First Lady – Grade I
1 Mile Turf Stake Purse $800.000 Filly & Mare 3 Year Olds And Up.
1st Beach Towel Winning Link Stables Curtis B
Well, for the first 15 races of this four-year-olds career she raced on dirt and who could blame the trainer for that as her conformation and breeding certainly pointed towards a career on the main track. Add to that a win in the GP Oaks, a third in the grade one Cotillion and a fair effort in the BC Distaff and her path looked set on the dirt running around the mile. This year however as a four-year-old her first two races were pretty ordinary, so the trainer decided to give her a change of scenery and take on the grass track. The rest as they say is history as she picked up her first grade one today coming home a fairly comfortable one length clear of a 3-time grade one winner on the surface. I am not sure what to say about the “real lifeness” of this victory but at the end of the day no-one can say that this filly didn’t deserve a big win and drawn the ace today looked as if this could be her best chance.
The odds of over 100/1 were probably more predictable than her apparent liking for grass as the odds monkeys can often produce these “handicapping comp” Easter eggs as she doubled her odds from the opening price of 50/1. I must say however despite the crazy odds and the unlikely love for the green stuff this was a win that was going to happen because she has always promised to be a grade one winner and today was her day.
2nd Poetic Panther Maletto Rodriguez Jam
Well, the five-year-old beat Beach Towel in the KD Ladies Turf last time but today for some reason despite many comparable conditions she never looked like beating the tough little four-year-old and had to settle for second. The one thing that makes a good filly great is consistency though and in 33 races she has only missed the first three 4 times, a remarkable record considering the level of competition she has faced over the years. So, it was second today but an admirable effort again and it would be no surprise to see this form flip flop again next time.
3rd One Spirit Nakamura Stables Bejarano R
She had been given time this year as she turned four to find her improvement curve and after two black type wins ran a solid third in a grade one and will now look to stay in this grade to find more wins. She is a real progressive sort and has a seemingly adaptable racing style which will give her every chance of making a decent five-year-old.
4th Lille Mo Mentum Farm Franco M
On speed from a wide draw, it was always going to be tough, but she stuck on pretty well to only be beaten an official length in the end. A solid effort from a nasty draw, she is holding her form well and looks to be the type to be around for a while yet.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES