Thoroughbred racing at Caymanas Park has seen a multitude of racehorses — of high achievers and unforgettable moments — but one of its brightest and most accomplished stars is the brilliant filly She’s A Maneater.

In a career that started on September 24, 2016, She’s A Maneater won three of four races at age two — the five-and-a-half furlong (1,100m) Front Runner Sprint Trophy in a quick 1:05.3; the first two races in the Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL)-sponsored Two-Year-Old series – the Cash Pot ‘Only One For Me’ Trophy; and the Pick-3 Super Challenge Trophy over six and seven furlongs (1,200m and 1,400m), respectively. In her bid to become the second horse to win all three races in the series, She’s A Maneater was halted in her tracks by Sotomayor in the one-mile (1,600m) SVL Two-Year-Old Stakes on Boxing Day.

However, the Wayne DaCosta-trained bay filly blossomed this year and assembled as fine a campaign as any three-year-old filly has ever enjoyed. She’s A Maneater has earned over $13 million and captured the hearts and imagination of racing fans by reeling off eight straight wins, including last Saturday’s Superstakes sponsored by Burger King.

In winning all eight of her 2017 starts, She’s A Maneater obliterated her competition in the 1,000 Guineas, the Jamaica Derby and the Jamaica St Leger, becoming the 11th horse in the history of racing at Caymanas Park to win the Triple Crown, and the third filly to do so. The other two fillies to win the Triple Crown were Simply Magic in 2002 and Alsafra in 2008.

She went on to capture the $1.15-million Fontainbleu Trophy over seven-and-a-half furlongs (1,500m) on October 7, her ‘rehearsal’ for Saturday’s Superstakes. She’s A Maneater won the Open Allowance event by three-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:30.3, which is just one and one-fifth of a second off the track record of 1:29.2 achieved by Sky Train in 1983.

Class, talent, pace, fighting spirit and a big heart — the ever-enduring components of a truly outstanding thoroughbred — came to the fore on Saturday last when She’s A Maneater won the 39th staging of the 10-furlong (2,000m) event, and in the process became the first filly to win both the Triple Crown and Superstakes in the same year.

A mighty roar erupted from the massive crowd, that stood with arms raised in jubilation, as the historic feat they awaited came to pass.

It was the first Superstakes win for owner and breeder Winston Kong, trainer DaCosta, and young apprentice Anthony Thomas, who had replaced Dane Nelson in the saddle. Nelson fell ill suddenly and had to be rushed to hospital for the connections to find a different rider about an hour before the actual race.

“I am a man walking on top of the moon. She is a very nice filly who is still improving. She has fulfilled all my expectations, and I am very happy with her accomplishments to date,” Kong uttered with pride.

DaCosta said that the tactical plan for the race had worked out in their favour.

“Basically, I told the jockey to get a good break, get into a good position, don’t stay more than three to four lengths off the lead — which, in my view, would be pretty quick — and make your move from the half-mile, and that was what happened.

“ Dysfunctional was basically planned to go to the front, and if anybody there wanted to run the hot pace up front, he was there to take them on and she was to come off the pace. Royal Vibes and Hover Craft were just to come off the pace as well,” DaCosta said.

With the Superstakes done, DaCosta’s next test is to get his champion filly ready for the Diamond Mile, which is three weeks from now.

“It is a quick turnaround now to the Diamond Mile, which might not suit the normal thoroughbred, but guess what? She is not a normal thoroughbred. She’s A Maneater is a special horse and hopefully she will do it. For sure she will rest a couple of days before she comes back to the track,” noted DaCosta.