Halfway to Heaven (horse)

Halfway to Heaven did not appear on the racecourse until the late autumn of 2007. On 29 October she started the 4/1 favourite for a maiden race over seven furlongs at Leopardstown Racecourse and finished second of the eighteen runners behind Labaqa. A week later she started 9/10 favourite for a similar event over the same course and distance and won by a head from Charlotte Bronte.[8]

On her first appearance as a three-year-old, Halfway to Heaven contested the Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial Stakes over seven furlongs on 6 April. Ridden as in both her previous races by Seamie Heffernan, the filly took the lead in the final quarter mile but was overtaken in the closing stages and finished second, beaten a head by the Dermot Weld-trained Carribean Sunset. On 11 May, Halfway to Heaven was sent to France and moved up in class to contest the Group One Poule d'Essai des Pouliches over 1600 metres at Longchamp Racecourse. In an exceptionally strong renewal of the race, she started at odds of 24/1 and finished third behind Zarkava and Goldikova after leading briefly in the straight. Two weeks later, Halfway to Heaven returned to Ireland for the Irish 1,000 Guineas over one mile at the Curragh for which she started at odds of 13/2. Heffernan tracked the leaders before taking the lead two and a half furlong from the finish. In a four-way photo finish Halfway to Heaven prevailed from Tuscan Evening, Mad About You and Carribean Sunset.[9] After the race O'Brien commented; "She is a hardy lady and has come on for every run and I am delighted with her. Seamus gave her a great ride, her form was there and she is a very consistent filly. We knew they would go a solid pace and the race was fair for everyone. We will have a look at the Coronation now as she gets the mile well."[10]

Halfway to Heaven bypassed the Coronation Stakes and was moved up in distance when she was sent to England to contest the Nassau Stakes over ten furlongs at Goodwood Racecourse on 2 August. In this race her opponents included the Coronation Stakes winner Lush Lashes as well the British fillies Passage of Time (Critérium de Saint-Cloud) and Majestic Roi (Sun Chariot Stakes). Ridden by Johnny Murtagh, Halfway to Heaven took a narrow lead approaching the final furlong and won by a head from Lush Lashes with Passage of Time a head away in third.[11] Murtagh described the winner as "very brave and very tough. She's come on from the Guineas, she's thickened up well and she's moving well. She wins like this a lot, she is lazy."[12] At Leopardstown a month later, Halfway to Heaven started 4/1 second favourite for the Matron Stakes in which she finished third, beaten a neck and half a length by Lush Lashes and the British-trained filly Nahoodh.

On 4 October Halfway to Heaven started at odds of 8/1 for the Group One Sun Chariot Stakes over one mile at Newmarket Racecourse. Heffernan sent the filly into the lead from the start and she ran on "gamely" in the closing stages to win by half a length from the French-trained favourite Darjina.[13] O'Brien paid tribute to the filly's durability and consistency, saying "she has had a long old season, so to do this is really a credit to her".[14] On her final appearance, Halfway to Heaven was sent to the United States to contest the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita Park. She was made 5/2 favourite, but after taking second early in the straight, she dropped back to finish seventh of the ten runners behind Forever Together.