Foaled by the dam of 2015 Grand Slam Champion American Pharoah, it was reasonable to be optimistic this filly possessed class before she even debuted at the races.

As it turned out, those who believed she would do well in competition were proven right.

Sired by noted stallion Tapit out of Littleprincessemma, Chasing Yesterday debuted at the very same racetrack where fans met her half-brother: Del Mar. The difference between them was that Chasing Yesterday won first time out, staying close to the leader before taking over to win going away in a nice debut.

The rest of the year played out virtually the same way in terms of results. With the exception of the Grade I Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga, Chasing Yesterday did nothing but win in 2018. Trained by Bob Baffert (who conditioned American Pharoah), she notched four wins in five starts while being favored in each of those outings. Three of them happened to be in the stakes ranks: the Anoakia, Desi Arnaz and Grade I Starlet. Usually keeping within a couple lengths of the front before making her move, Chasing Yesterday had no problem squaring off with a rival in the stretch if that was what it took to get her picture taken. And she did so in an unflappable manner. She kept to her task and got the job done as she won at Del Mar, Santa Anita and Los Alamitos.

Like American Pharoah before her, Chasing Yesterday showed her talent early. And that resulted in a very productive two-year-old campaign.

Given her record going into 2019, Chasing Yesterday was a horse to watch in the three-year-old division. She started off the year in New Mexico that March, where she started in the Sunland Oaks. Asked to go a mile and one-sixteenth again like she did in the Starlet, Chasing Yesterday again proved she could handle the distance while getting some more battle testing. She traveled four-wide while dueling with some rivals around the track before emerging with the lead in the far turn. But as she showed the previous season, she was the best on the day.

Back home in California for the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks two weeks later, Chasing Yesterday was setting herself up for a start in the Kentucky Oaks in May. American Pharoah had taken the Kentucky Derby three years earlier, and now Chasing Yesterday found herself closing in on the chance to make her mark in Louisville. But first, it was time for her last prep before heading to the Bluegrass State.

She led for part of the Santa Anita Oaks, but Chasing Yesterday saw her winning streak stop as she finished in third place. It was discovered afterwards that Chasing Yesterday had an entrapped epiglottis during the race, and that took her off the Kentucky Oaks trail. It also made the Santa Anita Oaks her final start.

Retired with five wins and a third in seven starts, Chasing Yesterday made herself a prominent figure in the two-year-old ranks in Southern California during 2018. She continued with that promise at three, earning another victory and a third place. She went out and raced, and she was well rewarded for her efforts.

With that beautiful brown coat, competitive instinct and natural talent, Chasing Yesterday was a complete package as a racehorse. She could do a lot.

She might have been given the name Chasing Yesterday, but she actually chased wins. And she found them.

Source:

entrapped epiglottis during the race: Paulick Report Staff. "'She Tried Her Heart Out': Chasing Yesterday, Half-Sister to American Pharoah, Retired." Paulick Report, September 10, 2019.