Claret Beret's Apple Blossom romp points to bigger targets ahead

Claret Beret did more than win the Apple Blossom Handicap. She ran away from champion Nitrogen by 4 1/2 lengths, stopped the clock in 1:42.21 for 1 1/16 miles and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 105, the kind of performance that forces a trainer to think bigger. The April 11 Grade 1 at Oaklawn Park was worth $1.25 million, carried a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series automatic berth to the Distaff at Keeneland, and produced the fastest Apple Blossom time since Havre de Grace went 1:42.19 in 2011.

That was the breakthrough Saffie Joseph Jr. had been building toward with the 5-year-old daughter of Not This Time. Claret Beret had already taken the Royal Delta Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 14 over the same 1 1/16-mile trip, then confirmed it was no fluke with a much deeper, more valuable performance against a field that included several Breeders’ Cup Distaff contenders from last year. For Micah Husbands, the ride was a career milestone as well, his first Grade 1 victory. Oaklawn estimated Apple Blossom Day drew about 40,000, and the reception matched the scale of the performance.

Her path to this stage has been unusual. Greg Compton claimed her for $62,500 out of an October 2024 race, and Miller Racing later bought her privately after a fifth-place finish in a March 7, 2025 allowance at Oaklawn. What looked like a useful claiming mare has become a top-level runner for Miller Racing, with the Apple Blossom turning her into a legitimate force in the older-female division.

Now the campaign turns to the next decision. Joseph said Claret Beret is back in Florida and doing well, but he wants to see her in person before settling on a second-half plan. The two main options are the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps on June 5 at Saratoga and the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis on June 27 at Churchill Downs, both at 1 1/8 miles. The Ogden Phipps looks like the cleaner fit for where she is right now. It keeps her in Grade 1 company, comes sooner while she is sharp, and extends the same championship track that the Apple Blossom opened.

The Fleur de Lis remains a useful backup, especially if Joseph wants more time between starts, but Claret Beret has already shown enough stamina, class and speed to justify staying in the top tier. The Apple Blossom made one point plain: she is no longer a late-blooming allowance success story. She is a Grade 1 mare with a Distaff berth in hand and bigger targets still ahead.