Maskette (KY)

Biography

Regarded as the top 2-year-old filly of 1908 and the best 3-year-old filly in 1909, Maskette never lost a race against her own gender.

Bred in Kentucky by James R. Keene at his Castleton Farm, Maskette was a brown daughter of Disguise out of the Hamburg mare Biturica. Trained by Hall of Famer James Rowe, Sr., Maskette broke her maiden in her career debut at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 3, 1908. Two days later, she set a Saratoga track record in the Spinaway Stakes, covering the 5½ furlongs in 1:05⅘.

Maskette stretched her win streak to four with victories in the Futurity and Great Filly Stakes at Sheepshead Bay. In the Great Filly Stakes, she carried high weight of 127 pounds to victory. Maskette suffered her first career defeat in her next race, finishing second to Sir Martin in the Flatbush Stakes, before closing out her juvenile campaign with a victory in the Matron Stakes.

As a 3-year-old, Maskette won her first five starts. The wins included the Ladies, Gazelle, Mermaid, and Alabama against fillies, and the Pierrepont Handicap, in which she defeated males. In her final start of the year, Maskette finished second by a nose to 4-year-old Firestone in the Aqueduct Handicap, while giving the winner 13 pounds.

At 4, Maskette won a pair of handicap races, giving 17 pounds to Dalmatian, that season’s co-champion 3-year-old male, in one of them. She also finished a close second to 1909 champion older male King James in the Sheepshead Bay Handicap. After finishing fifth in the Delaware Handicap at Saratoga in August, Maskette was retired with a career record of 12-3-0 from 17 starts and earnings of $77,090.

Retired to Castleton Farm for broodmare duty, Maskette was later sold to William K. Vanderbilt, who shipped her to his Haras du Quesnay farm near Deauville in France. Maskette produced four stakes winners there before her death at the age of 24 in 1930.

Achievements

Champion 2-Year-Old Filly — 1908
Champion 3-Year-Old Filly — 1909

Notable

Won the Futurity Stakes — 1908
Won the Great Filly Stakes — 1908
Won the Matron Stakes — 1908
Won the Spinaway Stakes — 1908
Won the Alabama Stakes — 1909
Won the Gazelle Stakes — 1909
Won the Ladies Stakes — 1909
Won the Mermaid Stakes — 1909
Won the Pierrepont Handicap — 1909