Bootylicious may not have claimed a Classic race during her three-year-old career, overshadowed by the likes of Thalita, Mamma Mia, and Ability. However, at four years old, the tide has turned, and Bootylicious has emerged as the undisputed leader of the pack. This was confirmed when the speedy filly won the Chris Armond Memorial Trophy at Caymanas Park on Tuesday, December 24, 2024.
The Graded Stakes/Open Allowance contest, for three-year-olds and upward over 5½ furlongs, clearly demonstrated that the filly trained by Peter-John Parsard is full of speed. Ridden by visiting Panamanian jockey Ismael Velasquez, Bootylicious crossed the finish line half a length ahead of American-bred competitors Desert of Malibu and Pack Plays, clocking a time of 1:05.4 (23.1 x 46.3 x 59.2).
“This is a big race for me. This is my first Grade One win. I have always wanted to win a race of this type as a young boy coming to the track. Winning a Grade One race was really special for me,” said Velasquez.
Parsard expressed his pride in the filly’s performance, stating, “Bootylicious is a horse that has been very important to us. She has been lightly handled; I have been trying to kind of protect her a lot, and she had some issues that we worked on. With the plan to breed her in 2026, the owners gave me the green light to put the trigger a little bit on her this year and see what she has in her legs, and she showed it today.”
He also believes there is much more to come from Bootylicious, saying, “She has a lot more left in her. We had actually entered her in the TOBA Yearling Sales this year, and we had a price that we were thinking of selling her at. The owners leaned on me and said that if you don’t get the price that you are comfortable with, then we will allow you to decide if we keep her or sell her. This win is definitely special, and I have to dedicate it to the owners because they really put a lot of faith in me.”
As he looks forward to the next year, Parsard is eager about Bootylicious's future. “Next year is going to be an important year for her. She has run a second in Grade One, and I’m glad that she was able to win now, and the dream is that she will be able to kick on and compete well against the big boys,” he said.
Reflecting on his own journey, Parsard remarked, “It has been a fantastic year for me as a trainer. For the first full year in training to be in the top 10 is a major achievement, and that’s a secondary dream come true, so I can’t complain. I am dreaming towards some Classic winners, and hopefully, in the near future, some of the youngsters that we have can deliver for us.”
