Twin fillies race much alike at Santa Anita
There was no storybook finish to the first race Wednesday at Santa Anita, the initial 2-year-old race of 2007.
Kyles Rocketdancer and Kaylasrocketdancer, who are twins, and owned by twins Kyle and Kayla Williamson, finished last and next to last in the two-furlong race. Kaylasrocketdancer, named after 15-year-old Kayla Williamson, finished ninth, more than 11 lengths behind winner Excessive Heat, but more than nine lengths in front of Kyles Rocketdancer, named after Kayla’s brother Kyle. Kayla and Kyle are students at West Valley High School in Hemet.
Bred by J.R. Williamson, Kaylasrocketdancer and Kyles Rocketdancer are fillies. Their sire is Rocket Cat, a son of Storm Cat, and the dam is Banta’s Dancer, a daughter of Nijinsky’s Table. They were born at a farm in Hemet.
Twins are rare among thoroughbreds. According to the Jockey Club, Kaylasrocketdancer and Kyles Rocketdancer are the fifth set of twins born since 2000 who made it to the races. Of the four other pairs, there are no cases where both twins have been winners.
“I thought there might be a little bit of history to be made if these foals could stay sound and are taken care of to try and enter them in a race together,” J.R. Williamson told the Bloodhorse.
“When the kids were born, it was amazing to me. And we have twins. We named them after the kids and said, ‘We’ll see.’ And it worked.”
Kaylasrocketdancer and Kyles Rocketdancer do not look alike. The former is a bay, the latter is a chestnut and their other markings are different.
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