:57s and competed mostly in New York Sire Stakes company. She captured a $23,127 division of the Tompkins-Geers Stakes at Tioga Downs and the $200,000 New York Sire Stakes final at Yonkers Raceway over the highly regarded Jezzy.

“I liked the fact her mother made so much money in a year when there were so many nice fillies, like Cameron Hall,” Brunet said.

Fotowon photo

Some Girls has won nine times in 12 lifetime starts, with $266,998 in career earnings.

Some Girls commenced her 2011 season with a victory in a $24,670 division of the John Simpson Stakes on May 14 and faces the starter Saturday night (May 21) in a $12,500 Empire Breeders Classic elimination at Vernon Downs. She will score from the three hole and is the 9-5 favorite (with entrymate Refuse To Lose) in the morning line.

“It was very special for me to win this year’s Simpson with her after what happened last fall,” Brunet explained. “It took three months of rehab for me after I got out of the hospital and so far everything is still going well.”

She was a nicely mannered filly right from the moment she entered Brunet’s barn, but her trainer was rather shocked Some Girls performed as well as she did on the racetrack.

“She just isn’t a classic-gaited filly,” he said. “She just has so much heart and keeps coming; she’s a grinder. When she has lost, it’s been because of her trips and it has not really been her fault. The only surface she couldn’t handle was Monticello and she was interfering with herself, as well as hitting the bike, but she still gave it her all. What she accomplished last year really surprised me, because I didn’t expect it because she doesn’t have the turn of foot these top fillies have. I do wish she would have been eligible to the Breeders Crown though, because I think she could have competed with those kind of horses.”

Some Girls, who is cared for by Debbie, prefers to spend her off time at the racetrack instead of being turned out in the field.

“We bring her home sometimes to turn her out, but she would rather watch the races from her stall,” Brunet explained. “Some horses play out in the field for hours, but not her. When you put her out, she kicks up her heels and then is like, ‘okay, when are we going back to the track?’ She doesn’t seem to need that.”

Brunet acknowledges one of the filly’s other owners thinks he talks negatively about her.

“Ted (Gewertz) and Claire (his wife) get on about being negative about her, but I think I’m just being honest,” he said with a laugh. “She was much more mature last year than many other fillies and since a lot of horses show what they can do at three, I think this year they might catch up with her and it won’t be so easy for her.”

This year the filly is staked to other races outside the New York Sire Stakes program, but will do most of her racing within the Empire State.

“We will mainly keep her racing in New York like we did last year,” Brunet said. “But I do have her eligible for the Hambo Oaks and Breeders Crown. I really do think her lack of quick turn of foot might make this year a little bit more difficult and she has to have the right trip. You can’t let her come from too far back because of that, but I never thought she would do what she did last year. She has never done anything wrong and always gives you her best effort.”