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SPEEDLINES
WHISTLE STOP CAFE
The 2020 All American Futurity
by Larry Thornton
The running of the All American Futurity-G1 is always memorable as fulfilling the All American Dream for the winning connections. But the 2020 running of this famous race will be remembered for a couple of events that will set this year apart from other years. First, it was run under the COVID-19 pandemic, an event that has engulfed our country, disturbing our lives
in ways we never imagined. We must feel lucky we even had an All American
Futurity in 2020.
Another event leading up to the race
that will set it apart was the passing of John Buchanan, who died unexpectedly a few days before the race was to be run.
Buchanan, an All American Futurity winning trainer, was poised to enter the record books as the trainer of Ratification,
the favorite to win the first running of the All American Oaks. She had
already won the Rainbow Oaks earlier in the summer. She was
bred and owned by Bobby D. Cox. Buchanan was also the trainer of Jettz, who qualified for the All American Futurity giving him another shot to
win the All American. Jettz was bred and owned by Cox,
who was also the breeder of Instygator, another
qualifier. Then there was the undefeated
Whistle Stop Cafe, a filly that was five for five with a win in the
Rainbow Futurity and her All American trial.
She was also bred by Bobby D. Cox, making
him the breeder of three All American Futurity qualifiers as well as the owner of one of them and he was
the owner/breeder of Ratification.
We now know that Ratification won the
All American Oaks and that Whistle Stop Cafe won the All American Futurity-G1.
Whistle Stop Cafe’s owners, the Whitmires after her victory in the All American Futurity-G1.