It can be said that both halves of this Cal-bred's name symbolized a certain aspect of her career.

There were times when she absolutely crushed her competition. No less than three of her wins came with a combined margin of victory of nearly 40 lengths. And only two horses finished ahead of her.

She went off favored all but one time, and the one time she did not receive top billing ironically came in what turned out to be her biggest win.

Of the seven races that comprised Ceiling Crusher's career, the majority happened at Santa Anita. In fact, her first four starts all took place at the legendary Arcadia track. The debut happened during the final weeks of the track's 2022 spring/summer meet. Teaming with Juan Hernandez, who would be her teammate for all but two races, Ceiling Crusher had to check early on in the five furlong dirt sprint before taking over on the outside in the stretch to win easily. This would be Ceiling Crusher's only outing for the season, and the only race as a member of the Luis Mendez stable.

Back in action in late January 2023, Ceiling Crusher now had Doug O'Neill as her trainer. Moving up to the allowance optional claiming ranks, the step up in class and the six furlong distance did not intimidate tis daughter of Mr. Big. After closely tracking the leaders, she fought with rival Fun Money in the stretch before pulling away late to win by a small margin. In short, Ceiling Crusher had not lost a step during the layoff.

Nor did she lose a step leading up to start number three. Entered in the six and one-half furlong Evening Jewel Stakes on the Santa Anita Derby undercard, Evening Jewel broke well to get out in front for a moment before Tom's Regret did. But Ceiling Crusher stayed right with her before grabbing the lead well inside the far turn. No one had a chance in the stretch as Ceiling Crusher became one of the day's stars with a whopping fifteen and one-half length triumph. That stellar performance brought to another stakes named for a brilliant Cal-bred filly.

Santa Anita hosted the one and one-sixteenth mile Melair Stakes during Memorial Day Weekend. Ceiling Crusher tried routing for the first time while facing the smallest field in any of her career starts. None of the three opponents joining her in the starting gate could prove a match. By the time the field reached the wire for the first time, Ceiling Crusher had the lead. And she had it every step of the way after that. And like in the Evening Jewel, the race was over in the stretch. Ceiling Crusher dominated the competition to the tune of seventeen lengths. There was no doubt of Ceiling Crusher being a Santa Anita fan, and there was no question she loved winning.

Putting her undefeated record on the line at Del Mar, Ceiling Crusher went back to sprinting in the seven furlong Fleet Treat Stakes in late July. Though never far from the front, Ceiling Crusher never managed to get to the lead and wrapped up the day in third place (though she was not far from the winner). It turned out to be the only blemish Ceiling Crusher would ever experience.

Another route was next up for the bay filly, this one being the Grade III Torrey Pines Stakes at a mile. Starting from the extreme outside post, Ceiling Crusher found herself with a new jockey in Edwin Maldonado. Regarded as one of the best gate riders, Maldonado got his mount out of the gate and up to the front by the time they entered the first turn. No one else led after that, and Ceiling Crusher rebounded with a six length victory in her graded stakes debut. The Fleet Treat had been nothing more than an off day for her.

Although Ceiling Crusher had thrived at Santa Anita, the connections opted for another track for her next start. Next up was the Grade I Cotillion at Parx on September 23, three weeks after the Torrey Pines. Returning to a mile and one-sixteenth, Ceiling Crusher had to get acquainted with a sloppy surface for the first time. She also experienced not being the post time favorite, which had been unprecedented for her as well. She wound up the second choice at 3-1 behind Pretty Mischievous, the 2-1 favorite and eventual Champion Three-Year-Old Filly for the year. But Ceiling Crusher, as she had demonstrated before, took her new challenges head on.

After breaking from the two spot, Ceiling Crusher and Maldonado went right to the front and stayed there. Shipping across the country was no issue, and neither was the off track. Thousands of miles from home, Ceiling Crusher notched the biggest win of her career in the Cotillion as she held off an eventual divisional champion. It was quite a moment, a Cal-bred taking a Grade I at an Eastern track. Of course, it was the not the first time such an event had happened. But it was no less fun to see as Ceiling Crusher continued her penchant for winning.

There would never be another race for Ceiling Crusher after the Cotillion. Instead, she was later sold and did not race again. But her efforts on track netted her Champion Cal-bred Three-Year-Old Female for 2023, an honor she earned and deserved.

Ceiling Crusher was a terrific racehorse. She won at Del Mar, Parx and Santa Anita, and sucessfully handled the slop in her one try over it. She also handled several distances with no trouble, and could call upon different running styles when on track to get the job done. She was a fearless filly, too. When she was close to the front, it was like she wanted to let her rivals know she was there. And she could fight in the stretch if the occasion called for it.

And that brings us to the other half of Ceiling Crusher's name, which contains quite an irony. As amazing as she was on track, it is unknown what the limit, or ceiling, to her talent was. And maybe there was no ceiling. But it makes one wonder what might have been had she continued to race.