The Gamely Stakes (Grade 1)- $300.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
May 27, 2024

Female turf horses will get their chance to shine at SA as well, as the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes brings together a field of six for a purse of $300.000. Like we saw with the Shoemaker Mile, this unfortunately represents a purse reduction, as it had been at $400.000 the last two years. The Gamely has seen a couple of repeat winners in its history, and that includes Proud Eights in 2021 and 2022. Last year, Zalinda picked up the win for Threshold, but she is not going to be here to try and be a third back-to-back winner. She was retired last month after running in the Grade 3 Bewitch, completing a career that saw her win over $1,700.000. Here’s a look at our field this year:

1- Lady Hilltopper (Black N Gold Stable, ridden by F Pennington)- After a successful four-year-old season that saw her run in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf, Lady Hilltopper started off 2024 quite well, scoring back-to-back wins in the Grade 3 La Prevoyante at GP and the Grade 2 Hillsborough at TAM. In each, she came from off the pace to get the win, but that closing kick was too little too late last month in the Grade 1 Wiley. No reason to think that she cannot redeem herself by sticking with what has worked, but I wouldn’t rule anything out with her.

2- Painville (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by F Geroux)- Put her name in the history books last fall by bringing the pain to her rivals and winning the BC Fillies and Mares Turf. It was one of five wins on the year, four of which were in graded races. The Grade 1 Just A Game at BEL was another big one that she won, coming around this time last year. Since the BC, she has not taken her foot off the gas, running well in the Pegasus F & M Turf, and last month she took home the win in the Grade 1 Wiley. If she runs her race, this race is hers.

3- Always Condottieri (Maletto, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Four of the six horses in this race also ran in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf, but none were actually close to Painville at the wire. Always Condottiero only beat one horse that day, Techfluence High, It was the second time she ran in that race and was a lot better in 2022. She’s stuck around since November, running in four more stakes here, three of them being Grade 3’s. Her one victory in that stretch was in the ungraded Wishing Well Stakes, which is a sprint.

4- Wander (Mb Stables, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- May not have been one our BC runners last fall, but she was successful on the year as well, winning five of eight races and earning over $1,100.000. A three-race winning streak happened for her in the summer, with a win over both Perfect Class and Painville in the Grade 2 Ballston at SAR, and then winning the Grade 1 KD Ladies Turf, a $1,000.000 race, afterwards. That, and her other races, were only good enough for 18th on the BC points board, but Mb still got three in, anyway. Biggest threat to Painville.

5- Lousiana Woo (Invicta Group Llc, ridden by F Prat)- First of all, that spelling is not a typo. Secondly, this is a horse that has not won since an allowance at LAD. She’s run in several top races since then, and has had intermittent success to get the trainer feeling that she’s about to breakout in one of them, but she has been a non-factor more often than not. Her last race saw her run fourth in the Grade 3 Santa Ana Stakes in late February. Never say never, but this may be too tough for her.

6- Techfluence High (The Sidley Stud, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Won two of nine races over the course of her three-year-old season, highlighted by capturing the Grade 2 Sands Point in October. Three weeks later, she found herself running in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf, but started at the rear and didn’t pass anyone all day. That stuck with her for a couple races, as she didn’t show much in the La Prevoyante or the Hillsborough, but finally got back to her old self and won the Grade 3 Royal Heroine Stakes here last month. Perhaps now, she can go on a hot streak.

Prediction: 2-4-1-3

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES