The Comely (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
AQU- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
December 7, 2025

Heading into The Comely on Sunday, Never In Charge was the least experienced filly in the field, having made just four starts and none of them were at the stake level. She had made the most of those races, entering the race on a three-race win streak as she took on graded competition for the first time. The 14/1 longshot would use a late charge to get up in time to extend that streak. The impressive effort will certainly make her one to watch as she moves into her four-year-old season. Celebrating the victory is Jkk Racing Stables, for their first win in the Comely. J J Castellano was aboard for his second such win. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:48.48, which is the middle of the road such time for the race when held at nine furlongs. Let’s take a look at how it happened:

(½ Mile- :47.27)- The D J C Racing Stables- trained Lucille was first out of the gate, but ultimately after a half mile, it would be Black Regazze pushing ahead by nearly a length for Nakamura Stables. Lucille is still second, with TwinTowersRacing’s Jinkzy nearby on the rail. Stalking the top three are a trio of horses running alongside one another. From inside to outside, they are Paddington (Black N Gold Stable), Anoushka On Tap (Winning Link Stables), and Vision Believer (Nakamura Stables). We then have a large gap of about four lengths to Petroleum (The Sidley Stud), who is a neck ahead of Nicolette (Alydar Stables). At the back of the field are our eventual winner from Jkk Racing Stables, Never In Charge, as well as TwinTowersRacing’s Cam Code.

(3/4 Mile- 1:11.38)- Finishing the backstretch trip and early into the turn, Black Regazze moves clear of the competition by a length and a half. Neither of Lucille or Jinkzy are making a push, and this results in Anoushka On Tap pulling up right alongside of them to make it a three-way battle for second. Vision Believer takes the fourth lane, while Paddington tucks in right behind Lucille. The gap to the rest of the field has essentially been cut in half as Petroleum gets a little closer. Never In Charge moves up slightly to now run evenly with Nicolette, leaving Cam Code by herself at the rear of the field.

(Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Around the turn, and into the stretch, Black Regazze is looking good, extending her lead to two lengths and looks to finish this off strong all the way to the wire. Jinkzy and Anoushka On Tap are second and third, but only lost ground to the leader. Neither of Lucille or Vision Believer were looking good. Paddington hoped to find some room on the rail but also had a lot of work to do. Further back, there was still a lot of work to do for Never In Charge, but she would swing to the outside to make her move. Nicolette would run closer to the rail, and Petroleum needed to fill up fast. Cam Code looked to be left behind at this point.

(Finish- 1:48.48)- With a furlong to go, it looked like all the was left was to watch Black Regazze run. Those closest to her were not making a push. Further back, both Nicolette and Never In Charge were looking good but it seemed like this would just be for second unless Black Regazze suddenly tired out. That’s exactly what would happen, as her quick tiring out was evident not necessarily by the closing rates of Never In Charge and Nicolette, but with the fact that the rest of the field, who weren’t really making a push, were also closing in fast. This was certainly great news for the two making the charge, both Never In Charge and Nicolette, and it would be those two deciding the Comely between them. From the outside, the resilience of Never In Charge keeps her in charge of her winning streak, prevailing officially by a head over Nicolette, with a gassed Black Regazze having built up enough of a cushion to remain third Anoushka On Tap holds off Paddington and Petroleum for the fourth place check, with the rest of the order reading Vision Believer, Jinkzy, Lucille, and Cam Code.

About The Winner- Never In Charge, trained by Jkk Racing Stables is a three-year-old filly by Laffin Hero and is out of Inquietudo. She was bred in Louisiana as a second quarter two-year-old by her trainer, and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her fourth in five starts and first stake win. Her career earnings are now $212.630.

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES