Vinery Madison – (Grade l)

Purse $650.000 – For Fillies And Mares Four Years Old And Upward

7 Furlongs – Dirt

Keeneland – April 4, 2026

Well, you don’t see this very often. Chasing a rare third consecutive victory in the 23rd Vinery Madison Stakes, Lady Sammyantha once again proved her class, turning back a talented field to secure her place as one of the best female sprinters this game has ever seen. Her lifetime earnings now increase to a jaw dropping $5,482.640 as she ran the seven furlongs in 1:21.53. The Sidley Stud also gets his three-peat and surprisingly, this is jockey John Velazquez’s first win in the Vinery Madison. Lady Sammyantha is a true seven-furlong specialist, as this is now her fifteenth win at the distance. This also marks her seventh Grade One victory since her debut in April 2020. Even at eight-years-old, she continues to perform at a high level and remains in peak form. Huge credit to the connections for a perfectly handled campaign leading to the three-peat. Well done!

Winner: Lady Sammyantha – (The Sidley Stud, J R. Velazquez) It wasn’t an ideal setup early for the daughter of Ginger Haggis, as she was five-wide going down the backside. She got in a comfortable rhythm and started saving more ground three-wide, passing the ⅜ pole. Lady Sammyantha found herself in third on the outside at the top of the stretch with a lot of momentum. She cleared the field in the final 1/16 and powered away impressively, fending off all closers to win by a length. After twenty-one career victories over eight years, she continues to show no signs of regression. Her next start will be in the Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs, and I can’t wait to see if she can continue her winning ways!

Second Place: Altered State – (Mb Stables, R. Santana Jr.) This mare was quick out of the gate and ended up dictating things on the front end. It took about two furlongs to get the lead all to herself, but her opening fractions were 22.44 and 45.65. From the 5/16 to the 3/16 pole, Altered State seemed to have kicked away from the field a little bit before Lady Sammyantha started breathing down her neck on the outside. She dug in gamely and tried to maintain her lead in the stretch but was eventually passed in the final 1/16. This was a very strong effort, and I’m sure this is not the last time we’ll see her at the ⅞ distance. Altered State is definitely one to keep in your watchlist as the year goes on.

Third Place: Aghast – (Mb Stables, L. Dettori) After breaking from the gate, Aghast wasn’t quick enough to make the lead, so she sat off the pace. Frankie Dettori had her in the second flight of horses, about three lengths off the leaders down on the rail. She got bottled up a little bit rounding the far turn as Aghast started to make her move on the leaders. The rail didn’t open up until the top of the stretch, and by that time Lady Sammyantha had gotten the first jump on the outside. However, this mare still made a good run down the lane and kept fighting to the wire. If some room opened up sooner, I think she easily could have gotten second. This effort now confirms she’s a need-the-lead type.

Fourth Place: Quail Trot – (Maxmillion Farm, S X. Bridgmohan) New tactics were tried as this filly ran her last two races on the lead. Settling in seventh down the backside, Quail Trot was in a good position saving all the ground on the rail. She pretty much tracked Aghast around the far turn, and jockey Shaun Bridgmohan was waiting patiently for room heading into the stretch. A lane quickly opened up on the inside, and she started to advance on the leaders. Quail Trot simply was too far back early on and wasn’t able to close fast enough on the horses outside of her. This certainly wasn’t a bad effort, and I wouldn’t be shocked if she is a graded stakes winner by the end of this year.

– AJM

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES