When asked what grand ambitions lay ahead after Classic Q (Classic Empire) notched her first stakes win last year in the Wild Applause Stakes, owners Valerie and Hugh Dailey just looked at each other and laughed.“We were just hoping to win a race at Saratoga!” Hugh responded.The Daileys have been involved in the horse business for nearly 40 years, focusing primarily on their boutique breeding operation in Ocala. About five years ago, they decided to dive deeper into racing by enlisting Mark Casse to purchase yearlings and train for their stable, Blue Crevalle Racing. With Classic Q, they achieved their goal of winning a race at Saratoga, but that turned out to be just the beginning. This year, the star filly has collected three graded stakes wins, including the GI First Lady Stakes at Keeneland in her most recent start, taking the Daileys to stages they never could have imagined.“When she won the Grade II on Derby Day, it was incredible,” said Hugh. “It was so surreal to be there in the whole Derby frenzy and win a race. It's almost like we didn't even see the rest of the races because we were so excited. We won the GI Just a Game with her on Belmont day and again, it was surreal. It's like you pinch yourself. How could you win two major races at two major tracks? Then to come back and win the big race at Keeneland, it's been quite a journey. She's a special horse and we've had quite the ride with her.”Sharing the experience with their close friends Mark and Tina Casse has made the success even sweeter. Mark Casse credits Hugh, who runs a bank in Ocala, for getting his business off and running over 30 years ago.“Tina and I owe a lot of our success to Hugh,” Casse said. “When we started out, we didn't just not have anything, we were in the negative. Hugh and his bank believed in us and allowed us to grow. Years ago when Tina and I did our will, if something happened to both of us at the same time, they were going to raise our son Colby. So that tells you what I think of Hugh and Valerie Dailey.”For Casse, it has been deeply gratifying to pay some of that early faith back by picking out a filly like Classic Q. The horseman purchased the daughter of his Breeders' Cup Juvenile champion Classic Empire as a yearling.“I have a special place in my heart for Classic Empire and I'm big on broodmare sires,” he explained. “Classic Q was out of a mare by Scat Daddy, who I've had a lot of luck with as a broodmare sire. To me she was the perfect picture. She was not too big or wide, but that's what I loved about her. She's just all athlete.”Classic Q was initially campaigned by Blue Crevalle Racing and Quintessential Racing Florida, but the Casses sold their share to Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners after the filly's 4 1/2-length maiden win last January.After knocking on the door of stardom with three graded placings as a 3-year-old, the grey established herself as one of the top female turf milers in 2026. Following a front-running victory in the GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes, she captured the GI Just a Game Stakes at Saratoga and added a hard-fought third in the GII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes.In the GI First Lady at Keeneland, Classic Q and fellow Grade I winner Lush Lips (GB) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) delivered an epic showdown, with the Casse trainee and jockey John Velazquez prevailing by a nose.“That was amazing because for her, she's always on the lead,” her trainer said. “Johnny knows her so well. He got her to relax a little bit. She was wide. I never dreamed she was going to get up, but that's what she is. She is just pure class and a great racehorse.”Classic Q bests Lush Lips in the GI First Lady at Keeneland | Coady Media“We had lost a heartbreaker by probably less than a foot to Lush Lips earlier this year,” Hugh recalled. “So we finally beat Lush Lips by a whisker. One of the turf writers said it was 'by a flared nostril.' She's just got such a big heart and she wants to win every time.”With earnings just under $2 million, Classic Q is now preparing for a bid in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, taking on the challenge of stretching out to 1 3/16 miles.Casse said that while it's not her preferred distance, he is confident the filly has the makings of a champion.“She's special for a lot of reasons,” he said. “I'm proud because we picked her out and I think we know her really well. She's different to train. She's sweet as can be, but if you let her, she'll do too much. I try not to do a whole lot with her and she thrives on it.”For Valerie and Hugh, their first Breeders' Cup will certainly be one to remember. They will be represented not just by Classic Q, but also GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint leading contender Bacio (Maclean's Music). A large partnership group bred the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes winner (featured here) and several breeders, including the Daileys, are still involved in the ownership.Classic Q and her ownership group after the GI Just a Game at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew“How often does anybody get to have one horse, let alone two, in the Breeders' Cup?” said Valerie. “It's going to be a very special event for us. It takes a team and we're very appreciative of all the work and effort that goes into making quality racehorses.”After the Breeders' Cup, Classic Q will head to the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.“It's a tough decision, but we're ready,” said Hugh. “We want her to do big things as a broodmare.”Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning said the filly, who will sell as Hip 176 with Bluewater Sales, will be one of the standouts on the Night of the Stars.“Classic Q is the only dual Grade I-winning older turf filly or mare in 2026,” he noted. “When the lights are the brightest, she shows up and delivers the best performances of her career. She has clearly demonstrated that she's a superior miler. For years people would say milers make the best stallions, so the same could apply to a filly or a mare starting her breeding career.”The 4-year-old will be offered as a breeding or racing prospect. Casse said his hope is that whoever buys Classic Q might consider returning the star to the racetrack for one more season before she begins her career as a broodmare.“We've never done it because she's just ran so well, but she can really fly over the dirt,” he said “I'd like to try it sometime with her. She still has a lot of run left in her. So I'm hoping that whoever buys her maybe lets us run her another year.”The post “Quite the Ride,” Classic Q Points for Breeders’ Cup Before Fasig-Tipton appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.