The Pegasus F & M Turf (Grade 2)- $500.000 Purse
GP- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
January 25, 2025

As one would expect, the field for the Pegasus F & M Turf was loaded, creating an outstanding opportunity for a horse to start off their 2025 with a very impressive win. Secret Of A Lady is not one of the big names of this division yet but has certainly shown her ability to become one. She seemed like a good option for the race, and while she was not one of our picks, we still thought highly of her and her omission was more of a product of the strength of the field, in general. On a day where her two stablemates didn’t seem to rise to the occasion, Secret Of A Lady was game, and came from well off the pace to get the win! She is trained by Mb Stables for his first win in the race, shocking as that may be. W T Buick was aboard for their first win as well. Congratulations to them! The winning time was 1:39.43, the third quickest in the race’s history when run at this distance. Let’s take a look at it now:

(1/4 Mile- :23.00)- TwinTowersRacing’s Ponzi Scheme is the quickest out of the gate seemed like she would be the leader at this point, but advancing in the third lane would be High Voltage’s Mundi Moon, and she’ll be the leader here. Ponzi Scheme settles for second on the rail, and between them, we have Maletto’s Poetic Panther. Behind the top three, Tapioca Pudding is next on the rail for Mb Stables, with Lady Hilltopper within half a length of her for Black N Gold Stable. In the middle of the pack, we find Mo Mentum Farm’s Painville as the middle horse of a group of three and ahead of the other two by a neck. Reorganize is next on the rail for Czech Out Farms, with Wander on the outside for Mb Stables. Following them, and five lengths off the lead, is our eventual winner from Mb Stables, Secret Of A Lady. She is a length ahead of Becky Does Extremo (Williams9), and When Doves Cry (Big Jd Racing) is by herself at the back.

(½ Mile- :46.35)- Down the backstretch, Mundi Moon is still the leader, but neither of Ponzi Scheme and Poetic Panther are going to let her get away, and they are within half a length. These three have pulled away a little from the next closest horses, which are Lady Hilltopper, Painville, and Tapioca Pudding, as they run three wide. Wander is nearby in the fourth lane and Reorganize is tucked in right behind them on the rail. It’s about two more to Secret Of A Lady, who is still running by herself at this point, but for now is comfortable not getting involved with the field further ahead. Becky Does Extremo continued to run behind her, and When Doves Cry can see them all.

(Top of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Mundi Moon handles the turn very well, but so too does Poetic Panther, and they will be the leaders entering the stretch, giving the slip to Ponzi Scheme in the process. Advancing forward would be the post-time favorite, Painville, looking like she was gearing up to add this win to her impressive resume. She had outrun Lady Hilltopper, but that one has also closed in on the top two while running on the outside. Wander was five wide but not showing a lot. Ponzi Scheme was next but dropping and for now both Tapioca Pudding and Reorganize were running evenly with the field. On the far outside, Secret Of A Lady was making her move, needing to go six wide to do so, but W T Buick was confident that his filly could handle it. Further back, neither of Becky Does Extremo or When Doves Cry were showing much.

(Finish- 1:39.43)- While Poetic Panther was prevailing over Mundi Moon, it would be Painville taking the lead with a furlong to go, but her work was not done yet. No, that was not her longtime rival La Terrifiant on the outside making a charge, but instead it was Secret Of A Lady. Painville did what she could, and Poetic Panther was resilient, but Secret Of A Lady was going to be too strong for them in the end. From the outside, she would complete the pass in the closing moments and end winning by half a length over Painville, then Poetic Panther. Lady Hilltopper gets the fourth-place check, over Reorganize and Mundi Moon. Rounding it out are When Doves Cry, Wander, Becky Does Extremo, Tapioca Pudding, and Ponzi Scheme.

About The Winner- Secret Of A Lady, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by W T Buick, is a four-year-old filly by Higgs Boson and is out of Modesta. She was bred as a first quarter two-year-old in Florida by Fractious, and was acquired by Mb Stables, via Night Rider Stables, in the September 2024 auction for $50.000. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her seventh in 15 starts and her third stake win, all of which are graded. Her career earnings are now $870.520.

Track: Firm
Time: :23  :46¹  1:09⁴  1:39²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 7 – 3 Paid 35.80
$1 Trifecta: 7 – 3 – 6 Paid 76.30

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES