Mabee Stakes (Grade 2)- $250.00 Purse
DMR- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
September 7, 2026

Eight fillies and mares took to the track on Monday for the running of the Grade 2 Mabee Stakes, and our pick to win, Threshold’s Voltaire went off at rather generous odds of about 8/1, as apparently bettors did not think that last year’s runner up in this race could improve on that. Well, she would be able to do exactly that, returning to DMR fresh off of running second in the Grade 2 Beverly D at CNL last month, and winning the race by half a length. This is the first win in the Mabee Stakes for both Threshold and jockey A Fresu. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:45.74, which is among the better such times for the race. Let’s have a look at it now!

(½ Mile- :47.12)- From the outside, Neon Era breaks sharply out of the gate for TwinTowersRacing, and Queen Kingdom will do the same for Serenity Stables. These two will show the away into the opening turn, with the race’s eventual winner from Threshold, Voltaire, as well Bigchief Stables’ Grand Design stalking the pace. At a half mile, Queen Kingdom is the one with the lead, and Voltaire starts to already look a little more interested at getting to the front, as she is now with half a length of Neon Era, while inching away from Grand Design just a bit. Sea Of Galilee sits just a couple lengths from the lead for Winning Link Stables, and it is another length to Right As Rain (Alydar Stables). Another two back are the trailers, Liable (Mo Mentum Farm) and Never In Charge (Jkk Racing Stables).

(3/4 Mile- 1:10.67)- Down the backstretch, it’s Queen Kingdom still in front, but Voltaire begins to get closer just prior to entering the turn, and is within half a length of the frontrunner at this point. Neon Era isn’t going anywhere, and is nearby to these two while in the third spot. Sea Of Galilee sits just behind the top three, as she completes a pass from Grand Design. It’s still another length to Right As Rain, but she is now also beginning to show more interest in moving forward. That can’t be said for Liable and Never In Charge in the back quite yet.

(Top of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- It would not take long for Voltaire to take off the lead, doing so soon after entering the turn, then handling the turn very well while on the rail. Once they would reach the top of the stretch, she was up by nearly a length and a half on Queen Kingdom, and further ahead of Neon Era as that one could not keep pace. She also added to her advantage on Sea Of Galilee here, something that would prove to be very meaningful for the stretch run. Right As Rain would move to the far outside to make a run, but Grand Design was lacking response. Never In Charge would begin to hit her best stride and would also look to take a wide route around the turn. It’s about three from them to the trailer, Liable.

(Finish- 1:45.74)- Voltaire is strong at the top of the stretch, and it looked like she might be on the way to big margin of victory, but within the final furlong, Sea Of Galilee found some run that Winning Link Stables probably wishes she also showed in the turn. She’d move into second, and while Voltaire winning the race wasn’t in doubt, the margin was shrinking, and would only end up being a half length at the end. That doesn’t matter to Threshold, a win is a win, and Voltaire ran a big one today. The late outside trips of Right As Rain and Never In Charge respectively give them third and fourth, but they never threatened for more. The second half of the field will read, Queen Kingdom, Neon Era, Grand Design, and Liable.

About The Winner- Voltaire, trained by Threshold and ridden to victory by A Fresu, is a six year old mare by Fairfield Road and is out of the late La Marine Ancienne. She was bred by Mo Mentum Farm in Ontario as a third quarter two year old and was acquired by Threshold, via Mb Stables, with $12.50 claim in June 2023. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her 11th in 29 starts, her fourth stake win, and third graded win. Her career earnings are now $1,202.59.

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES