The May ($135.000 Purse)
AQU- For Fillies Three Years Old Foaled In NY
One Mile on the Dirt
March 7, 2026

Hwin continues to live up to her name, doing nothing but win as she comfortably won The May by two lengths to go a perfect 4-for-4 on her career. The filly is trained by Spb Racing, who wins the May for the first time. That’s also true for the jockey, R Gutierrez. Congratulations to them! With the KYO in two weeks, one has to wonder if we still her get her first crack at a KYO prep in one of the 100 points next month as she has done everything that the trainer has asked her to do thus far. The time of this win was 1:35.78, which is a middle of the road such time for the race. Let’s take a look at how it happened!

(1/4 Mile- :23.15)- My Girl Kess goes to the lead for Royalty Stables, and will show the way down the backstretch while clear by a length. They are three wide behind her, with the outermost filly and the leader’s stablemate, Doris, having a nose in front of our eventual winner from Spb Racing, Hwin. Sherbini is also with them, and is on the rail for D J C Racing Stables. There’s a break of about two lengths to the second half of the field. There, we see Frito Banditos (First Flight Stable) and And We Danced (Maxmillion Farm) running together. Diana (D J C Racing Stables) is next, while Sinister Date (Jireh) trails.

(½ Mile- :46.82)- It’s still My Girl Kess out in front as they reach the top of the turn. Hwin is positioned well here, moving into the second position while having the ability to go to the leader’s outside whenever R Gutierrez decides it’s time to do so. Sherbini is able to hang with her, within a half length on the rail, while Doris begins to lose touch with them. There’s now a gap of about three lengths to the rest of the field, where And We Danced leads Frito Banditos and Diana. Sinister Date can see them all.

(Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Midway though the turn, Hwin starts to show more interest in getting by the leader, but My Girl Kess is not simply going to hand that over. They reach the top of the stretch with My Girl Kess hanging to the top spot for now, by a neck over Hwin. Sherbini is still very much in the picture here, back by a length while having a lane to come right on in between them. Doris has packed it in, and is two lengths behind them, and fading. And We Danced is about to go on by, but has a lot more work to do in the stretch. Diana takes a wide trip, while we have not seen much out of Frito Banditos or Sinister Date.

(Finish- 1:35.78)- In the stretch, Hwin takes over the lead with about a furlong to do as My Girl Kess tries to put up a fight. As we get closer to the wire, Hwin would show her strong finishing kick, pulling away from My Girl Kess and the rest of the field en route to win by two lengths. Whether or not the next step for her is a KYO prep race is up to Spb Racing, but the filly certainly proved herself here with a strong stretch performance as she stretched out to a mile. Sherbini gets by My Girl Kess late for second, while And We Danced began a late run way too late, but still gets a fourth place check. Diana is a length behind her, followed by Frito Banditos, Sinister Date, and Doris.

About The Winner- Hwin, trained by Spb Racing and ridden to victory by R Gutierrez, is a three year old filly by Cherokee Hunter and is out of Jaco. She was bred by Keikowin Racing in New York as a second quarter two year old and was acquired by Spb Racing for $5.000 in the December 2025 auction. Congratulations to the connections! She is a perfect 4-for-4, and has two stake wins. Her career earnings are now $184.800.

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded